Tag Archives: Politics

Historic solar financing bill started in GA PSC more than a year ago

Friday the Georgia Senate unanimously voted for a solar financing bill, and WWALS helped with that historic Georgia turn to the sun for power, which will conserve our waters, including helping fight off invading pipelines.

Back in June 2013, Garry Gentry read to the Georgia Public Service Commission the WWALS letter about water and solar power (I also spoke), contributing to the historic GA PSC decision that July to require Georgia Power to add 525 MW of solar power, approximately doubling its request. A decision that catapulted Georgia in one year Continue reading →

Capitol Conservation Day 2015

It’s the annual Georgia Water Coalition Capitol Conservation Day, Wednesday, February 18, 2015.

Save the date for the Georgia Water Coalition’s Capitol Conservation Day on Feb. 18, 2015. While there, you can meet with your state legislators and tell them what you expect them to achieve during the 2015-2016 sessions. Bring your fellow members and other friends with you to support environmental and conservation causes!

The day will begin at 8:00 a.m. with Continue reading →

Not in our county, state, or aquifer: Valdosta votes against Sabal Trail pipeline tonight

Tonight at 5:30 PM the Valdosta City Council will vote on a resolution against the Sabal Trail pipeline they discussed Tuesday at their Work Session. Valdosta added a clause about the Floridan Aquifer to the clauses already in the resolution Lowndes County passed Tuesday evening that Valdosta is supporting. Valdosta’s aquifer clause reads:

WHEREAS, the City of Valdosta has concerns regarding any potential effect the proposed pipeline or its construction might have on the Floridan aquifer, the primary source of the drinking water supply for our City, County and the south Georgia area; and

As VSU Prof. Don Thieme remarked yesterday, Continue reading →

Letter to Lowndes County Commission about Sabal Trail

Here’s the cover letter I sent to the Lowndes County Commission about the action letter to county commissions, text of which was appended. They meet tonight at 5:30 PM. -jsq

From: “John S. Quarterman”
Date: Sun, 07 Sep 2014 21:07:54 -0400
cc: wwalswatershed@gmail.com
To: “Joyce E. Evans”, Richard Raines, Crawford Powell, Demarcus Marshall, Clay Griner
Subject: Resolutions other counties have passed against Spectra pipelines

Dear Lowndes County Commissioners,

With FERC’s recent instructions to Sabal Trail adding three more pipeline alternates that could go through Lowndes County, Lowndes has become even more of a key county regarding that pipeline. Please see the appended letter signed by many groups and individuals for resolutions and an ordinance that other counties have already passed.

Thanks,
John S. Quarterman, President, WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc. Continue reading →

WWALS signs letter to county commissions opposing the Sabal Trail pipeline

A citizen of Suwannee County, Florida has written a letter to county commissions, starting with her own Suwannee County Commission that meets tonight, and WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc. has joined the many signers.

The Action letter to County Commissioners against Sabal Trail pipeline begins:

Dear Commissioner,

We are sure that you have heard of the Sabal Trail/Spectra Energy Pipeline and the resolution passed by Hamilton County BOCC August 22, 2014, to prohibit its path through the Withlacoochee River in Hamilton County (link below). It appears that that resolution has been successful. But the problem has not gone away in that Continue reading →

Moultrie Observer: WWALS op-ed against Sabal Trail pipeline

Bigger type than the rest of the page, and in the editorial column position: Haley Hyatt, who took these pictures, noticed that about how the Moultrie Observer printed the WWALS op-ed Friday 1 August 2014, as “Much opposition”.

So that’s at least two newspapers so far, the other being the Ocala StarBanner. Continue reading →

WWALS op-ed against Sabal Trail pipeline published

The Moultrie Observer printed the WWALS op-ed Friday 1 August 2014; that’s still not online. But the Ocala StarBanner has it online, Sunday 3 August 2014, Water, property rights over pipeline profits. Several more newspapers are considering it.

-jsq

Water and property rights more important than methane pipeline profits

This is a long version of the op-ed sent to many newspapers in WWALS’ watersheds; there is also a short version. -jsq

Protesters drove as far as nine hours to Leesburg, GA July 10th, where Spectra Energy lost its eminent domain demand for its Sabal Trail 36-inch, hundred-foot right-of-way natural gas pipeline, and local landowners countersued. Spectra hobbled back to Houston, Texas bound by strict conditions for surveying that one Mitchell County property, and bound to haunt south Georgia again for a trespass jury trial.

The ensuing flurry of newspaper op-eds by Spectra’s Andrea Grover plus a page-long Sabal Trail interview in the Valdosta Daily Times (VDT), didn’t mention numerous Sabal Trail downsides. Continue reading →

Water and property rights over methane pipeline profits

This is an op-ed submission sent to many newspapers in WWALS’ watersheds and beyond. There is also a longer version. -jsq

Protesters drove up to nine hours to Leesburg, GA July 10th, where Spectra Energy lost an eminent domain demand for its Sabal Trail 36-inch, hundred-foot right-of-way natural gas pipeline, and local landowners countersued. Spectra hobbled back to Houston, Texas, bound by strict conditions for surveying that one property, and bound to haunt south Georgia again for a trespass jury trial.

Spectra bragged in op-eds about 50 public meetings, never mentioning overwhelming public opposition in Moultrie, Valdosta, Clyattville, Madison and elsewhere to that gash through our fields, forests, and wetlands, and under our Withlacoochee River twice.

Sabal Trail’s air quality permit application with Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division met immediate Continue reading →

The Politics of Water: Epic Battles and Endeavors to Protect Georgia’s Water –GWC

The very effective Georgia Water Coalition (GWC) invites you to see how it’s done and to come help. This is not a WWALS event, but WWALS is one of the 216 GWC Partners. Details via WWALS Ambassador Dave Hetzel: The Politics of Water: Epic Battles and Endeavors to Protect Georgia’s Water,

Tuesday, June 24 at 7:00 PM
Riverview Landing, Mableton, Georgia

On the banks of the Chattahoochee River in conjunction with Paddle Georgia 2014 Continue reading →