Tag Archives: Spectra Energy

Spectra was fined for Steckman Ridge compressor blowout

August 21, 2015Bedford County, Compressor, Law, Leak, PennsylvaniaAndra Grover, Andrea Grover, Bedford County, compressor, John S. Quarterman, Law, leak, Pennsylvania, Sabal Trail Transmission, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Steckman RidgeJohn S. Quarterman

A Spectra compressor station in Pennsylvania blew oil over local crops in 2009, and Pennsylvania fined Spectra $22,000 for that in 2010. Spectra’s Andrea Grover told me in 2013 that everybody there was happy. Mike Benard explained actually that wasn’t the case. Benard later wrote sage words: Spectra Energy: Trust Facts Not Promises. Better to stop Spectra’s Albany compressor station before it has a chance to spew.

Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection, Press Release, 31 March 2010, DEP Fines Steckman Ridge $22,000 for Air, Water Quality Violations: Malfunctioning Compressor Discharged Industrial Oil to Surrounding Properties, Continue reading Spectra was fined for Steckman Ridge compressor blowout →

New sinkhole in Lowndes County terrain Sabal Trail wants to gouge through

August 6, 2015Florida, Georgia, Hazards, Lowndes County, Solar, WaterAct of God, Assumption Parish, drinking water, FGT, Florida, Florida Gas Transmission, Floridan Aquifer, Force Majeure, fragile, Georgia, Hazards, John S. Quarterman, karst, limestone, Louisiana, Lowndes County, Sabal Trail Transmission, Shiloh Road, sinkhole, solar, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, WaterJohn S. Quarterman

Twice in five years a sinkhole big enough to risk rerouting a road appears in Lowndes County, Georgia, in the same fragile karst limestone Valdosta limesink terrain Sabal Trail proposes to gouge through What if a sinkhole drops under that pipeline, and, like FGT in 2013, Sabal Trail declares force majeure and doesn’t pay?

See On the LAKE Front, 2015-08-06, County and news media digging deeper on Shiloh sinkhole story, Continue reading New sinkhole in Lowndes County terrain Sabal Trail wants to gouge through →

Spectra a potential bidder for Williams Co. of Transco

August 6, 2015Economyand Marathon Petroleum Corp, Economy, ENB.TO, Enbridge Inc, Energy Transfer Equity, Enterprise Product Partners LP, EPD.N, ETE, John S. Quarterman, Kelcy Warren, Kinder Morgan, KMI, MPC.N, Phillips 66, PSX.N, Rick Scott, Sabal Trail Transmission, SE, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, TransCanada Corp, Transco, TRP.TO, Williams Company, Williams Partners, WMB, WPZJohn S. Quarterman

Few taxes for “investors who receive fat yields” (such as Florida Gov. Rick Scott): that’s what Sabal Trail is for, as Spectra may be one of the bidders for Williams Company, of Transco and the Hillabee Expansion Project, where Sabal Trail aims to get its fracked methane. Not any unproven “need” by Florida. Not any nonexistant customers in Georgia. Profit by a few fat cats headquartered in Houston, Texas, plus Florida Gov. Rick Scott.

The end of this article is the bottom line (literally). Mike Stone and Greg Roumeliotis, Reuters, 5 August 2015, Exclusive: Energy Transfer advances in auction for Williams – sources,

Energy Transfer would be the latest MLP to propose using a C-corporation as a way to maximize tax advantages, increase cash flows and broaden institutional interest.

The sector had previously embraced the MLP structure because the tax burden is passed through to investors who receive fat yields. Because the partnership pays no taxes, it has a lower cost of capital.

WMB was following the lead of Kinder Morgan, according to Albert Alfonso, Seeking Alpha, 23 July 2015, Energy Transfer Equity Enters The Auction For Williams, Continue reading Spectra a potential bidder for Williams Co. of Transco →

Albany, GA attorney missing the point about ordinance against pipelines

August 5, 2015Dougherty County, Fracking, Georgia, Law, New York, PennsylvaniaAlbany, Dougherty County, Fracking, Georgia, John S. Quarterman, Law, New York, Pennsylvania, Sabal Trail Transmission, Spectra Energy, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

County attorneys are paid to be cautious. County and city Commissioners are elected to represent the people. Which will Albany and Dougherty County listen to about unnecessary, destructive, and hazardous pipelines like Sabal Trail?

Carlton Fletcher, Albany Herald, 4 August 2014, LOCAL GOVERNMENT 101: Albany’s municipal government based on charter, codes,

Dougherty County officials, who represent residents outside the city limits, say municipalities like Albany have more governmental flexibility in that they are not completely bound by state mandates. But Albany’s city attorney says that is not exactly accurate.

“The state has the authority to preempt any local laws other than zoning,” Nathan Davis says. “If state law ‘moves into an area’ — such as the fireworks law that went into effect in July — municipalities must have a local ordinance that matches the state law.

“There has been in our community a call by some to create an ordinance that would impact the ultimate decision of whether that (Sabal Trail Transmission) pipeline is allowed Continue reading Albany, GA attorney missing the point about ordinance against pipelines →

FL Gov. Scott Sabal Trail permit conflict of interest –FloridaBulldog

August 4, 2015Ethics, Florida, Hamilton County, Law, Suwannee CountyAdam Putnam, Agriculture Commissioner, conservation, Dan Christensen, Department of Environmental Protection, Energy Transfer, Energy Transfer Equity, Environmental Resources Permit, ERP, Ethics, FL-DEP, Florida, FloridaBulldog, Gulfstream, Hamilton County, Jeff Atwater, John S. Quarterman, Kelcy Warren, Law, north Florida, Pam Bondi, PVR Partners, Regency Energy Partners, Rick Scott, river, Sabal Trail Transmission, south Georgia, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, submerged state lands, Suwannee County, Transco, watershed, Williams Company, WWALS, WWALS Watershed CoalitionJohn S. Quarterman

Florida’s Governor Rick Scott owns Williams Co. and other pipeline company stock, and that’s an issue with FL-DEP’s intent to issue a permit for Sabal Trail, says the reporter who broke the Rick Scott conflict story a year ago.

Dan Christensen, FloridaBulldog, 4 August 2015, Gov. Scott’s pipeline investment gets a boost from Florida environmental regulators,

The Board of Trustees of Florida’s Internal Improvement Trust Fund owns the submerged lands, according to DEP’s notice. The board is comprised of the governor and Cabinet — Scott, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam and state chief financial officer Jeff Atwater.

There’s much more in the story, including that WWALS Watershed Coalition intends to file a protest with FL-DEP by this Friday, August 7th. WWALS confirms that, and adds: Continue reading FL Gov. Scott Sabal Trail permit conflict of interest –FloridaBulldog →

Call to Action by State Representative Darrel Bush Ealum

August 1, 2015Compressor, Dougherty County, Economy, Environment, GeorgiaAlbany, compressor, Darrel Bush Ealum, Dougherty County, Economy, environment, Georgia, John S. Quarterman, Nathan Deal, Sabal Trail Transmission, Spectra Energy, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

Now’s the time to ask your state legislators to help Rep. Ealum oppose Sabal Trail’s proposed fracked methane pipeline. Here’s a handy table of all the Georgia state House and Senate members from the counties along the proposed pipeline path.

You may want to mention the August 7th deadline for comments to GA-EPD about the proposed Albany compressor station.

And don’t forget to call Georgia Governor Nathan Deal and sign the petition to him, and you can still ecomment to FERC.

Urgent Alert

Call to Action by State Representative Darrel Bush Ealum (PDF)

Darrel Bush Ealum, State Representative, Georgia House District 153 met with Governor Deal to discuss the serious environmental and cumulative impact that the proposed SABAL Trail transmission line and compressor station will have on the posed nine counties it will pass through in Georgia.

Governor Deal was Continue reading Call to Action by State Representative Darrel Bush Ealum →

August 7th deadline to comment to GA-EPD about Sabal Trail Albany compressor station

August 1, 2015Compressor, Dougherty County, GeorgiaAir Protection Branch, Air Quality Permits, Albany Compressor Station, compressor, Department of Natural Resources, Dougherty County, GA DNR, Georgia, John S. Quarterman, Sabal Trail Transmission, Spectra Energy, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

Get your comments in ASAP to GA-EDP about the proposed Sabal Trail Albany compressor station air quality permit: the deadline is Friday August 7th. As Roger Marietta suggested, you can ask for a public hearing, as well.

That’s the same date WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc. will be sending a petition for a hearing to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection about FL-DEP’s intent to issue a permit for Sabal Trail to gouge through Florida waters, including boring under the Suwannee, Santa Fe, and Withlacoochee (central) Rivers. WWALS got an extension until that date. Anyone who wants to help with that, please contact wwalswatershed@gmail.com.

Don’t forget to call Georgia Governor Deal and sign the petition to him.

EPD Public Advisory for the Week of July 6, 2015 (PA0715-2), Continue reading August 7th deadline to comment to GA-EPD about Sabal Trail Albany compressor station →

Contact table of all GA state legislators in Sabal Trail proposed path

August 1, 2015GeorgiaGeorgia, John S. Quarterman, legislature, Sabal Trail Transmission, Spectra Energy, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

Thanks to the fine folks in Dougherty County, here’s a handy table of all the Georgia state representatives and senators along Sabal Trail’s proposed pipeline path in Georgia.

Please use this table before August 7th to ask your state legislators to oppose Sabal Trail’s requested air quality permit from GA-EPD for the proposed Albany compressor station.

And you can use it right now to contact your legislators about helping Rep. Darrel Bush Ealum oppose that pipeline.

-jsq

Who owns Spectra?

July 30, 2015Economy, Texas, Virginia529E, children, Climate Change, college, earnings, Economy, greenhouse gas, John S. Quarterman, Morningstar, Nasdaq, parents, Sabal Trail Transmission, SE, sea level rise, SEP, shale, Spectra Energy, Spectra Energy Partners, SpectraBusters, Texas, VA CollegeAmerica, Virginia, Virginia529John S. Quarterman

Spectra Energy Corp. (SE) is a publicly traded stock. Who buys it? Institutional investors as a small chip and mutual funds, including college investment 529E funds that maybe don’t know the fracking boom is going bust way before many children get to college.

According to Nasdaq, the top five institutional SE investors are: Continue reading Who owns Spectra? →

Sabal Trail is proposiong an excessive number of crossings –Southern Natural Gas

July 27, 2015FERC, SafetyCompany, FERC, John S. Quarterman, Sabal Trail Transmission, Safety, SONAT, Southern Natural Gas, Spectra Energy, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

Even another pipeline company can’t get critical information out of Sabal Trail. Eight months after it requested details on proposed crossings by Sabal Trail of its existing pipelines, Southern Natural Gas Company is tired of waiting. And for good reason; Sabal Trail’s crossings exponentially increase risks of corrosion, leaks, and explosions:

The operational concerns associated with the high number of crossings create the potential for significant cathodic protection system issues for both operators. Continue reading Sabal Trail is proposiong an excessive number of crossings –Southern Natural Gas →