Tag Archives: Florida

Sabal Trail with gas flowing needs even more watching

The fracked methane gas flowing has provided more evidence that there is no need for Sabal Trail. Now more than ever, you can watch that pipeline like a hawk, work on revoking its permits, and help stop FERC from rubberstamping any more boondoggles.

Jamie Wachter, Suwannee Democrat, 27 June 2017 (also Waterkeeper Alliance 28 June 2017, and Valdosta Daily Times page 8A 28 June 2017 but apparently not online), Gas now flowing through Sabal Trail pipeline,

Police blocking the public
Photo: Beth Gammie for WWALS, Suwannee County, Florida, 14 January 2017
Is this a good use of Florida local and state law enforcement?
Protecting an invading, unnecessary, pipeline from the unarmed public?

The pipeline’s first phase is supposed to provide service to Florida Power & Light to meet the start of its peak cooling season, Grover said.

Note Ms. Grover’s careful phrasing Continue reading →

Proposed HPSII phosphate mine in Union and Bradford Counties, Florida

Update 2017-08-31: More maps and other information in the Phosphate Mining page.

The proposed HPSII phosphate mine on the New River in Bradford and Union Counties, Florida, features in Dave Wilson’s talk from April. HPSII would be upstream from the Santa Fe River, and thus upstream from the Suwannee River.


slide 27 by David Wilson

WWALS Watershed Coalition opposes the HPSII phosphate mine. We see no benefit in Union and Bradford Counties suffering effects such as those outlined in Dave Wilson’s slides, and looking like Hamilton County in these aerials: Continue reading →

PotashCorp Field Trip Summary –David Wilson 2017-04-13

The moonscape that seems to go on forever while flying over Hamilton County, Florida in a small plane is the PCS phosphate mine, as seen in some WWALS aerials in these slides that David Wilson presented at a Santa Fe River Springs Protection Forum April 13, 2017 at Otter Springs, Florida. Dave is Treasurer of the Board of Florida Springs Institute, and a WWALS member. His slides are published on the WWALS website with his permission.


Slide 14

According to the slides, perhaps JEA is responsible for the low water levels at White Sulfur Springs, formerly a famous resort, now bone dry: Continue reading →

Hard data on lack of need for Sabal Trail –SeekingAlpha

An analyst on a leading stock blog confirms what we’ve been saying for years: there is no need for Sabal Trail’s fracked methane pipeline. Instead, Sabal Trail is taking gas away from FGT and Gulfstream. The article does not mention all those LNG export operations right where this pipeline chain goes. It does get to the heart of what even FPL admits:

“The challenge is natural gas in Florida faces growing competition from residential, commercial and utility scale solar resources as well as power forecasts that are revising lower despite a growing population and customer counts….”

You can help fight Sabal Trail even now that its gas is on, and reform FERC so we don’t get any more pipeline boondoggles.

Sabal Trail taking gas from FGT and Gulfstream

BTU Analytics, SeekingAlpha, 20 June 2017, Sabal Trail Adding Pipeline Capacity But Not Demand, Continue reading →

Florida may require licensing of paddle boats and boards

Here’s a bad idea that doesn’t seem to die: making people pay to register non-motorized boats in Florida.

Kevin Spear, Orlando Sentinel, 29 January 2017, Florida may require licensing for kayaks, canoes, paddle boards,

USCG Vessel ID Sticker
No registration or permit needed for this U.S. Coast Guard Vessel ID Sticker

A citizens panel assembled by state-boating authorities will meet in Orlando on Wednesday to explore what could become a path to adopting registration and fees for small boats powered by humans, wind and currents.

“That sounds like Continue reading →

WiLFest, Gainesville, FL 2017-06-17

Today in Gainesville, FL, Jim Gross of Florida Defenders of the Environment and John S. Quarterman, Suwannee Riverkeeper, will be speaking at Water is Life Fest. With music!

When: 6PM Saturday 17 June 2017

Where: Civic Media Center
433 S Main St, Gainesville, Florida 32601

Event: facebook

Part Deux

“WiLFest features: Continue reading →

Pictures from coal movie and panel, Live Oak, FL 2017-06-09

Reporting from the event, Jim Tatum, OSFR, 10 June 2017, “From The Ashes” Screening by Suwannee St Johns Sierra Club North Florida Working Group,

The North Florida Working Group of the Suwannee St Johns Sierra Club presented an early screening of the documentary “From the Ashes” at the Live Oak Woman’s Club on June 9, 2017….


Susanna Rudolph, Joy Ezell, and Gretchen Quarterman, panelists; Photo: Jim Tatum, OSFR

After the showing Deanna Mericle lead a panel composed of Susanna Randolph, Campaign Senior Representative for Beyond Coal, Sierra Club from Orlando, Joy Ezell, active environmentalist and founder of Help Our Polluted Environment (HOPE) from Perry, and Gretchen Quarterman, Board member and treasurer of WWALS Watershed Coalition, Hahira, Georgia.

Follow the link for more pictures and text.

See also Continue reading →

Florida on front lines against Sabal Trail –Truthout 2017-06-08

Includes details of a demonstration tomorrow morning organized by Sabal Trail Resistance.

Alexis Bonogofsky, Truthout, 8 June 2017, “This State Is on the Front Lines”: Floridians Mobilize Against Sabal Trail Natural Gas Pipeline,

Pete Ackerman, 66, and Kaithleen Hernandez, 21, sit together in a small house in Dunnellon, Florida, with maps and documents splayed out on the walls and the tables around them. They are planning a demonstration for June 9, 2017, which will take place at a large industrial gas compression facility called the Central Florida Hub Compression Station, in Davenport, Florida, 100 miles south of Dunnellon. Ackerman rented the house to serve as an “action center” for those organizing against the large natural gas pipelines being constructed through the southeast United States. They call it the Water is Life House.


Sabal Trail Reunion Compressor Station
Photo: Mark Skogman for WWALS on Southwings flight, 2 February 2017

“The location of the demonstration on Friday is symbolic,” Hernandez tells Truthout. “It’s where the Sabal Trail pipeline hooks into the Florida Southeast Connection pipeline. It’s where they are going to turn the gas on. This compression station is the biggest one along the route. You can hear it for miles away.”

When: 10AM – 4PM, Friday, June 9, 2017

Where: 6525 Osceola Polk Line Rd, Davenport, FL 33896-9315

Event: facebook, hosted by Sabal Trail Resistance (STR)

Later in the article:

John Quarterman, head of the WWALS Watershed Coalition Continue reading →

Coal Ash movie and panel discussion, Live Oak, FL 2017-06-09

Come to Live Oak, Florida next Friday to see a movie and a panel discussion about Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign, which was instrumental in promoting solar power in Georgia, in closing coal plants, and now in dealing with coal ash. WWALS Executive Director Gretchen Quarterman will be on the panel. Thanks to SSJSCNFWG for organizing this.

When: June 9, 2017 Doors open 6:00 pm Film starts at 7:00 pm

Where: Live Oak Woman’s Club
1308 11th Street SW, Live Oak, Fl 32064
Free Admission and Refreshments

What: An advanced screening of the new documentary film “From The Ashes” followed by a panel discussion

From-the-Ashes-flyer-0001

Organized By: Continue reading →

Videos: Suwannee Riverkeeper at Sparkleberry Florida Native Plant Society in Branford 2017-05-09

Here’s WWALS video of the WWALS and Suwannee Riverkeeper presentation at the Sparkleberry Chapter of Florida Native Plant Society in Branford, Florida, May 9, 2017. Acting Executive Director Gretchen Quarterman explained WWALS and Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman led an animated discussion about recent advocacy with the several dozen attendees, many of whom had not heard about one or more of humic substances at the Suwannee River Sill, NFRWSP, BMAPs, Pilgrim’s Pride, coal ash, or Bill Gates’ and other recent corporate agricultural land purchases. While they all had heard of Sabal Trail, we had some updates on that, too.

Here’s the video:

Continue reading →