Tag Archives: Florida

Protestors inside Sabal Trail pipe, Halpata Tastanaki Preserve, Dunnellon, FL

Update 2017-02-22: And they’re “rescued”: Ocala.com, News4JAX.com, WUFT-FM, ClickOrlando.com, ramping up a spate of anti-Sabal Trail news, putting a crimp in Sabal Trail’s own putsch of “on target to begin operating in June” which is already a month late for the May 2017 in-service date Sabal insisted on for three years.

Skirting the edge of this preserve wasn’t enough, not for local cattle grazers, not for Dunnellon High School less than half a mile from the pipeline, and not for protestors inside Sabal Trail’s pipe this morning. At 8:30 AM I received a copy of this email message, which was sent to John Peconom of FERC by Panagioti Tsolkas:

Picture inside the pipe Good morning. I just received word there are two people inside a stretch of pipeline along FL-200 near the Halpata Tustanaki preserve in Dunnellon. They are refusing to come out until the Environmental Impact Statement is Revisited to fully include environmental justice communities and school children.

Can you please inform the company to keep them safe?

There is a protest near by as well. Details:
https://www.facebook.com/events/393349654372338/?ti=cl

They have sent this statement from inside the pipeline:

Continue reading →

Divest Florida 2017-03-17

This is one example of a spreading movement throughout Florida and beyond to defund Sabal Trail: #divestflorida, #NoSabalTrail. I’ve been calling for divestment for three years now, so I applaud this movement.

Day of Divestment at Bank of America

When: 3-6PM Friday March 17, 2017

Where: Bank of America Tower (Jacksonville)
50 N Laura St, Jacksonville, Florida 32202

Event: facebook

Thanks to Continue reading →

On the Suwannee River, Sabal Trail drill path 2017-02-12

Pipe apparently not connected at Suwannee County HDD (only two caterpillars there, and many odd markings on pipe), Pipe not connected? 30.4063022, -83.1529089 pipe apparently already buried at Hamilton County HDD, paddling on the Suwannee River in between, and a guard at Sabal Trail’s CR 141 access even after dark, Sunday February 12, 2017 to show a visiting videographer. For where these pictures were taken, see the Google map.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

Continue reading →

Videos: Walk for Water, Speak for Springs, Dunnellon, FL 2017-01-28

See also some previous pictures of Walk for Water & Speak for the Springs, which was organized by Our Santa Fe River (OSFR), Sabal Trail Resistance, and Dylan Hansen.

Below are links to each of the WWALS videos (including the earlier android phone videos), with a few notes, followed by a video playlist. Continue reading →

Aerials: Sabal Trail half mile from Dunnellon High School

Sabal Trail runs half a mile from Dunnellon High School and Elementary School, and even closer to a golf club to the north. In 2009 Florida Gas Transmission (FGT) blew up a much smaller 18-inch pipeline, flying a 104-foot piece of 18-inch pipe through the air, shutting down both I-95 and the Florida Turnpike, and fortunately missing a high school. You can help stop this $3.2 billion boondoggle and get on with solar power now for the Sunshine State.

Dunnellon High School and Sabal Trail half a mile away

And to the north, it’s even closer to Julliette Falls Golf Club and Community. Continue reading →

Wide-ranging Sabal Trail opposition article by Molly Minta in The Fine Print

Molly Minta, The Fine Print, 5 February 2017, Rise Against the Machine: In 2013, Marion County residents began to receive letters from Sabal Trail Transmission. Now, they’ve made it their mission to save their land, and stop Sabal Trail.


Photo: Molly Minta.
An oak tree is felled by Sabal Trail construction workers.

…

Months before the town considered bankruptcy in 2013, residents of Dunnellon began to receive letters from a company called Sabal Trail Transmission. The letters were an introduction and explained why the company was coming to the area: to build a natural gas pipeline and compressor station. The letters were part of the first step in the process of getting a pipeline approved.

Only landowners within 600 feet of the pipeline received a letter, so not many people in Dunnellon are aware of it. But the ones who are fear it could completely disrupt their way of life.

The pipeline will pass within a mile of the Rainbow River; residents fear Continue reading →

Spot Sabal Trail violations from the air: Indiegogo crowdfunding

To cover the entire 600+ mile length of the Sabal Trail and FSC pipelines Flight area rotated from Alabama through Georgia and Florida to Indiantown will require probably seven small plane flights, so we’ve started a crowdfunding campaign:

Spot Sabal Trail & FSC violations from the air

Flights will be handled by the participating Riverkeepers.

Please follow the link to learn more and to contribute.

If you have a small plane Continue reading →

FL House Rep. Elizabeth Porter asks EPA to Valdosta wastewater

There’s been an outcry for the EPA to intervene, from people downstream of Valdosta on the Withlacoochee and Suwannee Rivers. Representing Hamilton, Suwannee, Columbia, and Baker Counties in the Florida statehouse, FL Rep. Elizabeth Porter [R-10] has taken up that cry.

In the current political climate of the EPA being downsized after it already was underfunded, Continue reading →

Walk for Water and Speak for Springs, Dunnellon, FL 2017-01-28

A hundred and fifty people came to Dunnellon, Florida to walk and speak for the most important thing to Florida and south Georgia: water. Megan asked to speak to her school board and they refused Her local school board refused to listen to Megan. We listened. They should, too.

This event was organized by Our Santa Fe River.

These are just a few android phone pictures and videos I took. Stay tuned for WWALS video of all the speakers.

Videos of the water protectors and of the invading Sabal Trail pipeline. Continue reading →