Tag Archives: propaganda

Grasping at semicolons: Sabal Trail fail in Leesburg

March 25, 2015Georgia, Law, Lee Countyeminent domain, evidentiary, fraud, Georgia, hearing, John S. Quarterman, jury, Law, Lee County, Mitchell County, propaganda, puppeteer, Sabal Trail Transmission, Spectra Energy, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

Semicolons and disjunctive ands vs. propaganda, subterfuge, and fraud yesterday in Leesburg, GA, and evidentiary briefs will be received by the judge over the next 20 days.

After patiently listening to Spectra attorneys detail how a 1920s version of Georgia pipeline eminent domain law had a semicolon that they claimed separated “in the State of Georgia” from their pipeline, Judge Smith later remarked that the legislature passing a bill that removed the semicolon could be used to infer that they intended to remove the semicolon. Sabal Trail also tried to argue that the “and” in the same sentence was a disjunctive that similarly separated. The judge seemed more interested in the basic question: does Sabal Trail provide gas to customers within the State of Georgia?

The landowners’ attorney made it even more interesting, referring to Continue reading Grasping at semicolons: Sabal Trail fail in Leesburg →

PHMSA abnormal vs. accident

May 11, 2014Explosion, Law, Leak, PHMSA, Safetyabnormal operating condition, abnormal operations, accident, American Petroleum Institute, API, damage, death, explosion, Hazard, injury, John S. Quarterman, Law, leak, loss, PHMSA, Pipeline Hazardous Materials and Safety Agency, propaganda, property, regulatory capture, Safety, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

Apparently an actual fire or explosion may (or may not) count as an accident according to PHMSA, but there’s a huge gap in PHMSA’s definitions: they don’t seem to say they apply to methane. And guess whose Public Awareness Program PHMSA requires pipeline operators to follow?

According to PHMSA’s Glossary and Definitions,

Accident
A release of the hazardous liquid or carbon dioxide transported that results in any of the following:

explosion or fire not intentionally set by the operator.
release of Continue reading PHMSA abnormal vs. accident →