Would it or wouldn’t it cross the Withlacoochee River in Florida? (It certainly would in Georgia by 4 out of 5 proposed paths.) And Sabal Trail poo-poohed all four of Greenlaw’s suggested Alternatives, but FERC could still require any one of them. Here are Sabal Trail’s own maps of Greenlaw Alternatives 1-4:
Continue reading Sabal Trail Response to FERC directive of 26 August 2014
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
Update 2014-09-12: Still more signatures.
Update 2014-09-08: Still more signatures.
Update 2014-09-07: More signatures.
Debra Johnson posted this on the Suwannee Alliance For Sustainable Growth facebook group 1 September 2014:
SABAL TRAIL PIPELINE ACTION NEEDED—If you desire add your signature to this multi-group email please enter it in the comment section.This email will be sent from SAFSG and other groups to BOCC officials here and in surrounding counties. It is available for use anywhere Sabal Trail pipeline is a threat—Simply change the county and/or state name in the body. We will start sending it out Tuesday Sept. 2nd. You should read it even if you do not sign as it contains important information.
The Suwannee County, FL Commission meets today, 2 September 2014. When does yours meet? Here is contact information for Florida counties. Here is contact information for Georgia and Alabama county commissions and city councils along the proposed pipeline path, as well as for state and federal elected officials. Remember also to comment with FERC on docket # PF14-1. Here’s the letter. -jsq
Dear Commissioner,
We are sure that you have heard of the Sabal Trail/Spectra Energy Pipeline and the resolution passed by Hamilton County BOCC August 22, 2014, to prohibit its path through the Withlacoochee River in Hamilton County (link below). It appears that that resolution has been successful. But the problem has not gone away in that Sabal Trail has already sent FERC and Rep. Ted Yoho a letter suggesting that they move the pipeline yet again! (link below).
We would also like to bring to your attention to other local government actions that have been implemented to protect the citizens of those counties. Our hope is that your county government will consider adopting one of these strategies in this crucial effort to protect their citizens, water, land, etc. from this gas pipeline which will provide zero benefit to the people of Florida Continue reading Action letter to County Commissioners against Sabal Trail pipeline
A second Virginia county board passed
a resolution against Spectra’s
proposed route for Duke’s Pennsylvania-to-North-Carolina pipeline
just as Spectra “suspended” its activities.
Warren County, VA realized that a few personal property business taxes and lodging and meals
taxes during construction wouldn’t be nearly enough to balance
“federal and
state designated historic districts, state and federal designated
historic sites, state designated scenic byways, state designated
scenic rivers, agricultural and forestal districts, the Appalachian
Trail, Civil War battlefields and historic sites, and conservation
easements”.
Are not Florida, Georgia, and Alabama’s agriculture, springs, rivers, and Floridan Aquifer as important as Virginia’s Appalachian Trail and historic sites?
Alex Bridges wrote for NV Daily 8 August 2014, Supervisors oppose gas line route,
Here’s Duke’s PR of 1 April 2014 about its pipeline RFP, Continue reading Warren County, VA resolution against Spectra pipelineFRONT ROYAL—Warren County leaders this week joined opponents of a $4 billion, natural gas pipeline slated to run through five states.
Duke Energy issued a request for proposals to build the pipeline to connect resources in western Pennsylvania to its facilities in North Carolina. Spectra Energy Partners responded to Duke’s request and proposed a corridor through Warren County and other jurisdictions.
After citizens familiar with the springs, shoals, and sinkholes
of the Withlacoochee River and the fragile karst limestone that
contains them and the Floridan Aquifer, source of drinking water
for all of Florida and south Georgia, the north Florida county
of Hamilton passed a resolution asking FERC to have the Sabal Trail
fracked methane pipeline avoid those geological formations.
According to
a letter already forwarded to FERC by the Florida
Department of Environmental Protection
and also quoted in part to FERC by the
Suwannee River Water Management District,
that would mean
there’s basically nowhere that pipeline would be safe in north Florida
(or south Georgia, which has the same limestone substrate).
Joyce Marie Taylor updated in the Suwannee Democrat 25 August 2014, Hamilton fights back against Sabal Trail pipeline,
A special meeting was called on Friday, Aug. 22, and the board voted to pass Resolution 14-10 that expressed their concerns about the proposed pipeline route across the Withlacoochee River that forms the western boundary of Hamilton County.
A portion of the resolution states, Continue reading Avoid the Withlacoochee River and karst limestone –Hamilton Co. FL to FERC
Another neighborhood in Dougherty County discovers it doesn’t like the proposed Sabal Trail pipeline, including because it would further endanger the already threatened Flint River.
Sharon Wiggins wrote for WALB 19 August 2014, Dougherty County residents speak out against proposed pipeline,
Members of the Radium Springs community met Tuesday night to express their concerns about the proposed route of the Sabal pipeline project. The nearly 500 mile pipeline begins in Alabama, stretches through Georgia and ends in Florida. Those against it are concerned about the human, economic and environmental impacts it could have.
“We know that the Flint River is one of the 10 most endangered rivers in the United States,” said Gloria Gaines, Former Dougherty County Commissioner.”They’re concerned about the impacts that it could have on the ability to farm, to hunt, to fish, to recreate.”
Continue reading Radium Springs against Sabal Trail pipeline in Dougherty County
A foreign company wanting to take local resources and not even
provide any local jobs, only in “preliminary stages”: sound familiar?
Swiss company Nestlé used the same playbook to try to grab
water from the Wacissa River that Houston company Spectra Energy
is trying to gouge its hundred-foot right of way for its yard-wide
fracked methane pipeline through Alabama, Georgia, and Florida.
Wacissa and Jefferson County, Florida fought back and won.
Counties can do the same to stop that pipeline.
Brett Adler wrote for the Florida Independent 2 December 2010, Nestle draws fire for plans to pump more water from North Florida springs,
Citizens in North Florida are gearing up for what many foresee as a drawn-out battle with Nestle Waters North America, the country’s largest water bottler, which recently completed test wells Continue reading Jefferson County, FL stopped Nestle; counties can stop Sabal Trail
There’s no safe way for the yard-wide Sabal Trail fracked methane
pipeline through the
fragile karst limestone containing
the Floridan Aquifer, according to what Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection
told FERC back in April.
And what’s this about
seven foot pipeline depth in Florida, while
Spectra’s Andrea Grover complained
in the Valdosta Daily Times about requests for five feet deep in Georgia?
FL-DEP points out that caves might not support a pipeline and testing or drilling could easily cause sinkholes. Plus blasting could change local hydrology.
The situation is actually worse than FL-DEP described. We don’t know that contamination couldn’t come from BCPs carried from Spectra’s Texas Eastern pipeline, or radon from the Marcellus Shale, in addition to the solvents FL-DEP mentioned. We don’t know the pipeline would carry only a gaseous product; it could be sold and used for something else. And as DEP says, it’s not just leaks that are the problem: the pipeline would require large amounts of testing water that would have to come from somewhere and go back somewhere, presumably contaminated with whatever was in the pipeline. What guarantee do we have that contamination wouldn’t go down those borings under our riverbeds?
Filed with FERC 18 April 2014 as four pages of the 74-page “Florida State Clearinghouse comments on Dockets # PF14-1, et al Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Planned Southeast Market Pipelines Project (Sabal Trail and Florida Southeast Connection Projects).” Some of it was also submitted to FERC by Florida’s Suwannee River Water Management District, but there is new material here; especially that superimposition map. Continue reading Sabal Trail pipeline considered harmful for karst limestone Floridan Aquifer –FL-DEP
Neomatica’s editor posted 2 August 2014, Rainwater In The Ductile-Brittle Transition Zone: Far Deeper Into Earth’s Crust Than Thought Before, Continue reading Rainwater can go 4 miles down; but fracking and testing water disposal are safe, right?
A newspaper in Gainesville, with more than twice the population of Ocala,
picked up the
same newspaper editorial against the Sabal Trail fracked
methane pipeline, reiterating that unless serious risks can be addressed,
the pipeline isn’t worth it, and besides, it’s not clear Florida
even needs the power other than to profit big utilities (and pipeline companies,
and apparently Florida Governor Rick Scott).
Hm, marching northwards,
Ocala, Gainesville, next
Lake City,
then how about
Valdosta,
Moultrie, and
Albany?
Newspapers and TV stations in those places have covered the pipeline.
Time for their editorial boards to do what just happened in Ocala
and Gainesville.
30 July 2014, Editorial: A pipeline’s purpose, Continue reading Another newspaper against Sabal Trail: The Gainesville Sun