Tag Archives: Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson

Union County summarily dismisses phosphate mine application 2017-08-21

Of course they expect HPS II to sue, but this is still good news.

Photo by Jim Tatum, OSFR, of Scott Koons, Executive Director of North Central Florida Regional Planning Council before Union BOCC
Photo by Jim Tatum, OSFR, of Scott Koons, Executive Director of North Central Florida Regional Planning Council before Union BOCC

Jim Tatum, OSFR, 21 August 2017, Union County Will Consider Mining Comprehensive Plan Amendments, Continue reading

Sierra Club wins case against Sabal Trail 2017-08-22

Congratulations Sierra Club, Flint Riverkeeper, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, and witnesses, who just won their case against FERC about Sabal Trail! Florida landowner Robin Koon is called out by name in the court’s decision to vacate FERC’s order that approved Sabal Trail. Thanks to him and everyone else who for years have demanded to hold regulatory agencies accountable.

Robin Koon speaking in Tallahassee
Still from WWALS video of Robin Koon speaking in Tallahassee, 23 January 2017

The actual decision is:

The petition for review in No. 16-1329 is granted. The orders under review are vacated and remanded to FERC for the preparation of an environmental impact statement that is consistent with this opinion. The petition for review in No. 16-1387 is denied.

So ordered.

I am not an attorney, but if I’m reading that right, the court just vacated FERC’s February 2016 Order that approved the Sabal Trail pipeline. Continue reading

State and local responses to Dunnellon Sabal Trail stink

Sabal Trail did not notify state or local officials about their “odorant” leak at the Dunnellon Compressor Station site, and Sabal Trail’s response to WWALS failed to mention local people called the same stink in to 911 two days in a row. FDEP said there’s no need so long as Sabal Trail follows various permits, but gave no indication of who is checking to see if Sabal Trail does that. Apparently we the people have to keep doing what the state and federal agencies still aren’t doing: watch Sabal Trail like a hawk.

Via FL 200
Google map of locations of Dunnellon High School and Sabal Trail Dunnellon Compressor Station. You can see most of the 100-foot Sabal Trail right of way.

Below are responses from FDEP and more details from Marion County Public Relations and Fire and Rescue, and from Dunnellon Fire and Rescue: none of them were notified by Sabal Trail, and FDEP seems OK with that. For the rest, an emergency plan would be prudent: “Run like hell” as in Spectra compressor station incidents elsewhere, is probably not adequate. Continue reading

Video: Pilgrim’s Pride effluent pipe directly into Suwannee River

With the Suwannee River low, you can see the effluent coming out of the pipe west of Live Oak, FL. Pilgrim’s Pride just rejected a shareholder resolution to curb water pollution from its operations. And Aviagen is opening a chicken breeding operation in Brooks County, GA, in the watershed of the Withlacoochee River, upstream of the Suwannee.


Pilgrim's Pride, Proud to Dump into Suwannee River? from Merrillee on Vimeo.
“Pilgrim’s Pride discharges over 2 million gallons a day of liquid poultry wastes in the Suwannee River from a meat rendering facility located north of Live Oak, FL.”

Thanks to Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson of Sierra Club for .this video, which she showed me, along with many pictures, when she was in Valdosta for the VDT interview with Randy Dowdy about Sabal Trail destroying his farmland.

I asked Merrillee whether Continue reading

Solar Rocks for the Equinox @ SSJSCNFWG 2017-09-23

Suwannee Riverkeeper will be speaking at this event, about how Georgia moved ahead in solar power, Looking up what Florida has tried and still needs to do, and how solar power has already won the economic race, supplying more new solar power in 2016 than anything else (more than natural gas and more than wind), and employing more people than coal, oil, and gas combined. When even FPL is finally building solar power, including at showplaces such as Daytona International Speedway, the sun is starting to rise on the Sunshine State. There will be a WWALS table with information about all this.

Solar Rocks for the Equinox
March 7, 2017
Press Release: For Immediate Release

Solar Energy Expo
Save the Date

When: 9am-5pm Saturday, September 23, 2017

Where: Sierra Club North Florida Headquarters at
Rum 138 2070 SW County Road 138, Fort White, FL 32038 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

Rush Hour Rally at FPL HQ to Stop Sabal Trail Pipeline 2016-10-14

Taking it to the source: the headquarters of FPL, whose ratepayers are on the hook for $3 billion for the Transco → Sabal Trail → FSC fracked methane pipeline boondoggle through Alabama, Georgia, and Florida, Sierra Club and Indian Riverkeeper are holding a Rush Hour Rally this Friday, October 14th 2016 in Juno Beach, Florida; see press release for details. If you can’t get there, there are other events all over Florida and beyond. Remember, FPL admits no need for new electricity until 2024, so there’s no more excuse for Sabal Trail.

At FPL HQ, Juno Beach, FL

The facebook page Protect Florida Against Sabal Trail attempts to keep track of upcoming rallies against Sabal Trail or its ugly stepsisters, which are popping up practically daily. Here are some events scheduled starting this weekend: Continue reading

Pipeline Panel #NoDAPL #NoSabalTrail @ VSU 2016-09-28

Come hear how the Standing Rock Sioux in North Dakota are protecting their water from the same fossil industry and the same companies that want to drill the Sabal Trail pipeline under our Withlacoochee and Suwannee Rivers in south Georgia and north Florida.

14257461 1383948684952749 4716478531857571384 O When: 7PM Wednesday September 28th 2016

What: The Pipeline Controversy

Where: Cypress Room
University Center
Valdosta State University Continue reading

SRWMD listens about Sabal Trail easements, chooses unfortunately, yet offers assistance 2016-07-12

Attached are my comments to the SRWMD Governing Board today (July 12th 2016) in regards to the Sabal Trail crossing site over the Falmouth Cathedral Cave System.

I was the first to speak at the public comment period followed by Jim Tatum then Merrillee. Jim and Merrillee echoed my concerns. The three of us set the tone for the meeting! The Board was interested and engaged asking questions to better understand what impacts Sabal Trail poses for the cave system and the District. About Time!


Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson of Sierra Club Florida speaking to SRWMD 2016-07-12
Photo credit: Our Santa Fe River

Executive Director, Noah Valenstein offered to personally call the ACE to request Continue reading

Sabal Trail easements at SRWMD 2016-07-12 and SFWMD 2016-07-14

Tomorrow this morning (Thursday July 14th 2016) Sabal Trail is on the agenda of the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) for permission to use conservation easements Sierra Club facebook event
for its fracked methane pipeline. How does this square with Sabal Trail’s assertions that it already has all the permits it needs? The irony of meeting for this in West Palm Beach, a stone’s throw from four already-approved LNG export operations at the end of the Sabal Trail pipeline chain in Martin County. How does profit for a pipeline company from Houston and LNG export to Asia square with the mission of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection? If you’re in the area, please write, call, or go, before or by 9AM tomorrow morning to oppose these easements and put a kink in Sabal Trail’s pipeline. Continue reading