Tag Archives: Palm Beach County

Build FPL’s natural gas pipeline or not? –Palm Beach Post

June 2, 2014Economy, Environment, Florida, Fracking, Hazards, LNG, Martin Countycoal, Economy, environment, Eric Silagy, export, Florida, FPL, Fracking, Hazards, indirect, induced, jobs, John S. Quarterman, LNG, Martin County, NextEra Energy, oil, Palm Beach County, Palm Beach Post, Sabal Trail Transmission, solar, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, T. Boone Pickens, windJohn S. Quarterman

FPL’s hometown newspaper never mentions solar or wind in an opinion piece asking whether you think the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline is a good idea. You can comment directly in the newspaper. Maybe you’d like to send your comments to FERC, as well.

Palm Beach Post Opinion Staff wrote yesterday, Should FPL’s natural gas pipeline be built?

NextEra Energy, parent of Florida Power & Light, is contracting with Spectra Energy to run a natural gas pipleine 591 miles through the heart of the state, ending in Martin County.

FPL President Eric Silagy says the company needs the additional pipeline to provide redundancy and added capacity to the state’s existing natural gas pipleines. FPL is now the nation’s largest consumer of natural gas, he says.

It’s curious how FPL’s own projections in its 10-year plan don’t support Continue reading Build FPL’s natural gas pipeline or not? –Palm Beach Post →

FPL’s hometown newspaper about Sabal Trail pipeline opposition

May 4, 2014Economy, FERC, Florida, Hazards, Levy CountyBeth Gordon, Economy, FERC, Florida, FPL, Hazards, John S. Quarterman, Juno Beach, Levy County, Palm Beach County, Sabal Trail Transmission, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

The Palm Beach Post is located 15 miles from FPL’s headquarters in Juno Beach, and right at the end of the extra pipeline FPL built from the end of the Transco -> Sabal -> FSC pipeline the last few miles to the sea, which would make LNG export even more convenient.

Susan Salisbury wrote yesterday for the Palm Beach Post, FPL’s proposed $3.5 billion natural gas pipeline faces opposition,

Beth Gordon, a former Wellington resident, moved to Williston in rural Levy County five years ago. She and her husband own a 32-acre horse farm there.

“It’s as close to perfect as it gets. Except now I’m being forced to accept an outrageous risk that I want no part of,” said Gordon, an attorney.

And why should Floridians or Georgians or Alabamans have to accept that risk for the profit of FPL or of Houston-based Spectra Energy?

-jsq

Does FERC ever question the honesty and integrity of companies such as Sabal? –Sandra Slack

April 11, 2014Brooks County, Dougherty County, Explosion, FERC, Florida, Georgia, Hazards, Lowndes County, Martin CountyBrooks County, Dougherty County, explosion, FERC, Florida, Gainesville, Georgia, Gulfstream, Hazards, John S. Quarterman, Lowndes County, Manatee County, Martin County, Ocala, Palm Beach, Palm Beach County, Port Dolphin, Port Everglades, Sandra Slack, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

Filed with FERC 11 April 2014. -jsq

When this project process first began, Florida newspapers, such as the ones in Martin County, Gainesville, Ocala, and others, ran the story with a map of the proposed pipeline, from FPL, plainly showing the route running from Alabama straight to Florida completely bypassing Georgia. The now “preferred” route runs approximately 156 miles, or more through Georgia. Sabal has not been forthcoming, even in their Resource Report 10, as to the reason for the change. Has there been any encouragement from any governmental entity, State or Federal, for Sabal to reroute this pipeline through the state of Georgia? If yes, which entity and why? If no, why did FERC allow Sabal to change routes? Cost would be an invalid answer.

In August and September of 2013, landowners who previously had not agreed to allow Sabal personnel onto their property began receiving letters first from Sabal and then from the law firm of Hunton & Williams of Atlanta, Ga., on behalf of Sabal, using intimidating and Continue reading Does FERC ever question the honesty and integrity of companies such as Sabal? –Sandra Slack →

Methane pipeline blew up onto Florida Turnpike next to high school

February 11, 2014Corrosion, Economy, Explosion, Florida, Hazards, Health, Leak, Martin County, Safetycorrosion, crack, Economy, Education, emergency services, failure, Florida, Florida Turnpike, Hazards, Health, High School, I-95, injuries, integrity, John S. Quarterman, Martin County, missile, NTSB, Palm Beach County, PHMSA, property damage, rupture, Safety, SCADA, SpectraBusters, taxesJohn S. Quarterman

Five years ago a natural gas pipeline blew up between the Florida Turnpike and I-95, flying a 104-foot piece of 18-inch pipe through the air, shutting down both roads, and fortunately missing a high school. NTSB determined it was the fault of the pipeline operator, Florida Gas Transmission Company, LLC (FGT).

FGT was written up by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in NTSB/PAB-13/01 of 13 August 2013 for “Damage/Clean-up Cost: $606,360” in this 4 May 2009 incident near Palm City, Florida:

The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the accident was environmentally assisted cracking under a disbonded polyethylene coating that remained undetected by the integrity management program. Contributing to the accident was Florida Gas Transmission Company’s failure to include the pipe section that ruptured in the integrity management program. Contributing to the prolonged gas release was the pipeline controller’s inability to detect the rupture because of SCADA system limitations and the configuration of the pipeline.

So NTSB said it was FGT’s fault.

And Florida and Martin County taxpayers had to pay for Continue reading Methane pipeline blew up onto Florida Turnpike next to high school →