Tag Archives: Chris Mericle

Hamilton and Madison: both WWALS Florida Counties passed anti-fracking resolutions

We’ve already seen Hamilton County’s RESOLUTION 2015-02 of 3 March 2015. Madison County followed 11 March 2015, as reported by Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson for Our Santa Fe River, The Commissioners of Madison County—THEY ROCK!!

This morning the Commissioners of Madison County concluded their business by unanimously signing a resolution to ban fracking and to support the bills in Tallahassee which do that. County Attorney Tommy Reeves was johnny-on-the-spot ready with the resolution so there was no delay there.

Continue reading →

Hamilton County resolution to ban fracking in Florida

Chris Mericle reported yesterday:

The Hamilton Co. BOCC voted today to pass Resolution 2015-2, a resolution to support SB-166 and HB-169 to ban Fracking in the State of Florida.

For background, see previous post. Here is the text of the resolution:

RESOLUTION 2015-02
$300x400 WHEREAS, in Resolution to ban fracking in Florida, by Hamilton County BOCC, for WWALS.net, 3 March 2015$ A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF HAMILTON COUNTY, FLORIDA, SUPPORTING PROPOSED LEGISLATION (SB 166 and HB 169) PROVIDING A STATEWIDE BAN ON HYDRAULIC FRACTURING, ACID FRACTURING, AND WELL STIMULATION PERFORMED FOR THE PURPOSES OF EXPLORATION OR PRODUCTION OF OIL OR NATURAL GAS IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA; PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
WHEREAS, well stimulation treatments may involve the use of hundreds of chemicals, some of which are known to be carcinogenic or could otherwise be harmful to human health; and Continue reading →

Anti-fracking on the agenda Tuesday in Hamilton County, Florida

Chris Mericle reports an anti-fracking resolution is on the agenda for the the Hamilton County, Florida Board of Commissioners Tuesday 3 March 2015.

The agenda for the March 3rd Hamilton Co BOCC meeting is published in the Jasper News this week. Listed Item #6 reads:
RESOLUTION — SUPPORTING SB-166/HB-169-BILLS IN OPPOSITION TO FRACKING IN FLORIDA

The meeting starts at 9am, Room 112, Courthouse, 207 Northeast First Street, Jasper, FL 32052.
It is unclear whether Continue reading →

No fracking in Hamilton County, Florida?

Chris Mericle reports from last night’s (17 Feb 2015) meeting:

Tonight at the Hamilton Co. BOCC meeting the chairman, Josh Smith, directed the county attorney to get copies of the Senate and House bills to ban Fracking in FL to supply to the board at the next meeting. Josh also asked the board to consider a resolution of support of those bills just as Alachua, Union and Miami-Dade Counties have done. This should be on the agenda for the next scheduled meeting.
-Chris Mericle

For those bills, see this WWALS blog post. For ongoing updates on Florida anti-fracking resolutions and laws, see the fracking category on Our Santa Fe River, which also leads you to reports on the Alachua County and Union County resolutions. And if you’re near Tallahassee today, there’s the noon rally on the steps of the old Capitol.

-jsq

Statenville to Sasser Landing on the Alapaha River, WWALS Outing, 2015-02-15

Expert Paddle on the Alapaha River Sunday, February,15th 12:00pm. facebook event

Update 2015-03-06: Summary and pictures.

Launch site:	Statenville boat ramp on HWY 94 just west of Statenville, GA, 30°42’15.3″N 83°01’57.9″W 30.704260, -83.032750.
Take out:	Alapahoochee boat ramp (Sasser Landing) HWY 150 a few miles east of Jennings, FL, 30°36’02.6″N 83°04’23.7″W 30.600710, -83.073260.

Picture by Michael Rivera,
used with permission.

We will meet at launch site at noon, unload boats and shuttle vehicles to the take out (25 miles Round trip), on the water by 1:00.

This event is FREE! All we ask is that Continue reading →

Alapaha River Sink 2014-11-11

Deanna Mericle posted on facebook 11 November 2014,

Chris and I hiked the riverbed of the Alapaha River and found the other sink!

Other as in different from the Dead River Sink. Continue reading →

Dust Storm on Lakeland Sands land in Hamilton County, FL

Received yesterday. -jsq

These pictures are of a dust storm that occurred earlier this year. The dust is from Bill Gates’ farms. Look closely, there is a power transmission tower in the picture. Continue reading →

Sinkhole formation and collapse due to drilling under the Withlacoochee River

Drilling through fragile sinkhole-prone karst limestone under the Withlacoochee River (or the Suwannee River, or the Santa Fe River): what could possibly go wrong? Sabal Trail now proposes to move off of the Withlacoochee River in Florida, but still plans to cross the Withlacoochee in Georgia, and to cross the Suwannee and Santa Fe Rivers, all of which have the same hydrogeology. You can talk directly to Sabal Trail and FERC at the Open House in Jasper, Florida, 5-7PM Tuesday 21 October 2014, and you can join WWALS where the Alapaha River disappears entirely into a sinkhole, at the Alapaha Sink, 2PM Sunday 26 October 2014.

Here are before and after diagrams by Continue reading →

Sabal Trail Withlacoochee River Alternative and Jasper Open House 21 Oct 2014

Due to fine work by WWALS members Chris and Deanna Mericle in Hamilton County, Florida, Sabal Trail proposes to move its fracked methane pipeline off of the Withlacoochee River in Florida, and invites the public to an Open House in Jasper, FL Tuesday October 21st about that and other matters. We can ask them to move it off the Withlacoochee River in Georgia, too. And it’s still possible to file ecomments with FERC, and to contact your local, state, and national elected and appointed officials.

In FERC’s 15 October 2014 Sabal Trail Notice of EIS Intent and Route Alternatives, Continue reading →

Alapaha Dead River Sink

Update 2014-11-13: This is actually the Dead River Sink. See also the Alapaha River Sink. -jsq

Received 16 September 2044:

I just saw the photos on WWALS web site of Bret’s trip to find the sink, Very nice.
Here are some photos of the sink you may want to add.
-Chris Mericle

Plus this Sunday, 10AM 21 September 2014, Chris and Deanna Mericle will be our local hosts at the WWALS outing on the Withlacoochee and Suwannee Rivers in Florida.