Tag Archives: landowners

Construction of Sabal Trail pipeline is not inevitable –L. Elliott Jones

March 29, 2016Dougherty County, FERC, Georgia, WaterAlbany Herald, Carlton Fletcher, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, Clean Water Act, Dougherty County, environmental justice, Environmental Protection Division, FERC, Flint River, Flint Riverkeeper, GA EPD, Georgia, Greenlaw, John S. Quarterman, Kioke-Flint Group, L. Elliott Jones, landowners, National Environmental Policy Act, Natural Gas Act, NEPA, Orlando Sentinel, Sabal Trail Transmission, Sierra Club, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Suwannee River, Water, WWALSJohn S. Quarterman

Especially preventable after Sabal Trail’s river easements went down in flames in a historic vote by the Georgia House last week. -jsq

L. Elliott Jones, Albany Herald, 28 March 2016, L. ELLIOTT JONES: Construction of Sabal Trail pipeline is not inevitable
GUEST COLUMNIST: Efforts are still under way to prevent the construction of the gas pipeline,

Carlton Fletcher’s story, “Dougherty County leaders OK inevitable agreement on pipeline” on March 21, presented only one part of the current story on the Sabal Trail pipeline. There are two schools of thought on the Sabal Trail pipeline: those who believe construction of the pipeline is inevitable, and those who believe the pipeline can and should be prevented, and are working hard to do so. No one, in either group, believes it is needed in Georgia.
Continue reading Construction of Sabal Trail pipeline is not inevitable –L. Elliott Jones →

Movie online: At What Cost? Pipelines, Pollution and Eminent Domain in the Rural South

February 13, 2016Corruption, Economy, Environment, Ethics, Law, Solaraquifer, Brooks County, Chattahoochee River, Colquitt County, conservation, eminent domain, environment, Flint River, Floridan Aquifer, Hamilton County, John S. Quarterman, Kinder Morgan, landowners, Law, Live Oak, Live Oak Womans Club, Lowndes County, Mark Albertin, north Florida, Ochlockonee River, Okapilco Creek, Palmetto Pipeline, pipeline, pollution, private property, river, Sabal Trail Transmission, Safety, Santa Fe River, south Georgia, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Suwannee County, Suwannee River, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, USACE, watershed, Withlacoochee River, WWALS, WWALS Watershed CoalitionJohn S. Quarterman

Now streaming online: At What Cost? Pipelines, Pollution and Eminent Domain in the Rural South, by Mark Albertin. And yes, he’s happy for it to be shown elsewhere; just ask, and you can set up a local viewing like in Live Oak last night, or the previous premieres along the Georgia coast.

Most of the issues are the same for Spectra Energy’s invading Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline as for Kinder Morgan’s invading Palmetto petroleum products pipeline that is the subject of the movie. Thanks to Push Back the Pipeline for getting this movie made about Kinder Morgan’s proposed petroleum products pipeline from South Carolina across the Georgia coast to Jacksonville, Florida. Special thanks to Eileen, Lori, and Debra and the Woman’s Club of Live Oak for the movie showing last night, to WWALS Watershed Coalition and the Woman’s Club of Live Oak for hosting, and to Our Santa Fe River, and Gulf Restoration Network for helping promote it.

Don’t forget the hike to the Suwannee River Sabal Trail crossing 8:15 AM Thursday 28 February 2016 with Suwannee and Hamilton County Commissioners.

Spectra Energy of Houston, Texas wants to gouge Sabal Trail from Continue reading Movie online: At What Cost? Pipelines, Pollution and Eminent Domain in the Rural South →

FERC FOIA not transparent even internally

February 7, 2014FERC, LawFERC, FOIA, John Peconom, John S. Quarterman, Kathryn Allen, landowners, Law, Leonard Tao, Sabal Trail Transmission, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Toyia Johnson, transparencyJohn S. Quarterman

Received yesterday by email to me and Beth Gordon. -jsq

*John and Beth,*

*Regarding your FOIA questions, I’ve contacted the Commission’s Offices of External Affairs and General & Administrative Law, and have determined that the best course of action to fully and accurately respond to your questions would be for you to speak directly with our FOIA Public Liaison Ms. Toyia Jackson. I was hoping to be able to answer your questions myself; however, I believe that it would be better if Ms. Jackson responded to you. As the Commission’s FOIA Public Liaison she is much more capable than I to answer your questions. I have forwarded your questions to her and we have discussed the conversations each of us have had. Ms. Jackson’s contact information is:*

*Toyia Johnson*, FOIA Public Liaison
Office of External Affairs
Telephone: 202-502-6088

Respectfully,
Continue reading FERC FOIA not transparent even internally →

Appeal to redacted FOIA –Beth Gordon

January 12, 2014FERC, LawBeth Gordon, FERC, FOIA, invasion, John S. Quarterman, landowners, Law, need to know, privacy, public, redacted, Sabal Trail Transmission, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, transparencyJohn S. Quarterman

“If Sabal Trail and Spectra energy are not guilty of invasion of privacy, why isn’t the public need to know and educate equally if not more important?”

That’s the gist of Beth Gordon’s appeal of 12 January 2014 to FERC’s redacted landowner list in response to her FOIA request. Here’s more:

It is my opinion that there is no privacy interest in the mere name and mailing address of an individual, particularly where, as here, Sabal Trail and Spectra energy has already used them numerous times to send unsolicited letters, invitations, and demands to survey. If Sabal Trail and Spectra energy are not guilty of invasion of privacy, why isn’t the public need to know and educate equally if not more important? The public right to know who is affected, to become educated, and to understand what is at stake ought not to be left to a private energy corporation that stands to make millions of dollars by getting this project approved with the least amount of resistance from landowners. FERC’S refusal to release these names and mailing addresses ensures that Sabal Trail and Spectra Energy are the only ones with the ability to contact these individuals (which they have done numerous times) and “educate them” as to this particular pipeline project.

In the Act generally, and particularly under Exemption (6), there is a strong presumption in favor of disclosure.” Continue reading Appeal to redacted FOIA –Beth Gordon →

Sloppy FOIA redaction from FERC for Sabal Trail pipeline landowners

January 12, 2014FERC, LawEducation, exemption 6, FERC, FOIA, invasion, John S. Quarterman, landowners, Law, privacy, redaction, Sabal Trail Transmission, Spectra Energy, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

FERC took a week to not supply what was requested in Beth Gordon’s FOIA, and apparently if you’ve organized your property under an LLC, your LLC name is visible on the redacted list, even if that name includes your personal name. Whose privacy is FERC protecting, anyway, now that all landowners along the proposed pipline path have had their privacy invaded by the pipeline company?

Here’s what Beth Gordon asked for 2 January 2014:

A list of each and every landowner in Florida contacted by Sabal Trail LLC by mail to inform them that they are on, or may be on, the proposed pipeline and/or proposed survey map for this project.

Here’s what FERC sent back 10 January 2014:

A redacted version of the Sabal Trails landowner list that was submitted to FERC of October 4, 2013 in docket number PF-14-1 has been previously released under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). This document is identified in the FERC e-library as accession number 20131004-5123 (Appendix B). Please find attached part 1 and part 2 of this redacted list. Additional emails will be provided with the remainder of this material. We will also provide a courtesy copy of the public cover letter for this submittal.

Appendix B of 20131004-5123 is marked on FERC’s website as:

You don’t have permission to access this document.
This document (eLibrary accession no. 20131004-5123) is Privileged.
The public may file a FOIA request under 18 C.F.R. 388.108.

Here are the four parts Continue reading Sloppy FOIA redaction from FERC for Sabal Trail pipeline landowners →

Got these “responses” to my FOIA request for landowner lists from FERC- BLANK sheets of paper! Thanks FERC! Our tax dollars at work. They based their blank response on “exemption 6” of FOIA…

January 12, 2014FERC, Florida, Lawexemption 6, FERC, landowners, privacy, redacted, Sabal Trail TransmissionBeth Gordon

appeal foia List 1 List 2 List 3 List 4 email from FERC with FOIA response FOIA request from ferc Cover_Letter_-from Sabal trail to FERC _PF14-1_-_20131004-5122_(1)