Tag Archives: north Florida

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 →

Videos: Tallahassee: Hold Regulatory Agencies Accountable for Sabal Trail and FSC fracked gas pipelines 2017-01-23

If you had any doubts that Sabal Trail is a boondoggle, our water, land, and wildlife are more important than corporate greed, and we should go solar right now, these speakers may help resolve them.

WWALS Videos of Hold Regulatory Agencies Accountable for Sabal Trail and FSC fracked gas pipelines on the steps of the Old Florida Capitol, Monday January 23, 2017. This event was organized by Shannon Larsen, Bobby C. Billie, and ReThink Energy Florida.

The indigenous prayers are omitted. I clarified with Bobby C. Billie, and he specifically wanted those prayers omitted, but not the rest of what he and Shawn Mulford said. Yes, the sound is low when Bobby is speaking; he doesn’t like to use a microphone.

Here are links to each WWALS video, followed by a video playlist. You may reuse these videos, provided Continue reading →

Stop Sabal Trail pipeline –Harriet Heywood, Citrus County Chronicle 2017-02-03

Harriet Heywood, Op-ed, Citrus County Chronicle, 2017-02-03, Stop Sabal Trail pipeline

Harriet Heywood Today Sabal Trail Inc. is pounding a 36-inch pipe under the Withlacoochee River to force-feed us Marcellus Shale fracked gas. The powers who own decision-makers have made sure laws and regulations designed to protect the planet don’t apply to themselves. Twentieth century mindset — 21st century reality notwithstanding, they’ll offer a few hundred temporary jobs, conduct corporate social responsibility PR programs before moving on to other ventures, enabled by government agencies and politicians eager to board the fracked-gas crony capitalist bullet train, while the people, our waters and health are classified acceptable risks.

Mission accomplished while taking land through eminent domain with an unknown (by the public) quantity for export — unsurprising since there are 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 →

5th Annual BIG Little River Paddle Race with grilling and silent auction 2017-04-29

Update 2017-06-04: And the winners!

Update 2017-04-30: Summary of news coverage.

Update 2017-04-29: Pictures and videos.

Update 2017-04-27: Paddle or Race, Scott James Talk 92.1 FM radio 2017-04-27

Update 2017-04-26: River radio videos: Charlie Walker dried off in time on KIX 99.5 FM for the BIG Little River Paddle Race 2017-04-26 and Video: BLPR and Neighbor Steve Nichols, WVGA 105.9 FM 2017-04-26.

Update 2017-04-25: More river radio: BLPR on The Morning Drive with Steve Nichols, 105.9 FM, 8:15 AM Wednesday April 26, 2017, and you can get a kayak raffle ticket online or at the paddle race.

Update 2017-04-24: Hear about it on the Scott James Talk 92.1 FM radio show 8AM Thursday April 27th.

Back by popular demand! This year plus lunch grilling and a silent auction afterwards: the fifth annual BIG Little River Paddle Race, a fundraiser for WWALS and Friends of Reed Bingham (FORB). Last year we had 34 paddlers, and the traditional winner almost lost! Come on down and you can be a winner, if not first place, in one of many categories.

Ready! Where: Red Roberts Landing
31°11’32.0″N 83°31’13.2″W
Rountree Bridge Road
Between Moultrie and Adel, GA
I-75 Exit 41 (at Sparks) to Rountree Bridge Road

When: 8AM-9AM Registration
9:30 AM Mass Start

What: Canoes or Kayaks Only
Life jackets required of all participants.

Let people know: facebook event or the Meetup event.
But remember to register.

Registration: Register on-line Continue reading →

Sabal Trail erosion and waterlogged, Brooks County, GA 2017-01-23

End of pipe in water, CR 146, towards Tallokas Road 30.9873162, -83.6535762 Is that pipe supposed to be wallowing in water? Is that end supposed to be in the water? What about the obvious erosion? Remember Sabal Trail is only burying its 36-inch pipe 36-inches deep most places. Erosion could expose it and make it even more likely to corrode.

WWALS video playlist and more pictures below. Continue reading →

Okapilco Creek flooding @ GA 122 2017-01-23

Narrow Bridge 30.9955325, -83.6041529 Half a mile wide: Okapilco Creek one week ago on GA 122 between Barney and Pavo, Georgia.

Usually you have to peer down into the woods to see if you can see any water in the creek. After the recent storms, you could see water beside the highway half a mile before you got to the creek bridge.

WWALS video: Continue reading →

Quarterman: Sabal Trail pipeline already damaging our area

Op-ed Tallahassee Democrat, today, Sunday 29 January 2017:

Floridians are withdrawing money from banks backing the Sabal “Sinkhole” Trail pipeline, and demonstrating daily from Miami to Jacksonville and Tallahassee, sometimes physically blocking pipeline destruction. Fossil fuel profits do not justify eminent domain takings of local lands nor any risk to our waters. Solar power is cheaper, faster, and far safer.

Image: Electric power generation employment by technology, U.S. Department of Energy

The solar industry provides more jobs than coal, oil, and natural gas combined. Sabal Trail’s own figures show 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 →