Remember, FERC at Holiday Inn Valdosta 5:30 PM tonight.
Category Archives: PR
Albany reporter objects to citizens asking a public official to represent them against the invading Sabal Trail pipeline
Thanks, Carlton Fletcher, for reminding the public the fight against Sabal Trail isn’t over! Come tell FERC what you think in Moultrie tonight, Valdosta Wednesday, or Lake City Thursday.
Asking our most local representatives to table or deny a motion threatening
our Withlacoochee River and Okapilco Creek isn’t “magic”:
it’s democracy.
Maybe GA-DNR should publish contact information for its board members
to make that easier.
Meanwhile, David won against Goliath and we can too.
Carlton Fletcher, Albany Herald, 26 September 2015, CARLTON FLETCHER: Anti-pipeline letter steps over line: Continue reading
WWALS on Chris Beckham radio show 105.9 FM Wednesday 2015-09-30
The FERC circus in Valdosta Wednesday, Kayaktivism on the Withlacoochee River Saturday, reprinting Alapaha River Water Trail brochures,
the new Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail, and
WWALS v. Sabal Trail & FL-DEP in Jasper (or Live Oak) 19-22 October 2015:
these are some of the topics WWALS president John S. Quarterman will talk about on the air.
When: 8AM Wednesday October 30th 2015
Where: Continue reading
WWALS at Valdosta-Lowndes Tourism Authority 2015-09-22
WWALS will present its activities at the Tourism Authority for the most populous city and county in WWALS’ watersheds.
When: 8AM Tuesday September 22nd 2015
Where: Gazebo 2 room
James H. Rainwater Conference Center
1 Meeting Place
Valdosta, GA 31601
Host: Valdosta – Lowndes County Conference Center & Tourism Authority
Who: WWALS President John S. Quarterman will speak
What: He will give the Tourism Authority Board a brief summary of what’s transpired in the WWALS world in the way of positive developments since November with this non-profit entity in its work that also benefits quality of life and tourism, including: Continue reading
FL-DEP grants hearing to WWALS against Sabal Trail pipeline under Suwannee River
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FL-DEP grants hearing to WWALS against Sabal Trail pipeline under Suwannee River
September 4nd, 2015, Jasper, Florida —
Yesterday the
Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FL-DEP)
asked for an administrative law judge (ALJ)
“to conduct all necessary proceedings required by law and to submit a recommended order to the Department”.
FL-DEP apparently interprets its Order of the previous day as dismissing only
the petition of WWALS-FL, a Florida nonprofit corporation, and not that of
the parent corporation, WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc. (WWALS).
So it seems WWALS gets a hearing after all.
WWALS president John S. Quarterman remarked:
“Everyone told us we’d never get a hearing, so apparently we interpreted the previous day’s FL-DEP dismissal too broadly. But sometimes if you try, you succeed. And WWALS continues to try to stop the unnecessary, destructive, and hazardous Sabal Trail pipeline.”
And it seems FL-DEP is reading the news about this case, because Continue reading
WWALS petition against Sabal Trail dismissed by FL-DEP on technicality, not real issues
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WWALS petition against Sabal Trail dismissed by FL-DEP on technicality, not real issues
2015-09-04: New DEP message, new press release.
September 3rd, 2015, Jasper, Florida —
Despite the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FL-DEP)’s
Order of yesterday dismissing WWALS’ amended petition with prejudice on a technicality,
including an attempt to deny FL-DEP’s responsibilities to the citizens of Florida,
WWALS and WWALS-FL continue to point out the obvious:
Spectra Energy’s
proposed Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline is not in the public interest,
would interfere with property rights far beyond the crossing of the Suwannee River,
would not maintain natural conditions,
and could have severe adverse effects on fish, wildlife, public recreation, and navigation, especially if it blew up like a Spectra Energy pipeline
did in May under the Arkansas River.
Hamilton County, FL resident Deanna Mericle, who wrote much of the WWALS amended petition that was dismissed, responds,
“DEP is doing a disservice to the citizens of Hamilton and Suwannee Counties by not hearing the legitimate argument and hiding behind a questionable technicality. I am sorely disappointed but not surprised.”
Yesterday WWALS received Continue reading
No need for this pipeline. Solar power is what we should be doing. –WWALS on WCTV 2015-08-28
As we prepared to put in at US 84 to paddle up the Withlacoochee River to the proposed Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline crossing, WCTV interviewed us, and indeed she picked out the main point.
Update 2015-08-31: I’m told people did see this story live on air on WCTV.
Winnie Wright, WCTV, 28 August 2015,
WWALS Watershed Coalition Files Petition Against Pipeline,
Hamilton County, FL—WWALS Watershed Coalition filed an amended petition Friday, opposing the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s intent to issue a building permit for a 36-inch natural pipeline under the Suwannee River in Florida.
“The combination of all this opposition, what we of course want to do is to stop the pipeline”, says John Quarterman, with WWALS. “There’s no need for this pipeline. Solar power is what we should be doing.”
Some of the other opposition I referred to was Continue reading
Filing petition with Florida Friday against Sabal Trail
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 27th, 2015, Hahira — Continuing to oppose the unnecessary, destructive, and hazardous invading Sabal Trail natural gas pipeline, WWALS Watershed Coalition will file Friday an amended petition with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FL-DEP) opposing that agency’s intent to issue a permit for Sabal Trail Transmission to bore its 36-inch pipeline from Hamilton County to Suwannee County under the Suwannee River in Florida.
Update 2015-08-28: Here is the amended petition filed today.
WWALS originally
filed a petition on August 7th. FL-DEP
denied that petition on August 14th, giving a list of reasons and fourteen days
to amend. WWALS will file an amended petition at the end of that
fortnight, on Friday August 28th. Numerous residents of Florida have
become WWALS members, and some will be named in the new filing.
Deanna Mericle, of Hamilton County, Florida, notes, Continue reading
July WWALS Newsletter: Affiliate, Outings, Water Trails, and Annual meeting!
The
July 2015 WWALS Newsletter is out.
First it went to the members, of course.
You can
become a member today.
And don’t forget
the Annual Meeting coming up Wednesday July 8th.
-jsq
Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail Committee members wanted by WWALS Watershed Coalition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail Committee members wanted by WWALS Watershed Coalition
Hahira, June 23rd 2015 –
WWALS Watershed Coalition is pleased to announce the formation of the
Withlacoochee River Water Trail (WRWT) Committee.
With the Alapaha
River Water Trail well on its way to completion, WWALS is ready to
take on the Withlacoochee and Little Rivers. We are looking for
people to take an active part in developing a recreational water
trail for all to enjoy.
Chris Graham, Chair of the Alapaha River Water Trail, said:
“I feel I have accomplished a good deal in our area. Now that the Alapaha River Water Trail brochures are printed and WWALS is starting on the Withlacoochee River Water Trail, I feel it is time for someone in the Little River or Withlacoochee River watersheds to have an option to join the WWALS board to do something good for their river.”
WWALS has already started mapping and gathering information for the Withlacoochee River Water Trail,
/maps/withlacoochee-river-water-trail/
WWALS co-sponsors the “Big Little River Paddle Race” at Reed-Bingham State Park each spring on the Little River, a tributary of the Withlacoochee River. There is the potential for another paddle race on the Withlacoochee in the fall, and we’re looking for ideas for where and who wants to help.
Some of the benefits of a water trail include:
Continue reading