Here are a few things you get with a pipeline easement:
no right to grow trees on it, limited right to put up fences,
and if you do, you have to have gates in them that the pipeline
company can put their own lock on.
But you do get to continue to pay taxes on land you can no longer
fully use; land that now contains a potentially corrosive, leaky,
explosive hazard that you can’t tap for your own use.
And you do get pipeline company contractors coming through at their
convenience to mow or otherwise clear the right of way.
Contractors who may be somewhat unclear on where the right of way
ends and your trees, for example, start.
Without ever having to notify you then or tell you later what happened.
And it’s even worse than that: you may get another pipeline, and meanwhile the pipeline company will claim rights over local governments and developments.
All while the world has changed and the sun has risen on a better way.
Category Archives: FE
FERC nervous about being watched
FERC can’t even say how many pipelines have been approved, rejected, or went forward even if approved; no wonder they’re being scrutinized.
Hannah Northey, E&E, 3 November 2014,
FERC faces heightened scrutiny as gas projects proliferate,
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission these days is drawing a crowd of companies promoting projects linked to the U.S. natural gas boom and protesters who say the agency blithely greenlights too many pipelines, export terminals and other gas infrastructure.
Foes of a FERC-approved export terminal at Cove Point, Md., recently rallied Continue reading FERC nervous about being watched
LNG exports would drive up domestic natural gas prices
EIA’s summary: “Increased LNG exports lead to increased natural gas prices”.
How can that be “consistent with the public interest”
when there’s a cheaper, faster, cleaner, and safer way that would not
push domestic natural gas prices up, namely solar and wind power?
So even if the Sabal Trail pipeline wouldn’t take your land,
risk your family and drinking water, or cost your taxes to pay for any
leaks or explosions, if it exports through even those
three already-authorized LNG export operations where it leads in Florida,
it would run up the price of natural gas in the U.S.
You don’t even have to believe
T. Boone Pickens:
you can read this eia report that was commissioned by the very same
Office of Fossil Energy that authorized those three LNG export operations.
U.S. Energy Information Administraiton, 29 October 2014, Effect of Increased Levels of Liquefied Natural Gas Exports on U.S. Energy Markets, Continue reading LNG exports would drive up domestic natural gas prices
Strom asks FE to move LNG export application location
Dismissed by FERC for lack of payment?
No worries, Strom, Inc.’s other LNG export application with the
FE is still active, and Strom asked to move the location, too,
to Crystal River.
Just east on Power Line Road from Duke Energy’s permantly-closed
Crystal River nuke and proposed new gas plant.
Strom says it would get the fracked methane from either FGT
or Sabal Trail, which is either an intrastate or an interstate
pipeline depending on which of Strom’s sentences you believe.
No, Strom’s CEO’s name is not Loki; it’s just pronounced that way,
and spelled Lokey.
Remember in July FERC dismissed Strom’s Starke LNG application for lack of fee payment. The Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy (FE) apparently has no such scruples, since its STROM INC, FE DKT. NO. 14-56-LNG was updated 29 September 2014 with Strom Inc. – Amendment to Application to Reflect New Location of the Plant, Continue reading Strom asks FE to move LNG export application location
It don’t pass the smell test: FPL’s extra natural gas pipeline –SpectraBusters
FPL wants federal eminent domain to gouge a hundred-foot right of way
for a yard-wide fracked methane pipeline
through Alabama, Georgia, and Florida,
claiming Florida needs new power.
That don’t pass the smell test.
http://spectrabusters.org/2014/09/14/we-grow-increasingly-concerned-dougherty-county-commission-to-ferc/
Nationwide electricity demand continues to decline, as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reminded the pipeline-permitting Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in April. EPA asked FPL why it couldn’t implement conservation, efficiency, compressed gas storage, or other energy sources. http://spectrabusters.org/2014/04/23/explain-why-the-gas-is-needed-epa-to-ferc/#decreasing-electricity-sales
FPL projected 13% electricity demand increase in its 2014 ten-year plan to the Florida Public Service Commission (FL PSC). A third pipeline would be a 50% increase. Why? http://spectrabusters.org/2014/04/24/fpls-own-projections-dont-support-need-for-a-new-pipeline/
Sabal Trail, the pipeline joint venture of FPL and Spectra Energy of Houston, claims Duke Energy needs Continue reading It don’t pass the smell test: FPL’s extra natural gas pipeline –SpectraBusters
FERC authorized Cove Point LNG export in Maryland
This is what we’re going to get in
Dougherty County, Georgia,
and Lowndes County, and
Suwannee County, Florida, and all the
other counties along whichever route FERC picks for the Sabal Trail
fracked methane pipeline to
three already-authorized LNG export operations in Florida,
unless somebody actually does something more than just talk.
What talk gets you is being counted as one of n speakers at m meetings,
and then this:
The Commission found that the proposal, as mitigated with 79 conditions found in Appendix B of today’s order, is in the public interest.
That’s right, FERC found Continue reading FERC authorized Cove Point LNG export in Maryland
Departing PHMSA Administrator has let regulated companies determine testing as LNG exports increase
PHMSA Administrator
Rather than stopping leaks and explosions, Cynthia L. Quarterman (no relation)
seems to spend a lot of time
testifying before Congress, see for example
these CSPAN videos.
Maybe now that “market forces” are shifting away from fossil fuels,
instead of chasing the white whale of pipelines for fracked methane to LNG export, we can get a new PHMSA Administrator who will do something about the lax safety of the pipelines we’ve got while we get on with shifting to sun, wind, and water power.
James F. Bowe, Jr. and Sara E. Peters wrote for Energy Newsletter, March 2014, Congress Probes Crude by Rail Safety Developments; Voluntary Industry-Regulator Agreement Addresses Safety Concerns, Continue reading Departing PHMSA Administrator has let regulated companies determine testing as LNG exports increase
Spectra Energy and gas pipeline campaign contributions to GA Gov. Nathan Deal
Tied for number 3 and receiving $10,000 in 2014 Top Vendors/Recipients from Spectra Energy according to
OpenSecrets.org:
Governor Nathan Deal of Georgia,
where Spectra wants to gouge a 100-foot right of way
for its 36-inch fracked methane Sabal Trail pipeline.
Actually, Nathan Deal’s campaign committee has accepted at least $21,300 from
natural gas pipeline companies, including
$15,000 from companies that build LNG export terminals (Sempra and AECOM)
or that
build pipelines to LNG export terminals (Spectra and AECOM).
and $6,300 from an Alabama
pipeline supply company (Consolidated Pipe & Supply Company).
Tied with Deal for third and also receiving $10,000 from Spectra:
-
Governor Robert J. Bentley of Alabama,
where the Sabal Trail pipeline starts, connecting to Williams Transco’s
Hillabee Expansion Project, which along with Sabal Trail and FSC forms the
Southeast Market Expansion Project.
Governor Bill Haslam of
Tennessee, where Spectra wants to start its
same-size Renaissance Pipeline to run through northeast
Alabama and north Georgia past Atlanta.
Let’s look at candidate Nathan Deal’s most recent Georgia campaign contribution disclosure report contributions, for June 30th 2014: Continue reading Spectra Energy and gas pipeline campaign contributions to GA Gov. Nathan Deal
FERC dismissed Strom Starke LNG for lack of fee payment
One thing up with which even FERC will not put
is a late filing fee!
FERC warned Strom about that $24,260 filing fee on
21 July 2014.
One month and one day later, FERC called the whole thing off.
But don’t assume that means Strom is giving up:
it may be back with another try for Starke, in Bradford County, Florida,
in the Santa Fe River watershed and a short truck drive to the St Johns River watershed.
And remember
three other Florida LNG export operations already have authorization
from DoE’s Office of Fossil Energy.
Debra Johnson found this FERC Strom denial. It was also noted by Ted Monroe in LNG Industry 1 September 2014, FERC dismisses Strom LNG petition, Continue reading FERC dismissed Strom Starke LNG for lack of fee payment
Video: LNG exports are because of fracking methane glut –Chief of LNG-export-approving Office of Fossil Energy
See the head of
DoE’s Office of Fossil Energy (FE)
spell out that fracking has caused a glut of metane and the fossil
fuel industry wants to market it by exporting it, in a hearing
about
H.R. 6, which would authorize LNG exports to all 159 WTO member countries.
William Huston commented September 6, 2014 at 11:23 pm:
Great article, thanks.
I found video of Dr. Gant’s testimony. May want to embed this in the article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esLENoz2bG4
Continue reading Video: LNG exports are because of fracking methane glut –Chief of LNG-export-approving Office of Fossil Energy