Tag Archives: Sabal Trail Transmission

WWALS asks FERC to deny Sabal Trail’s in-service request and to revoke its permit

Update: 2017-06-05: WWALS files with FERC against Sabal Trail again, about sea change from fossil fuels to sun and wind power.

Update 2017-05-27: Sabal Trail slips its in-service request to June; FERC classifies WWALS shutdown request as motion 2017-05-26.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Hahira, GA, May 26, 2017 — WWALS Watershed Coalition today asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to “stay, stop, or deny all requests to place any project facilities into service” for the Southeast Markets Pipeline Project (SMPP) including Sabal Trail. Further “WWALS as an intervenor formally requests FERC to revoke its Certificate of Convenience and Necessity for SMPP.”

In its thirteen-page filing (available online and in PDF), WWALS listed six reasons, each with its own attachment of details:

  1. The alleged need for this pipeline project, which has been refuted by its funding organization in FPL’s 2016 Ten Year Plan and by other evidence; and
  2. FERC has taken jurisdiction of at least one LNG export chain from Sabal Trail, despite FERC’s own assertion in its February 2016 Certificate; and
  3. Major Gas Pipelines Serving Jacksonville, Florida
    See Sabal Trail to export through Jacksonville, FL.

  4. Failure to assess risks to Floridan Aquifer, the primary water supply for the region; and
  5. Numerous permit violations during construction; and
  6. Failure to address especially egregious violations such as the destruction of Randy Dowdy’s world-record soybean fields; and
  7. The legal challenges recited in the Sierra Club letter of May 18, 2017, FERC Accession Number 20170519-5018, are all completely litigated.

WWALS president and Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman said, “It’s not too late for FERC to do its job and actually evaluate all the new evidence that has come to light. Even more, FERC should look at how the world has changed Continue reading

Pictures: Woods Ferry Tract to Suwannee Springs 2017-05-20

Springs and sand like snow, red and yellow water, chatting as we go, Woods Ferry to Suwannee Springs on the Suwannee River, May 20, 2017, with Hands Across the Sand at noon. Even though everyone had a trash bag, there was surprisingly almost no trash to pick up until we got to Suwannee Springs. Here are some pictures, a few videos, and a google map showing the locations.

Update 2021-09-23: Water levels were 36.34′ on the Suwannee Springs USGS gauge and 49.47′ on the White Springs gauge.

What is the name of this spring?

Upriver across the spring, Upriver across the spring, 30.3695100, -82.8887100

It’s in SRWMD’s Continue reading

Sabal Trail asks FERC to authorize turning on gas 2017-05-17

Sabal Trail has discovered the southeast has drought! That’s its excuse for not greening up its gouge across what it calls its “greenfield” route. Sabal Trail “will continue to be available” to address landowner concerns, as if they have addressed destroying Randy Dowdy’s world-record soybean fields. They claim they’ve resolved 271 of 279 landowner issues: as near as I can tell mostly by suing the landowners, like they did the Bell Brothers.

Revegetation and drought

Pipeline company chutzpah! Solar power would do this faster, cheaper, and cleaner: “Granting Sabal Trail’s request by May 26 will allow Sabal Trail to commence service promptly to FPL and will significantly increase the available supply of natural gas to the Southeastern United States during the heart of the peak summer cooling season.” More likely Sabal Trail wants to be in-service by the end of May to avoid forfeiting that $200 million bond required by FPL’s RFP.

Sabal Trail’s list of karst features doesn’t match its own Continue reading

Hands Across the Sand on the Suwannee, 2017-05-20

Here’s Hands Across the Sand on the Suwannee River, with boats, during the WWALS outing from Woods Ferry Tract to Suwannee Springs Saturday.

And tie-dye
Picture by Gretchen Quarterman for WWALS.

Here’s an out-take from the making of, as Gretchen attempted to Continue reading

Sabal Trail signs at Suwannee River, 2017-05-20

Here are the signs Sabal Trail planted Friday at the Suwannee River.

WARNING, BURIED NATURAL GAS PIPELINE CROSSING, IN CASE OF EMERGENCY CALL 1-888-568-7269, Sabal Trail Transmission,

Updated 2017-05-23: Clarify what the google map is about.

See the Continue reading

Suwannee County HDD, Sabal Trail, 2017-05-20

Sabal Trail has hidden the “depressions” they admitted to recently.

Evidence all buried at HDD site,

Updated 2017-05-23: Clarify what the google map is about.

See the Continue reading

Sabal Trail sign installation at SRSP, 2017-05-19

Received Friday:

Today Sabal Trail workers were clearing underbrush and small trees on the bank of the Suwannee River where the pipeline is installed under the river to install a sign. I could not see what the sign said, the sign was on the ground with the words facing down.

Sign

Correct me if I am wrong, but didn’t STT say Continue reading

Here

Lots more pictures now posted of this sunny Suwannee River outing past springs and sand like snow, plus Hands Across the Sand.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can join this fun and work by becoming a WWALS member today!

Woods Ferry to Suwannee Springs, Outing and Hands Across the Sands, Suwannee River 2017-05-20

Update 2023-04-13: Pictures.

Due to low water, we’re moving the May 20th outing downstream! With lunch, swim stops, and bon-bons, of course. Bring bug spray and the usual personal flotation device, boat paddles, food, drinking water, warm clothes, and first aid kit. If you don’t have a boat, there are many outfitters, or let us know and many of us have spare boats.

Two outfitters advise there should be enough water on this route to avoid much boat dragging. There is a slight 30% possibility of afternoon thunder showers. Same date, same time, same river: just a bit downstream.

When: 9AM Saturday May 20, 2017, meet to shuttle
10AM: Start paddling
12PM noon: Stop for Hands Across the Sand
   “Say NO to dirty fuels and YES to clean energy”
2-3PM: Finish some time around then

Put In: Mile 158.0, Woods Ferry Tract Launch, in Suwannee County, Florida

GPS of Entrance: to Woods Ferry Tract 30.343508, -82.855187

Paddle Distance: 8.0 river miles

Paddle Duration: 4 hours

Event: facebook, meetup

Shuttle route

Directions to Put In: From Live Oak, travel north on Continue reading

Sabal Trail sinkholes 2015 2017-05-05

Apparently that wet area I saw March 20, 2017 at Sabal Trail’s Suwannee River HDD access in Suwannee County was a “depression” they had just logged the previous day. Two more recent ones show up in Sabal Trail’s latest bi-weekly report, along with a couple of earlier ones they still haven’t even attempted to fix. Why should we expect these sinkholes will stop happening if Sabal Trail finishes and takes all their workers back to Houston, leaving us to deal with the damage?

Hay, berm, lights, workers 30.4061111, -83.1527778 I also wondered what they were up to a bit southeast of that drill site, beyond the dirt berm where I could only see their heads and hats. Apparently that was another sinkhole from January at the Suwannee River HDD in Suwannee County. Or maybe it was in Hamilton County in Suwannee River State Park; their description is so sloppy it’s hard to tell.

They also made a sinkhole a couple of thousand feet east of the Withlacoochee River in Hamilton County, and yet another sinkhole near the Santa Fe River HDD. The big winner is Continue reading