Tag Archives: LNG

FERC hearing packed by activists

May 4, 2014FERC, Florida, Law, LNG, New YorkCheseapeake Climate Action Network, Constitution Pipeline, Cove Point, EPA, export, FERC, Florida, John S. Quarterman, Law, LNG, Minisink, New York, Sabal Trail Transmission, Sane Energy Project, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

FERC’s rubberstamp machine may yet be held accountable by the citizens, and by other government agencies and courts that are taxpayer-funded, not by the industries they regulate like FERC.

Sane Energy Project posted 4 May 2014, Reportback: The Minisink Hearing, or, FERC Gets a Clue,

A court officer was asked if similar hearings were always as crowded. “Never,” he said. This is a trend that’s building. Before Spectra, the average number of interveners on any project was about 19. Now, it’s typical for there to be 300-500 interveners, and for thousands of comments to be filed. Lately, activists are getting under FERC’s skin even more, showing up repeatedly at hearings, Commission meetings, and soon, a rally in front of their offices.

Ted Glick, coordinator for Cheseapeake Climate Action Network, one of the main groups fighting the Cove Point LNG export terminal in Maryland, said, Continue reading FERC hearing packed by activists →

How long until Excelerate files for LNG export from Massachusetts Bay?

May 1, 2014FE, LNG, MARAD, Massachusetts, TexasBoston, Department of Transportation, Excelerate, FE, John S. Quarterman, Kinder Morgan, LNG, MARAD, Maritime Administration, Massachusetts, Northeast Gas Association, Northeast Gateway facility, Office of Fossil Energy, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, Texas, Texas Eastern, TGPJohn S. Quarterman

How long until the same company that already got FE authorization for LNG export from Texas files for the same from its idle LNG facility offshore from Boston?

The Northeast Gas Association wrote February 2014, The Role of LNG in the Northeast Natural Gas (and Energy) Market,

The Northeast Gateway facility is owned and operated by Excelerate Energy. The facility began commercial operations Continue reading How long until Excelerate files for LNG export from Massachusetts Bay? →

FERC and FE oversight committee approved LNG export legislation for non-FTA countries

May 1, 2014Economy, FE, FERC, LNGDr. Strangelove, Economy, Energy & Commerce Committee, Energy and Power Subcommittee, FE, FERC, Government, John Barrow, John S. Quarterman, Kathy Castor, LNG, Major Kong, Rooskies, Russia, Slim Pickens, SpectraBusters, Ukraine, WTOJohn S. Quarterman

Should we let Congress authorize blanket LNG export to 159 WTO member countries, including China and Ukraine, so fossil fuel companies can profit by taking our lands to pipe fracked methane to Florida? If not, it’s time to call your House member.

After approval by its Subcommittee on Energy and Power, which is the oversight committee for both FERC and the U.S. DoE’s Office of Fossil Fuels, both of which can authorize LNG export, the U.S. House Energy & Commerce Committee voted yesterday to send to the full House of Representatives H.R. 6, “A BILL To provide for expedited approval of exportation of natural gas to World Trade Organization countries, and for other purposes.” That bill would add to Section 3(c) of the Natural Gas Act ( 15 U.S.C. 717b(c) ), Continue reading FERC and FE oversight committee approved LNG export legislation for non-FTA countries →

Bluegrass fracked methane pipeline cancelled

May 1, 2014Economy, Fracking, Georgia, Kentucky, Law, LNG, Lowndes Countyanalysts, Bluegrass Pipeline, carbon bubble, death spiral, downgrade, Economy, export, Florida Southeast Connection, FPL, Fracking, Georgia, Gulf of Mexico, Hillabee Expansion Project, John S. Quarterman, Kentucky, Law, LNG, Lowndes County, Marcellus Shale, Sabal Trail Transmission, SpectraBusters, Transco, WilliamsJohn S. Quarterman

Williams Co.’s excuse: “an insufficient level of firm customer commitment” for its Marcellus shale to Gulf of Mexico gas pipe. That’s corporate-ese for it got to be too expensive; it’s the same thing a company that wanted to put a biomass plant in Lowndes County said. Couldn’t have had anything to do with massive public resistance, oh no. This is the same Williams Co. that owns Transco, first in the chain of the Transco -> Sabal Trail -> Florida Southeast Connection pipeline through Alabama and Georgia to Florida’s Atlantic and Gulf coasts, where there are already several companies authorized for LNG export. That one could get too expensive, too.

Tim Rudell wrote for WKSU 29 April 2014, Bluegrass pipeline project through Ohio and beyond is cancelled, Continue reading Bluegrass fracked methane pipeline cancelled →

Sierra Club petition against TPP

April 29, 2014Alabama, Economy, Environment, Florida, Georgia, LNGAlabama, China, Economy, EFF, Electronic Frontier Foundation, environment, Florida, Free Trade Agreement, FTA, Georgia, Government, intellectual property, John S. Quarterman, LNG, LNG export, SpectraBusters, TPP, Trans-Pacific PartnershipJohn S. Quarterman

Sierra Club has a petition to stop Congressional fast-track for the Trans-Pacific Parternership (TPP), and that will probably stop the TPP, because in regular Congressional hearings the parts that have been kept secret would get exposed, which would make TPP very hard to approve. Look at what Wikileaks found in the TPP environment chapter, and in the intellectual property chapter. The U.S. is apparently lobbying for criminal offenses for even unintentional infringements of “copyright, related rights and trademarks” Yet there are no criminal sanctions for destroying our environment, and the draft TPP text even points out:

On the other hand, WTO rules do allow members to derogate from their obligations in some cases, for instance where a measure is aimed at the conservation of natural resources, provided certain conditions are met.

Do we want corporate profit to override our clean water and air and native plants and animals, not to mention our property rights?

Here’s the Sierra Club petition: The Trans-Pacific Partnership could leave a big fracking mess!

The TPP is being pushed by Continue reading Sierra Club petition against TPP →

Proposed Sabal Trail Pipeline Threatens Southwest Georgia Communities –in Georgia Sierran

April 28, 2014Alabama, Colquitt County, Dougherty County, Economy, Environment, FE, FERC, Florida, Georgia, Gilchrist County, Hazards, LNG, Lowndes County, Safety, Solar, WaterAlabama, aquifer, China, Colquitt County, Dougherty County, Economy, environment, FE, FERC, Florida, Floridan Aquifer, FPL, FTA, Georgia, Gilchrist County, gopher tortoise, Hazards, Houston, John S. Quarterman, Juno Beach, LNG, LNG export, Lowndes County, Port Dolphin, Sabal Trail Transmission, Safety, solar, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, TPP, TTIP, WaterJohn S. Quarterman

In the April-May-June ~~2004~~ 2014 issue of Georgia Sierran Georgia Sierra Club‘s Chapter newsletter. The same issue has an excellent article on Georgia’s aquifers, including the Floridan Aquifer that is a drinking water source for all of Florida, through which the Sabal Trail pipeline proposes to bulldoze.

Proposed Sabal Trail Pipeline Threatens
Southwest Georgia Communities

By John Quarterman
Why should a shell corporation owned by two companies in Houston, Texas and Juno Beach, Florida get to take Georgians’ property to pipe fracked methane to Florida through our fragile karst limestone drinking water aquifer?

Yet that’s what Sabal Trail Transmission, LLC, proposes to do, Continue reading Proposed Sabal Trail Pipeline Threatens Southwest Georgia Communities –in Georgia Sierran →

Can Sabal Trail fracked methane go to China?

April 26, 2014British Columbia, FE, FERC, Florida, LNG, Martin CountyAES, Bahamas, British Columbia, Carib Energy, China, Crowley Maritime, EU, Europe, export, FE, FERC, Florida, Florida Southeast Connection, Floridian LNG, Ford, FPL, India, Japan, John S. Quarterman, LNG, Martin County, Ocean Express, Russia, Sabal Trail Transmission, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, TPP, Transco, TTIP, Ukraine, WilliamsJohn S. Quarterman

People talk about LNG exports to China through the Transco – Sabal Trail – Florida Southeast Connection pipeline, even though FPL says it knows nothing about exports through that Southeast Market Pipelines Project (SMPP), and FERC also seems to know nothing. If that fracked gas really can go to China, where’s FERC’s rationale for federal eminent domain, which depends on Florida needing the gas? Nevermind FPL’s own 10-Year Site Plan doesn’t support a need for the gas, and EPA doesn’t buy what it’s seen as rationalizations for that alleged need: can the gas go to China?

FERC has admitted in more than one Scoping Meeting that it’s not the pipeline company that has to get export authorization: it’s the end user. And FPL is not the only end user and FERC is not the only export-authorizing agency. Continue reading Can Sabal Trail fracked methane go to China? →

FPL supports solar power without spending money on it –FPL to FERC

April 25, 2014FE, FERC, Law, LNG, Martin County, Okeechobee County, SolarCape Canaveral, Carib Energy, coal, Crowley Maritime, EPA, export, FE, FERC, FL PSC, Florida Southeast Connection, Floridian LNG, John S. Quarterman, Law, LNG, Martin County, oil, Okeechobee County, Pam Rauch, Sabal Trail Transmission, SMP, solar, Southeast Market Pipelines, SpectraBusters, Transco, WilliamsJohn S. Quarterman

FPL doubled down on a need because it claims fracked methane is “clean”, in its FERC filing of 21 April 2014. FPL says it is “a strong supporter of solar power” even though it didn’t increase its solar capacity from 2010 to 2013 because of the lame baseload capacity excuse. FPL says it knows nothing about Export of Gas, even though Floridian LNG, located next to FPL’s Martin County “Clean Energy” Center right at the end of the Transco-Sabal-FSC pipeline, was approved for LNG export by the U.S. DoE Office Fossil Energy (FE) 14 November 2013, and Crowley Maritime’s Carib Energy was approved for export from Florida by FE 27 July 2011. And FPL says its ratepayers are not paying the costs of the pipeline, even though FPL VP of development and external affairs Pam Rauch argued in pring 29 July 2012 for a “Clean Energy” (fracked methane) Center at Cape Canaveral that was one of several mentioned by the Tampa Times 24 October 2014 as a reason for a new pipeline, and that same Pam Rauch filed PF14-2 with FERC for the Florida Southeast Connection (FSC) pipeline that connects from Sabal Trail to FPL’s “Clean Energy” Center in Martin County, next to Floridian LNG. FPL doesn’t seem to know what’s going on next to it, and maybe not what its own employees are doing. I hope EPA doesn’t consider the questions it filed with FERC the same day answered by this weak tea from FPL.

April 21, 2014
Ms. Kimberly D. Bose
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
888 First Street, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20426
Subject: Southeast Market Pipelines Project
Docket Nos. PF14-1-000, PF14-2-000, and PF14-6-000
Dear Ms. Bose:
Florida Power & Light Company (“FPL”) hereby submits these comments in response Continue reading FPL supports solar power without spending money on it –FPL to FERC →

The EPA’s questions must be given serious thought by FERC –Beth Gordon

April 24, 2014Economy, Environment, FERC, Law, LNGBeth Gordon, Economy, eminent domain, environment, EPA, FERC, FPL, Keystone XL, Law, LNG, Sabal Trail Transmission, Spectra Energy, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

Published with permission of the author, who stressed she sent this email “Not as a member of Spectrabusters. Just me.” I added a few links. -jsq

From: Beth Gordon
Date: April 24, 2014, 8:15:30 AM EDT
To: John Peconom of FERC
Subject: EPA comments
Dear Mr. Peconum,
Does FERC, or Spectra, intend answer the questions posed by the EPA? I read their posted comments yesterday. They obviously share many people’s feeling that Sabal Trail’s claims don’t add up. Florida doesn’t need this gas. In fact right now, Florida has so much that we store it. Spectra and FPL need this amount of gas for LNG plants for export, obviously. And for the Riviera beach connection to a 46 inch pipeline to run to the Bahamas undersea. Switching over one coal plant doesn’t justify a 3 billion dollar pipeline. Especially where FPL has raised, rather than lowered, electric bills on account of this endeavor.
The EPA’s questions must be given serious thought by FERC before it awards this project, and the eminent domain rights attendant to it. Floridians will see no Continue reading The EPA’s questions must be given serious thought by FERC –Beth Gordon →

Explain why the gas is needed –EPA to FERC

April 23, 2014Environment, FERC, Florida, Law, Louisiana, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Watercaves, Clean Air Act, CO2, environment, EPA, export, FERC, FGT, Florida, Florida Gas Transmission, Gulf of Mexico, Gulfstream, John S. Quarterman, karst, landfill, Law, limestone, LNG, Louisiana, New York, Pennsylvania, Port Dolphin, SpectraBusters, swamp, Tennessee, Texas, Transco, Water, wetlands, WilliamsJohn S. Quarterman

EPA isn’t buying FPL’s need for new power in Florida,

or that methane is better than many alternatives (including that renewable energy sources should be considered together, not separately), or that a pipeline is the best way to get gas (specifically suggesting Port Dolphin instead), or that any of the proposed routes are appropriate, not to mention catching inconsistent numbers of compressor stations and asking to see any non-FPL customers. And EPA asked for GIS data, as well as further information on water withdrawals and water re-emitted into the environment. My favorite is this one:

EPA recommends FERC provide in the EIS readable and comprehensible maps and figures, and clearly describe all potential impacts with the proposed action upon children’s health. For example, maps of schools, day-care facilities, multifamily housing, and hospitals should have different legend colors and be created at scales providing appropriate information, i.e., proximity of sensitive receptors to the navigation and transportation corridors.

FERC shows EPA’s comments as filed 23 April 2014, although they are dated two days earlier. -jsq

UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Continue reading Explain why the gas is needed –EPA to FERC →