Tag Archives: NextEra

Spectra, Duke, NextEra, Williams, all members of ALEC super-lobby group

May 23, 2016Alabama, Florida, Georgia, History, LawAlabama, ALEC, American Legislative Exchange, corruption, Duke Energy, Florida, Florida Power and Light, Florida Southeast Connection, FPL, Georgia, Hillabee Expansion Project, History, John S. Quarterman, Law, legislators, media, NextEra, Sabal Trail, Savannah, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Transco, Williams Company, WXIA-TVJohn S. Quarterman

All the companies behind the Southeast Market Pipelines Project have representatives sitting in those back rooms voting on draft bills on an equal basis with state legislators, according to the latest information publicly availlable. Back in the news a year after an Atlanta TV station reported on an ALEC meeting in Savannah, ALEC is not just for Georgia, every state has legislators in that super-lobbying group, including Florida and Albama, taking those draft bills back to their legislatures and often getting them passed. Now you know why the same bad bills to ban home rule on fracking, to block renwable energy portfolios, to impose a solar tax, and of course to promote fracked methane pipelines, show up at the same times in states all across the country.

Brendan Keefe and Michael King, WXIA-TV, 22 May 2015, Legislators and corporate lobbyists meet in secret at Georgia resort. They found out quite a bit before ALEC had off-duty deputies throw them out of their hotel. Continue reading Spectra, Duke, NextEra, Williams, all members of ALEC super-lobby group →

No LNG and no NextEra for Hawaii: straight to renewable energy –Gov. Ige

August 26, 2015Florida, LNG, SolarDavid Ige, Duke Energy, Florida, FPL, Hawaii, Hawaiian Electric Company, HECO, John S. Quarterman, LNG, NextEra, Sabal Trail Transmission, solar, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

Natural gas is a bridge to nowhere, and Hawaii’s governor not only rejects LNG imports, but also NextEra’s bid for its electric utility. Can you read the writing on the wall now, NextEra and FPL? Fossil fuels are done. Solar power is the future here now.

Duane Shimogawa, Pacific Business News, 24 August 2015, Gov. David Ige opposes Hawaii importing LNG, says state should focus on renewable energy, Continue reading No LNG and no NextEra for Hawaii: straight to renewable energy –Gov. Ige →

At least put Sabal Trail on hold –Moultrie resolution

June 17, 2015Colquitt County, Compressor, FERC, Georgia, Law, Safety, WaterAirport, Colquitt County, compressor, ecosystem, eminent domain, FERC, FPL, GA EPD, Georgia, John S. Quarterman, Law, need, NextEra, property rights, Sabal Trail, Safety, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, taxes, Water, William M. McIntoshJohn S. Quarterman

Moultrie‘s review shows the Texan and Floridan FERC-enabled Sabal Trail wants Colquitt County as a cheap invasion route, even though that threatens local property rights, taxes, health, welfare, airport, and general ecosystem, while there’s no demonstrated need for the fracked methane nor any definitive plans even to sell it in Georgia, so the Moultrie city government opposes the pipeline and resolves that it should at least be put on hold until local concerns are adequately considered by FERC and GA-EPD.

So both of the counties (Dougherty and Colquitt) and both of their county seats (Albany and Moultrie) named by Sabal Trail as needing gas through MGAG have passed resolutions saying they don’t want the pipeline at all, along with Terrell County, Brooks County, Lowndes County, and Valdosta, Georgia, plus Hamilton County, Florida.

Filed with FERC 6 May 2015 as Accession Number: 20150506-0008, “City of Moultrie, Georgia submits a Resolution re the Sabal Trail Transmission, LLC Natural Gas Pipeline etc under PF14-1.” Continue reading At least put Sabal Trail on hold –Moultrie resolution →

Spectra Energy and gas pipeline campaign contributions to GA Gov. Nathan Deal

September 19, 2014Alabama, Ethics, FE, FERC, Florida, Georgia, LNG, Louisiana, Tennessee, TexasAECOM, Alabama, Bill Haslam, California, Colorado, Consolidated Pipe & Supply Company, Ernst & Young, Ethics, FE, FERC, Florida, Georgia, Jason Carter, John S. Quarterman, LNG, Louisiana, Mark Udall, Mary Landrieu, Mexico, Nathan Deal, NextEra, Rick Scott, Robert J. Bentley, Sempra, SpectraBusters, Tennessee, TexasJohn S. Quarterman

Tied for number 3 and receiving $10,000 in 2014 Top Vendors/Recipients from Spectra Energy according to OpenSecrets.org: Governor Nathan Deal of Georgia, where Spectra wants to gouge a 100-foot right of way for its 36-inch fracked methane Sabal Trail pipeline. Actually, Nathan Deal’s campaign committee has accepted at least $21,300 from natural gas pipeline companies, including $15,000 from companies that build LNG export terminals (Sempra and AECOM) or that build pipelines to LNG export terminals (Spectra and AECOM). and $6,300 from an Alabama pipeline supply company (Consolidated Pipe & Supply Company).

Tied with Deal for third and also receiving $10,000 from Spectra:

Governor Robert J. Bentley of Alabama, where the Sabal Trail pipeline starts, connecting to Williams Transco’s Hillabee Expansion Project, which along with Sabal Trail and FSC forms the Southeast Market Expansion Project.
Governor Bill Haslam of Tennessee, where Spectra wants to start its same-size Renaissance Pipeline to run through northeast Alabama and north Georgia past Atlanta.

Let’s look at candidate Nathan Deal’s most recent Georgia campaign contribution disclosure report contributions, for June 30th 2014: Continue reading Spectra Energy and gas pipeline campaign contributions to GA Gov. Nathan Deal →

FERC should be promoting solar and wind, not new pipelines –Alabama Sierra Club

March 15, 2014Alabama, Economy, Environment, Explosion, FERC, Florida, Fracking, Law, SafetyAlabama, Economy, environment, explosion, FPL, Fracking, Hillabee Expansion Project, John S. Quarterman, Law, NextEra, PF14-6, property rights, Sabal Trail Transmission, Safety, Sierra Club, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Transco, WilliamsJohn S. Quarterman

Filed with FERC 14 March 2104 by Bob Hastings for Alabama Sierra Club about PF14-6. -jsq

Comments on the proposed Transco Pipeline Hillabee Expansion Project:

The Sierra Club is a national environmental organization promoting the protection of our natural environment and quality of life for all citizens. The Club has more than 1.5 million members and includes chapters in all states. The Alabama Chapter has approximately 3000 members.

The Alabama Chapter of the Sierra Club has joined with the Georgia and Florida Sierra Club Chapters to oppose the proposed 650 mile Sabal Trail Pipeline that would carry natural gas extracted through hydraulic fracturing from Pennsylvania and Texas through Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. Since the purpose of the Hillabee Expansion project is to supply gas to the proposed Sabal Trail pipeline, we also oppose the Hillabee Expansion project, and consider it undesirable and not needed.

Williams Partners, Inc., owners of the Transco pipeline, has a poor record of pipeline safety, and has had at least 35 reportable accidents since 2006, including the pipeline rupture and explosion on December 3, 2011, near Linden in Marengo County, Alabama. Fortunately this explosion, which devastated 65 acres of forest land, did not occur in a populated area where loss of life could have been tragic. Williams Partners should focus on upgrading the existing pipeline for improved safety rather than expanding its capacity.

The existing Transco pipeline cuts through Continue reading FERC should be promoting solar and wind, not new pipelines –Alabama Sierra Club →

Stranded fossil fuel assets: money goes in, but does it come out?

February 2, 2014Economyassets, Economy, fossil fuel, John S. Quarterman, NextEra, Sabal Trail Transmission, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, strandedJohn S. Quarterman

$5.5 trillion or $800 for each human on this Earth has been dumped into the fossil fuel money pit. Will most of that money never come back out, now that solar stocks are skyrocketing and foundations are banding together to dump fossil fuel stocks? Why should we let Spectra Energy and NextEra gouge a methane pipeline through our lands for their bad investment?

Kumi Naidoo wrote for EcoWatch 31 January 2014, Dirty Fuels is a Bad Idea,

By keeping their money in coal and oil companies, investors are betting a vast amount of wealth, including the pensions and savings of millions of people, on high future demand for dirty fuels. The investment has enabled fossil fuel companies to massively raise their spending on expanding extractable reserves, with oil and gas companies alone (state-owned ones included) spending the combined GDP of Netherlands and Belgium a year, in belief that there will be demand for ever more dirty fuel.

This assumption is being challenged by recent developments, which is good news for climate but bad news for anyone who thought investing in fossil fuel industries was a safe bet. Frantic growth in coal consumption seems to be coming to an end much sooner than predicted just a few years ago, with China’s aggressive clean air policies, rapidly dropping coal consumption in the U.S. and upcoming closures of many coal plants in Europe. At the same time the oil industry is also facing slowing demand growth and the financial and share performance of oil majors is disappointing for shareholders.

Nevertheless, even faced with weakening demand prospects, outdated investment patterns are driving fossil fuel companies to waste trillions of dollars in developing reserves and infrastructure that will be stranded as the world moves beyond 20th century energy.

The article is mostly about coal and oil, but it applies equally well to fracked “natural” methane gas: Continue reading Stranded fossil fuel assets: money goes in, but does it come out? →

WV polluter files bankruptcy: why should we expect better from Sabal Trail?

January 20, 2014Environment, Hazards, Safety, West Virginiacompressor station, environment, Freedom Industries, Hazards, insurance, John S. Quarterman, NextEra, Sabal Trail Transmission, Safety, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Susan Waller, West VirginiaJohn S. Quarterman

A shell company lasted only weeks before filing bankruptcy after polluting a West Virginia river and drinking water for 300,000 people. No assets, no insurance, as near as I can tell. Sabal Trail Transmission is a shell company owned by Spectra Energy and NextEra and managed by Spectra: what assets does it have, and what insurance has it offered in case its pipeline corrodes and leaks like Spectra has been fined for or one of its compressor stations leaks like in Pennsylvania or Maine or residents have to evacuate as Spectra’s Susan Waller said would happen in case of a “true emergency”? Who will pay for the local first responders, or property damage, or a polluted aquifer?

Nick Visser wrote for The Huffington Post 17 January 2014, Freedom Industries, Company Behind West Virginia Chemical Spill, Files For Bankruptcy,

The company behind the massive chemical spill that made tap water unsafe for more than 300,000 West Virginians has filed for bankruptcy, according to documents obtained by The Huffington Post.

According to bankruptcy filings, Freedom Industries, wholly owned by Chemstream Holdings Inc., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Friday. Freedom Industries owns the storage facility responsible for leaking up to 7,500 gallons of 4-methylcyclohexane methanol (a coal-cleaning chemical also known as crude MCHM) into West Virginia’s Elk River.

And Freedom Industries was only formed a few weeks ago. Steven Mufson wrote for the Washington Post (undated), One week after W. Va. toxic spill, new owner of Freedom Industries puts firm in bankruptcy,

It took just one week for Pennsylvania coal mining executive Cliff Forrest, the new owner of Freedom Industries, to discover that one of the six-decade-old storage tanks he had acquired Dec. 31 was leaking a toxic chemical into the Elk River that supplies water to about 300,000 West Virginians….

Forrest, through another firm he owns, paid Continue reading WV polluter files bankruptcy: why should we expect better from Sabal Trail? →

Stop this rape of the “stakeholders” homes, farms, and lands –Sandra Y Jones to FERC

December 31, 2013Economy, FERC, FloridaCensus, Economy, export, FERC, Florida, Florida Gas Transmission, FPL, Gulfstream Natural Gas System, households, John S. Quarterman, LNG, NextEra, Sabal Trail Transmission, SpectraBusters, Williams CompanyJohn S. Quarterman

Filed with FERC 31 December 2013:

Sandra Y Jones, Moultrie, GA.

Sabal Trails Transmission LLC is attempting to install another 36 inch natural gas pipeline which will deliver 1 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day through Alabama, Georgia, and Florida based on a need for more fuel to run a new power plant.

They state this gas line will produce enough power for 4 million homes. They state their Gulfstream line, which they own with Williams Company, delivers 1.26 billion Bcf/day to Florida and that is enough to produce electricity for 4.5 million homes. Florida Gas Transmission sends nearly 3 billion Bcf/day. This line produces enough energy to power 13.5 million homes. This amount of natural gas would collectively produce enough power for twenty-two million homes according to Spectra’s information.

The total population for Florida is 19.32 million and 2.58 persons live in each household. According to the US Census 2012 repost, there are 9,031,051 households in the entire state. Also of interest is that presently only 60% of the power produced in Florida is produced by natural gas.

There is no need for this new pipeline. Sabal Trails is misrepresenting the truth. In a state where there are only 9,031,051 households why Continue reading Stop this rape of the “stakeholders” homes, farms, and lands –Sandra Y Jones to FERC →