Tag Archives: Suwannee River

Likely loss of drilling fluid in limestone under rivers –FL DEP to FERC

April 2, 2015Alachua County, Brooks County, Columbia County, Environment, FERC, Florida, Georgia, Gilchrist County, Hamilton County, Hazards, Leak, Lowndes County, Suwannee County, Waterbedrock, cave, drilling, fluid, HDD, horizontal direcitgonal drilling, John S. Quarterman, karst, LiDAR, limestone, Santa Fe River, sinkhole, SpectraBusters, Suwannee River, Withlacoochee RiverJohn S. Quarterman

Apparently the Florida Department of Environmental Protection complained to FERC that any drilling under our blackwater rivers would leak contaminants into the karst limestone that contains our drinking water Floridan Aquifer:

Update 2015-04-03: Additions now that FERC eLibrary is working, including third point below.

Sabal Trail underestimated karst features—additional, more recent data available from agencies including LiDAR, potentiometric surface maps, and cave maps.
Highest agency concern is associated with likely loss of drilling fluid associated with HDDs in limestone bedrock including at the Suwannee, Santa Fe, and Withlacoochee rivers.
Drilling fluid loss would have an environmental impact; risk and magnitude of impact on groundwater, wells and springs should be based on updated, site-specific information.

Filed with FERC 1 April 2015 as Continue reading Likely loss of drilling fluid in limestone under rivers –FL DEP to FERC →

FERC tells Sabal Trail to fix 17 pages of errors

March 2, 2015Alabama, Economy, FERC, Florida, Georgia, Hazards, Law, Safety, WaterAlabama, Economy, FERC, Florida, Georgia, Hazards, John Peconom, John S. Quarterman, karst, Law, Sabal Trail Transmission, Safety, Santa Fe River, sinkhole, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Suwannee River, Water, Withlacoochee RiverJohn S. Quarterman

John Peconom of FERC has told Sabal Trail to provide copious detailed information by 27 March 2015, including numerous items about karst limestone, such as:

Utilize publicly available LiDAR data and cave information to further characterize karst areas crossed by the Project facilities.

and

Provide summary assessments of the Direct Pipe, open cut, aerial, and intersect crossing methods as alternatives to the proposed HDD crossings of the Withlacoochee River in Brooks and Lowndes Counties, Georgia and the Suwannee River, Santa Fe River, and Withlacoochee Rivers in Florida. Also, summarize any modified HDD techniques/methods considered at these specific crossings.

Is this just FERC helping one of its funding organizations (FERC is 100% funded by the industries it “regulates”)? Or maybe even FERC is getting tired of Sabal Trail?

Filed with FERC 27 February 2015 as Accession Number: 20150227-3071, “Letter requesting Sabal Trail Transmission, LLC to file within 30 days the Environmental Information Request for the Sabal Trail Project under CP15-17.” Continue reading FERC tells Sabal Trail to fix 17 pages of errors →

What Sabal Trail wants to do to our rivers

February 5, 2015Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hazard, Hazards, History, Noise, Safety, Wateraquifer, Black Warrior River, Cahaba River, Chattahoochee River, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, Coosa River, Dirty Dozen, drilling, Flint River, Flint Riverkeeper, Floridan Aquifer, frac-out, Georgia Water Coalition, Hazards, HDD, Horizontal Directional Drilling, John S. Quarterman, Ochlockonee River, Our Santa Fe River, Sabal Trail Transmission, Santa Fe River, sinkhole, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Suwannee River, Tallapoosa River, Tombigbee River, Withlacoochee River, WWALS, WWALS Watershed CoalitionJohn S. Quarterman

After a long string of safety incidents and later-contradicted assertions in the media, would you trust Sabal Trail to drill under your rivers in your aquifers and near your farms, schools, homes, and springs?

Here’s stage two of Sabal Trail’s three-stage horizontal directional drilling (HDD) method, according to its document How We Cross Rivers and Streams,

The second stage involves enlarging the pilot hole to a diameter that will accommodate the pipeline. The enlargement process involves the use of hydraulic cutting with drill bits and jet nozzles and hydraulic motors Continue reading What Sabal Trail wants to do to our rivers →

Time to comment to FERC on Sabal Trail ignoring springs on Suwannee and Withlacoochee Rivers

February 1, 2015Florida, Hamilton County, Madison County, Safety, Suwannee County, Wateraquifer, conservation, Debra Johnson, dye, Ellaville Spring, Falmouth Cathedral Cave System, FERC, Florida, Georgia, Hamilton County, John S. Quarterman, Lime Spring, Lowndes County, Madison County, Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson, Our Santa Fe River, pipeline, river, Sabal Trail Transmission, Safety, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Suwannacoochee Cave System, Suwannacoochee Spring Lime Run Spring, Suwannee Alliance for Sustainable Growth, Suwannee County, Suwannee River, Suwannee River Water Management District, SWRMD, Thomas S. Edwards Jr., Water, watershed, Withlacoochee River, WWALS, WWALS Watershed CoalitionJohn S. Quarterman

Here’s why you should ecomment to FERC and your elected officials right now. Sabal Trail filed key materials after FERC’s stated deadline, a Suwannee County, FL landowner points out in a FERC ecomment, also revealing Sabal Trail still didn’t address key springs upstream and down from its proposed new pipeline path, and said nothing about connecting caverns beneath the Suwannee and Withlacoochee Rivers.

Here’s a call to action from Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson:

Good Morning,

I realize many of you have seen me (and a few others) navigate through a enormous amount of meetings, letters, social media announcements to stop the Sabal Trail Gas (fracked)Transmission Pipeline cutting through one of our most vulnerable areas of our World, the Florida Springs Heartland.

You have watched and read from the sidelines for nearly 2 years. It is time for you to act. Call it my Continue reading Time to comment to FERC on Sabal Trail ignoring springs on Suwannee and Withlacoochee Rivers →

Sabal Trail on Dirty Dozen and Flint River

October 25, 2014Dougherty County, Environment, Explosion, Georgia, WaterAlbany, Dirty Dozen, Dougherty County, environment, explosion, Flint River, Flint Riverkeeper, Georgia, Georgia Water Coalition, Gordon Rogers, John S. Quarterman, karst, limestone, Lowndes County, Sabal Trail Transmission, Santa Fe River, sinkhole, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Suwannee River, Valdosta, Water, Withlacoochee RiverJohn S. Quarterman

Second day in a row, the Albany Herald covered the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline making the Georgia Water Coalition Dirty Dozen list. The Flint River would be affected just like the Withlacoochee River, and in Florida the Suwannee River and the Santa Fe River are in the same karst limestone that contains our drinking water in south Georgia and Florida in the Floridan Aquifer. These newspaper articles follow two previous Albany ones, a couple of Valdosta ones, and local, state, and national TV and newspaper coverage of protests and opposition to Spectra’s hazardous boondoggle. Sabal Trail’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad PR week continues….

Jennifer Parks, Albany Herald, 22 October 2014, Proposed gas pipeline, Flint make Dirty Dozen list: Textile manufacturer pollution, state water policy issues cited as problems for Flint River, Continue reading Sabal Trail on Dirty Dozen and Flint River →

Sabal Trail Notice of EIS Intent and Route Alternatives

October 15, 2014Alabama, Brooks County, Compressor, Dougherty County, Environment, FERC, Florida, Georgia, Gilchrist County, Hamilton County, Hazards, Lee County, Levy County, Lowndes County, Marion County, Osceola County, Suwannee County, Tallapoosa County, WaterAlabama, Alachua County Sasser Route Alternative, Albany, Brooks County, compressor, Dougherty County, drill, EIS, environment, Environmental Impact Statement, FERC, Flint River, Florida, Florida Southeast Connection, FPL, FSC, Georgia, Gilchrist County, Hamilton County, Happy Trails Route Alternative, Hazards, Hillabee Expansion, Jasper, John S. Quarterman, karst, Kioke Creek, Kioke-Flint, Lee County, Levy County, Lowndes County, Marion County, National Environmental Policy Act, NEPA, NextEra Energy, Osceola County, SMP, Southeast Market Pipelines Project, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, springs, Suwannee County, Suwannee River, Suwannee River State Park, Tallapoosa County, Terrell County, Valdosta, Wacassassa Flats Route Alternative, Water, Williams Company, Withlacoochee River, Withlacoochee River Crossing Route AlternativeJohn S. Quarterman

A FERC comment period ending 15 November 2014 seems to mean Sabal Trail will miss its 31 October formal filing date. No relief suggested for crossing the Withlacoochee River at the border of Brooks and Lowndes Counties, Georgia (or inside Lowndes County next to Valdosta, according to several of the previous alternatives). And every proposed path still crosses the Suwannee River into Suwannee County.

Maybe that’s because the Dougherty County Commission and the Albany City Council actually stood up for their citizens, as did Gilchrist County (see Wacassassa Flats Alternative), while the Suwannee County Commission swallowed Sabal Trail disinformation and the Lowndes County Commission and the Valdosta City Council did little (except one letter from the Chairman) or nothing (except one letter from one Council member).

There’s still time for Dougherty, Lowndes, and all the other counties and cities to pass ordinances, and to lobby state and federal agencies and elected and appointed officials. Oh, and there’s an election going on.

Also no mention of Sabal Trail’s Jasper, Florida Open House, 5-7:30 Tuesday 21 October 2014, but STT’s newspaper notice said the public is invited, so y’all come!

Filed with FERC today, 15 October 2014, Supplemental Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environment Impact Statement for the Planned Southeast Market Pipeline Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues etc. re Sabal Trail Transmission, LLC under PF14-1.

-jsq

Docket No. PF14-1-000
Continue reading Sabal Trail Notice of EIS Intent and Route Alternatives →

Sabal Trail invites you to an Open House in Jasper, Florida

October 14, 2014Environment, FERC, Florida, Hamilton County, LNG, WaterChattahoochee River, Chris Mericle, Deanna Mericle, environment, FERC, Flint River, Florida, Florida Gateway Golf & Country Club, Floridan Aquifer, FPL, Hamilton County, Jasper, John S. Quarterman, karst, limestone, Sabal Trail Transmission, Santa Fe River, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Suwannee River, Water, Withlacoochee RiverJohn S. Quarterman

Sabal Trail invites the public to an Open House about a Withlacoochee Alternative that would avoid the Withlacoochee River in Hamilton County, Florida.

Update 2014-10-15: SpectraBusters facebook event and Sabal Trail new route alternatives filing.

Maybe you’d like to ask them how about avoiding the Withlacoochee River in Lowndes County, Georgia? Or about those three already-authorized LNG export operations right where that pipeline leads. How about why all seven proposed paths would cross the Suwannee River into Suwannee County, Florida? How about asking them not to cross the Santa Fe River, the Suwannee River, the Flint, or the Chattahoochee? Hm, that might mean there’s no path for their pipeline….

Tuesday, October 21, 2014
5:00pm — 7:30pm
Florida Gateway Golf & Country Club
8055 U.S. Highway 129 South, Jasper, Florida 32052

Most of it’s the usual STT boilerplate, plus this: Continue reading Sabal Trail invites you to an Open House in Jasper, Florida →

Is the Sabal Trail pipeline necessary? –Lori McCraney

September 12, 2014FERC, Hamilton County, Hazards, Law, Safety, Suwannee County, WaterFERC, Hamilton County, Hazards, John S. Quarterman, Law, Lori McCraney, Sabal Trail Transmission, Safety, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Suwannee Alliance for Sustainable Growth, Suwannee County, Suwannee Democrat, Suwannee River, Water, Withlacoochee RiverJohn S. Quarterman

Lori McCraney of  Suwannee Alliance for Sustainable Growth wrote in the Suwannee Democrat 11 September 2014, Guest commentary — Is the Sabal Trail pipeline necessary?

I am pleased that the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners has issued a resolution challenging the location of the Sabal Trail pipeline in the vicinity of the Withlacoochee River. Hamilton County resident Chris Mericle did an excellent job of explaining the risks of locating the pipeline in such fragile karst terrain. Sable Trails LLC quickly responded by saying that it will move the crossing to the west, possibly crossing the Suwannee River somewhere near the Suwannee River State Park.

The same problems still exist with tunneling under the Withlacoochee River in Lowndes County, Georgia and tunneling under the Suwannee River at two locations in Suwannee County. As Mr. Mericle explained about drilling under our rivers, “The horizontal directional drilling could intersect spring conduits, affect spring well flows, and ultimately river base flow. Grouting in this cavernous, Continue reading Is the Sabal Trail pipeline necessary? –Lori McCraney →

State and local permitting for Sabal Trail pipeline

August 24, 2014Alabama, FERC, FL PSC, Florida, Georgia, Jefferson County, Law, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, PHMSA, WaterAlabama, FERC, FL PSC, FL-DEP, Florida, Florida Southeast Connection, FPL, FSC, GA EPD, GA PSC, Georgia, John S. Quarterman, Law, permit, Sabal Trail Transmission, Santa Fe River, Southeast Market Pipelines Project, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Suwannee River, Suwannee River Water Management District, Williams Company, Withlacoochee RiverJohn S. Quarterman

The Florida Public Service Commission has a special say in the Southeast Market Pipelines Project because the Florida Southeast Connection (FSC) leg of this pipeline is completely inside Florida and completely owned by FPL, a Florida regulated electric utility. And Florida has a say because the entire excuse for the three-part Transco -> Sabal Trail -> FSC project is that supposedly Florida needs the power (it doesn’t, but that’s the excuse). FPL is getting so desperate for public acceptance of this boondoggle they pressed their own CEO, Eric Silagy, into attempting to rebut Our Santa Fe River’s latest entry in the op-ed debate.

Sabal Trail and FERC would like everyone to believe state regulators have no say, but that’s just not true. It’s not even clear GA PSC has no say, considering that Continue reading State and local permitting for Sabal Trail pipeline →

A fourth Florida LNG export request: Strom, Inc. from Starke, FL

August 12, 2014FE, FERC, Florida, LNGAlligator Creek, Atlantic Ocean, Bradford County, Carib Energy, Crowley Maritime, FE, FERC, Florida, Gainesville, Gulf of Mexico, Jacksonville, Jaxport, John S. Quarterman, LNG, Lower St. Johns River Watershed, New River, Our Santa Fe River, Santa Fe River, Scoping Meetings, SpectraBusters, St. Johns Riverkeeper, Starke, Suwannee RiverJohn S. Quarterman

Still time to object to this fourth company filing to export Sabal Trail fracked methane, adding to the three already authorized. FERC knew about this Strom LNG export request before the last three FERC Scoping Meetings, and never told us. This fourth LNG export operation will affect both the Santa Fe River watershed and the St Johns River watershed.

Strom, Inc. filed LNG export authorization requests with U.S. DoE’s Office of Fossil Energy (FE) 18 April 2014, all still being considered, all for liquifying in Starke, Bradford County, Florida, all for 25 years, and all explicitly saying they want to use Sabal Trail fracked methane.

In FE’s list of 2014 – LNG Export, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), Re-Exports & Long Term Natural Gas Applications: Continue reading A fourth Florida LNG export request: Strom, Inc. from Starke, FL →