Tag Archives: Economy

Strom LNG Processing & Export In The Public Interest? What About Solar & Other Clean Energy Alternatives?

January 9, 2016Bomb Trains, Bomb Trains, Bomb Trucks, Citrus County, Corruption, DOE, Economy, Environment, FE, Florida, Georgia, Hazards, LNG, Safety, Solar, StromBomb Trains, Bomb Trucks, Economy, environment, export, FE, Florida, LNG, Sabal Trail Transmission, Safety, solarDebra Johnson

Below you will find an excerpt of Strom, Inc. DOE Application # 15-78-LNG submitted May 2015, section V, describing the public interests of processing LNG, transporting via train and/or truck 90 miles along the pristine west coast of Florida for exporting to other, countries this includes non-FTA countries. Are these people not aware of Solar Energy and other clean energy alternatives which would well serve the countries they propose to export greenhouse emitting, water destructive and air polluting fracked gas to? You know they are. But DOE/FE policy gives LNG facilities the right to negotiate their own trade agreements and determine the environmental effects in the name of promoting competition in the dying, subsidized fossil fuel industry. As for the 100’s of jobs Strom says will be created in this application, if the Florida government and utility monopoly were removed (as it is in all but 4 states), via solar choice, there would be 1000’s of jobs created in the solar industry alone!

It is obvious that this endeavor is “all about the money” for an industry that has seen it’s time and needs to fold or adapt. As well as the invested politicians ‘on the dole’. The fracking industry is operating in debt – in the ‘red’ – and guess who will be left with the losses economically, environmentally and socially.

Strom’s DOE application for their multiple operations are still open for comments via DOE online here:

https://fossil.energy.gov/app/docketindex/docket?11&00-00-ZZ. The last day to comment is Feb 12, 2016.

Below here is Strom’s argument for public need/benefits from their application to DOE.

Strom NTFA.pdf

The LNG export shell game: FERC, FE, MARAD, or NEB?

January 9, 2016British Columbia, Economy, Ethics, FE, FERC, Florida, Georgia, Law, LNG, MARAD, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Nova Scotia, Oregon, Solar, Suwannee County, Texas, WaterAES, Bahamas, Big Bend, boondoggle, British Columbia, Calypso LNG, Coos Bay, Cove Point LNG, Economy, Elba Island LNG, Ethics, FE, FERC, Florida, FPL, Georgia, greed, Hudson River, Jacksonville Expansion Project, Jaxport, JEP, John S. Quarterman, Kinder Morgan, KMI, Law, LNG, Manhattan, MARAD, Maryland, Mexico, NE, NextEra Energy, Nova Scotia, Ocean Express, Oregon, Oregon LNG export, Port Dolphin, Port Everglades, profit, Rio Grande, Sabal Trail Transmission, shell game, solar, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Strom, Suwannee County, Suwannee River, Texas, WaterJohn S. Quarterman

If you’re a Houston fossil fuel company and you can’t get FERC approval fast enough, try FE, or MARAD! If that doesn’t work, ship it by land through Canada or Mexico! Local property rights, they laugh at those! Rio Grande, Suwannee River, or Hudson River: just minor obstacles to greed! If the people are tired of profit being more important than their land, water, air, or safety, it’s time to stop this fossil fuel shell game.

MARAD

Continue reading →

We were told to shut up or quit –Spectra Energy whistleblowers

December 1, 2015Economy, Environment, Hazards, Rhode Island, SafetyAIM, Algonquin Incremental Market, Burrilville, Economy, environment, FANG, Fighting Against Natural Gas, Hazards, John S. Quarterman, National Transportation Safety Board, NTSB, profit, Rhode Island, Safety, Spectra Energy, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

Even Spectra workers sometimes develop a conscience. These whistleblowers are not the first, and thirty years of Spectra’s sordid safety record agrees with them. Tonight you can help stop Spectra from drilling under the Suwannee River in Florida, and that will help stop Spectra in Burrillville, Rhode Island.

Steve Ahlquist, RI Future.org, 30 November 2015, Former inspectors allege safety issues with Spectra pipeline project,

Two safety inspectors who worked on Spectra Energy’s proposed methane gas pipeline that will cut through Burrillville, RI, say the company cut corners when it came to project, worker and environmental safety.

“Right now, what they’re hoping to do, is they’re hoping to slam all this through, and then at the end ask for forgiveness,” said one of the former inspectors. “Oops, sorry about that, I didn’t know, let me write you a check. Because once this thing’s turning meter, they’re going to be making millions of dollars a day. It doesn’t matter what your problems are…”

The other added, “We were told to shut the fuck up or quit.”

Both men, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, were subcontracted by Spectra and both were Continue reading We were told to shut up or quit –Spectra Energy whistleblowers →

U.S. rejects Keystone XL: next let’s stop Sabal Trail!

November 6, 2015Economy, LNG, PoliticsBarack Obama, Bill McKibben, Canada, Climate Change, Economy, Free Trade, John Kerry, John S. Quarterman, Justin Trudeau, Keystone XL, Kinder Morgan, LNG, Palmetto Pipeline, Paris, petroleum products, Politics, President, Sabal Trail Transmission, Sierra Club, Sinkhole Trail, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, State Department, Tar Sands, TPP, Trans-Pacific Partnership, TransCanada, United StatesJohn S. Quarterman

Thanks to Bill McKibben and everyone else who made that pipeline an international cause. Now let’s stop Spectra’s Sabal “Sinkhole” Trail and keep Kinder Morgan’s Palmetto pipeline denied. And let’s stop the Trans-Pacific Parternership (TPP) before it can produce more “free trade” countries for LNG export.

Coral Davenport, New York Times, 6 November 2015, Obama Rejects Construction of Keystone XL Oil Pipeline,

President Obama’s denial of the proposed 1,179-mile pipeline, which would have carried 800,000 barrels a day of carbon-heavy petroleum from the Canadian oil sands to the Gulf Coast, comes as he is seeking to build an ambitious legacy on climate change.

“The pipeline would not make a meaningful longterm contribution to our economy,” Mr. Obama said in remarks from the White House.

The move was made ahead of Continue reading U.S. rejects Keystone XL: next let’s stop Sabal Trail! →

Sabal Trail is a reckless proposal –GA State Senator Sims to FERC

October 25, 2015Compressor, Dougherty County, Economy, Environment, Georgia, Hazards, Health, Law, Safety, WaterAir, Albany, compressor, Dougherty County, Economy, environment, Freddie Powell Sims, Georgia, Hazards, Health, John S. Quarterman, Law, Safety, SpectraBusters, WaterJohn S. Quarterman

Sabal Trail targets those most vulnerable, the “elderly, disabled and without monetary or political means to “fight” such an environmentally intrusive plan.”

Filed with FERC 23 October 2015 as Accession Number 20151023-5278, “Comment of Senator Freddie Powell Sims under CP15-17”:

FREDDIE POWELL SIMS
District 12
110-A State Capitol
Atlanta. Georgia 30334
Phone: (404) 463-5259
Fax: (404) 463-2279
Email: Freddie.Sims@senate.ga.gov

COMMITTEES:

Interstate Cooperation, Vice-Chairman
Education and Youth, Secretary
Appropriations
Finance
Natural Resources and the Environment

The State Senate

Atlanta, Georgia 30334

October 20, 2015
Kimberly D. Bose
Secretary
Federal Energy Regulation Commission
888 First Street, N.E.
Washingtun, DC 20426
Dear Ms. Bose:
As State Senator for District 12 in the State of Georgia, I write this letter in opposition to the proposed Sabal Pipeline location in the populous area of Dougherty County / Albany, Georgia. The Sabal Pipeline proposed location is a “reckless” proposal that negates the health and safety of current and future residents of Dougherty County / Albany, Georgia. Many of the residents Continue reading Sabal Trail is a reckless proposal –GA State Senator Sims to FERC →

Shale prices driving down production and investment –Financial Times

September 8, 2015Economy, FrackingEconomy, Fracking, investment, John S. Quarterman, price, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

The financial industry is losing patience with the fossil fuel industry.

Ed Crooks, Financial Times, 6 September 2015, Falling oil prices put groups with high costs under severe financial strain,

The world may run on oil, but the oil industry runs on capital, and for US shale producers that capital is starting to dry up. Continue reading Shale prices driving down production and investment –Financial Times →

Three-week fast in front of FERC by BXE 9-25 September 2015

September 8, 2015Economy, Environment, FERC, Law, SolarBeyond Extreme Energy, BXE, Climate Change, Economy, environment, fast, FERC, fossil fuels, John S. Quarterman, Laudato Si, Law, pope, solar, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

Many its members have already gotten flattened by the FERC rubberstamp process. They’ve been protesting outside and inside FERC meetings. They’ve gotten arrested and a judge acquitted one of them because FERC violated the First Amendment. Now Beyond Extreme Energy is escalating to a water-only fast outside FERC until Pope Francis arrives.

The pope who in his June encylical Laudato Si wrote that Continue reading →

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 →

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 →

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? →