Tag Archives: Politics

Sabal Trail is Bull: see them sue a landowner in Moultrie May 28th 2015

May 16, 2015Economy, Georgia, Law, Politicsbull, china shop, Economy, eminent domain, Georgia, John S. Quarterman, Law, lawsuit, Moultrie, PoetsLoveBirds, Politics, pronghorn antelope, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

Spectra may bull through pronghorn antelope in Texas, but suing a Georgia Centennial Family Farm provokes some resistance.

PoetsLoveBirds, 14 May 2015, Spectra Energy: Like a Bull in a China Shop,

Spectra Energy is a Fortune 500 company based in Houston, Texas. They say that they are one of North America’s leading natural gas, natural gas liquids and crude oil infrastructure companies. Their claim to fame — It builds pipelines to ship natural gas. It builds storage facilities to hold natural gas. It distributes natural gas. …

But wait, let’s hear from Spectra Energy. On their spiffy website, sporting Continue reading Sabal Trail is Bull: see them sue a landowner in Moultrie May 28th 2015 →

TPP fast track loses Senate vote

May 12, 2015Law, LNG, PoliticsCongress, John S. Quarterman, Law, LNG, Politics, Senate, SpectraBusters, TPP, Trans-Pacific PartnershipJohn S. Quarterman

Pipeline-pushing members of Congress explicitly promote the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) as a way to authorize more fracked methane export, which would promote more pipelines. Sabal Trail may say its gas isn’t for export, but those three already-authorized LNG export operations right where it goes in Florida suggest otherwise. Fortunately, TPP just lost a U.S. Senate vote for fast track, so now at least it can’t be pushed through without proper debate. If it’s so good for us, let’s see TPP declassified and the full text released to the public now.

Carter Dougherty and Heidi Przybyla, Sydney Morning Herald, 13 May 2013, Trans-Pacific Partnership: Senate Democrats revolt against Obama trade bill, Continue reading TPP fast track loses Senate vote →

Kinder Morgan campaign contributions to GA Gov. Deal and Lt. Gov. Cagle

May 5, 2015Economy, Georgia, LNG, PoliticsCasey Cagle, Economy, El Paso Pipeline Partners, Elba Island, EPB, Georgia, John S. Quarterman, Kinder Morgan, KMI, LNG, Nathan Deal, Politics, Sabal Trail Transmission, SONAT, Southern Natural Gas, Spectra Energy, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

Kinder Morgan contributed to the campaigns of Georgia Governor Nathan Deal and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, and to numerous other elected officials, similar to Spectra Energy PAC and many other pipeline companies or associated political action committees. Could this have something to do with how Georgia state officials are not being very helpful to the citizens who overwhelmingly oppose both Kinder Morgan’s proposed Palmetto petroleum products pipeline through eastern Georgia and Spectra’s proposed Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline through southwest Georgia? Could it explain why the Georgia government seems to be treating both pipelines as if they were public-private partnerships with the state?

Searching Georgia Campaign Finance Commission campaign records show Kinder Morgan (KMI) subsidiary Southern Natural Gas (SONAT) contributed to a whole bunch of people, including Casey Cagle: Continue reading Kinder Morgan campaign contributions to GA Gov. Deal and Lt. Gov. Cagle →

Sabal Trail to TECO to Jaxport for LNG export?

October 18, 2014Alabama, Duval County, EPA, Ethics, Florida, Fracking, Georgia, LNG, PoliticsAlabama, campaign, contribution, Duval County, EPA, Ethics, FGT, Florida, FPL, Fracking, Georgia, Gulfstream, Jacksonville, Jaxport, John S. Quarterman, LNG, LNG export, Nathan Deal, Politics, Rick Scott, Robert Bentley, Sabal Trail Transmission, Sempra Energy, SONAT, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Tampa, TECOJohn S. Quarterman

Marcellus Shale fracked methane through Atlantic Sunrise to Transco to Sabal Trail to TECO to Jaxport for LNG export? And maybe an explanation for why Sempra Energy, like Spectra Energy, donated to both GA Gov. Nathan Deal’s and AL Gov. Robert Bentley’s re-election campaigns. Sempra apparently wants to export Marcellus Shale gas from Jacksonville, and Sabal Trail is the proposed conduit for that through Alabama and Georgia to Florida.

John Burr wrote for Jacksonville Business Journal 10 March 2014, TECO Peoples Gas looks to expand natural gas pipeline to Jacksonville, Continue reading Sabal Trail to TECO to Jaxport for LNG export? →

Rosalynn Carter at Lowndes County Courthouse 6PM Thu 9 Oct 2014

October 8, 2014Georgia, Lowndes County, PoliticsGeorgia, Governor, Jason Carter, John S. Quarterman, Lowndes County, Nathan Deal, Politics, Rosalynn Carter, Sabal Trail Transmission, Spectra Energy, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter will speak in support of Jason Carter for Governor of Georgia at the Lowndes County Courthouse in Valdosta, Georgia, 6PM Thursday 9 October 2014.

The last time Jason Carter was in Valdosta, 1 July 2014, he was informed by a number of SpectraBusters about the Sabal Trail pipeline, its hazards, and its lack of benefits for Georgians.

The venue in July was a speech to the Lowndes County Democratic Party which opposes that pipeline, as do many organizations in Lowndes County, south Georgia, and elsewhere (see for example Dr. Michael G. Noll, president of WACE, pictured with Jason Carter).

Others held No Pipeline signs and talked to other candidates. Pictured below are Danielle Jordan (then president of S.A.V.E. at VSU) and Glenn Ritchie talking to Daniel Blackman, candidate for Georgia Public Service Commissioner.

At that July meeting, I spoke directly with Jason Carter about the pipeline. Continue reading Rosalynn Carter at Lowndes County Courthouse 6PM Thu 9 Oct 2014 →

Albany Herald breaks GA Gov. Deal Spectra campaign contributions

October 4, 2014Alabama, Dougherty County, Ethics, Florida, Georgia, Politics, Tennessee, TexasAlabama, Bill Haslam, conflict of interest, corruption, Dougherty County, Ethics, Florida, Georgia, Houston, John S. Quarterman, Michelle Nunn, Nathan Deal, Politics, Rick Scott, Robert Bentley, Sabal Trail Transmission, scandal, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Tennessee, TexasJohn S. Quarterman

The Deal campaign not only accepted Spectra’s PAC money, but then tried to claim (incorrectly) that Michelle Nunn’s campaign for U.S. Senate also accepted Spectra PAC money: so Deal’s campaign took Spectra’s money and then told an untruth about who else might have. The best Spectra’s Andrea Grover could come up with was “economic development”; nevermind Sabal Trail would use out-of-state crews to install its fracked methane pipeline, it would bring almost no jobs to Georgia, and it isn’t even selling gas to Georgia. Neither even tried to implicate Jason Carter’s campaign for governor, because Carter’s campaign finance filings show zero contributions from Spectra’s PAC. The incumbent governors of Alabama and Tennessee, however, did take money from Spectra’s PAC.

Gov. Nathan Deal’s campaign accepts contributions from Spectra Energy: Houston energy giant says its PAC contributes to campaigns of candidates who favor economic development, Continue reading Albany Herald breaks GA Gov. Deal Spectra campaign contributions →

Pipelines as enemy targets

August 27, 2014Corrosion, Explosion, Hazards, Leak, Politics, Safety, Treescorrosion, Egypt, explosion, FPL, Hazards, John S. Quarterman, leak, natural gas, pipeline, Politics, Sabal Trail Transmission, Safety, Sinai, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, target, terrorism, Transco, Trees, Williams CompanyJohn S. Quarterman

Natural gas or oil pipelines are natural enemy targets, in addition to the way they frequently blow up on their own. Why build such hazards when solar power is faster, cheaper, cleaner, and doesn’t blow up?

Elad Benari wrote for Arutz Sheva 17 January 2014, Sinai Terrorists Blow Up Natural Gas Pipeline,

Strong explosion rocks central Sinai after explosives were planted beneath the gas pipeline connected to cement factories in the area.

What happens if someone blows up a solar array? Flying glass, which is bad, but nothing like blowing up the explosive fuel inside a natural gas or oil pipeline, not to mention distributed rooftop solar arrays would be very hard to destroy enough of to match the energy denial of one damaged pipeline.

Gas pipelines in Egypt has been attacked more than a dozen times Continue reading Pipelines as enemy targets →

Russian South Stream natural gas pipeline no longer dead certain

August 27, 2014Economy, LNG, Politics, Russia, SolarBlack Sea, Blue Stream, dead certain, Economy, EU, FPL, John S. Quarterman, LNG, Politics, Russia, Sabal Trail Transmission, solar, South Stream, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Vladimir PutinJohn S. Quarterman

Even Putin couldn’t push a pipeline past opponents. Russia’s formerly “dead certain” South Stream natural gas pipeline around Ukraine now has “potential for huge delays. Sceptics wonder whether it will happen at all.” Gazprom used the same pipeline-pushing script as Spectra, and that ended up as farce. So maybe Sabal Trail isn’t “moving forward”, either. State and local permitting, or just plain public opposition, could turn that Sabal Trail pipeline snake into roadkill, so we can get on with solar power for real economic benefits without eminent domain and with clean air and water.

Guy Chazan wrote for Financial Times 24 August 2014, South Stream gas project may now be a pipe dream,

In November 2005, a pipeline called Blue Stream was inaugurated to bring Russian gas across the Black Sea to Turkey. It was, said President Vladimir Putin, who attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Continue reading Russian South Stream natural gas pipeline no longer dead certain →

Answer the questions you promised –Former Florida Governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham to FERC

August 1, 2014Dougherty County, Environment, FERC, Florida, Georgia, Law, PoliticsAlbany, Dinorah Hall, Dougherty County, environment, FERC, Flint River, Florida, Georgia, Government, Graham Angus Farm, Graham Companies, Hillabee route, Kioked-Flint Group, Law, Politics, Sabal Trail Transmission, Spectra Energy, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

Especially about that Hillabee route. Filed with FERC today. -jsq

Senator Bob Graham

United States Senate
1987-2005

GOVERNOR OF FLORIDA
1979-1987

July 21, 2014
Mr. Philip D. _Moeller
Commissioner
Federal Energy_Regulatory Commission
888 First Street, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20426
RE: Sabal Pipeline PF14—1
Dear Commissioner Moeller, Continue reading Answer the questions you promised –Former Florida Governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham to FERC →

Gov. Scott tied to Everglades drilling: driller kicked out of Florida

July 30, 2014Ethics, Florida, Fracking, Law, Politicscorruption, Ethics, Everglades, Florida, Fracking, Hughes, John S. Quarterman, Law, Politics, Rick Scott, Sabal Trail Transmission, Schlumberger, Spectra Energy, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

Rick Scott’s financial ties to fracking got that driller kicked out of Florida. Now that Gov. Scott has been tied to the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline, maybe Florida will kick Spectra out of the state, too.

Steve Bousquet wrote for the Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau 13 June 2014, Scott’s stake in oil company tied to Collier drilling riles environmentalists, Continue reading Gov. Scott tied to Everglades drilling: driller kicked out of Florida →