Tag Archives: Spectra Energy

Industrial Wastewater Permit application for Suwannee River Plant by Duke Energy

Why does Duke Energy now want to dispose of industrial wastewater from its Suwannee River power plant in Suwannee County? Why did Duke apply for a water permit for the same plant the same day that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers asked for comments about Sabal Trail? Why does Sabal Trail want the same type of permit?

Profile Name: Suwannee Air

Permit: Water – Industrial Wastewater Facility Permit
Project Name: DUKE ENERGY – SUWANNEE RIVER
Location Id: FL0000183
Location Name: Duke Energy Florida – Suwannee River Generating Plant
County: Suwannee
Application Number: FL0000183-007

For further information, please contact the Tallahassee Headquarters permitting office in Tallahassee at (850) 245-8589

Why is a wastewater permit labeled “Suwannee Air”? And more questions…. Continue reading →

Suwannee County landowners v. Sabal Trail surveying 2015-12-07

Suwannee County resident Debra Johnson tells us:

Suwannee County landowners vs Sabal Trail’s right to survey at Suwannee County courthouse Dec 7 at 3:30, Live Oak, FL. Landowners have lawyers.

A bit more information on Suwannee County Says “NO” To Toxic Waste 27 November 2015: Continue reading →

DEP neither acknowledged nor addressed the EPA concerns raised by WWALS –Politico

National news notes Florida doesn’t want DOAH to listen to EPA about Sabal Trail, after WWALS asked DOAH to do so.

DEP over EPA Bruce Ritchie, POLITICO Florida, 25 November 2015, Scott administration helped keep scathing EPA pipeline report out of legal challenge,

TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Rick Scott’s top environmental agency helped block a scathing federal report outlining environmental concerns from being submitted as part of a challenge to a controversial natural gas pipeline that would run across some of Florida’s most “environmentally sensitive areas.”

The Sabal Trail pipeline, a joint venture of Spectra Energy, Duke Energy and Florida Power & Light Co.’s parent company, would extend 515 miles from central Alabama to Osceola County. The project, which covers more than 260 miles in Florida, faces a legal challenge to a state permit in Florida from an environmental group named the WWALS Watershed Coalition.

On Oct. 26, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wrote to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, saying it had “very significant concerns” about Continue reading →

Video of citizens and Commission against Sabal Trail in Suwannee County, FL 2015-11-17

The Commissioners unanimously voted for that resolution to ask Sabal Trail to move the Hildreth compressor station, as you can see on Suwannee County’s own video of that meeting.

First, several people spoke against the compressor station, including:

Resolution to move Sabal Trail’s Hildreth Compressor Station passed by Suwannee County BOCC

They wanted to pass this resolution, already in the handouts at the beginning of the meeting, Actually adopted Nov 17th 2015 without even waiting for citizen comments. They did listen first to a few people who had signed up to to talk about the compressor station, including WWALS member David Shields, whose family has an organic farm and discovered they’d be downwind of the compressor station, and Johanna deGraffenreid, the new Gulf Coast Campaign Coordinator for Gulf Restoration Network. Everybody else got to speak later in the meeting.

Suwannee County BOCC
David and Ginger Shields on left in audience;
Chris and Deanna Mericle directly in front of camera

Here’s what the Board of Commissioners of the one county targetted by every Continue reading →

Sabal Trail pipeline challenged by recommended order, plus Suwannee County resolution tonight

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sabal Trail pipeline challenged by recommended order, plus Suwannee County resolution tonight

Jasper, Florida, November 17, 2015 — The day after WWALS filed its Proposed Recommended Order (PRO) in WWALS v. Sabal Trail & FDEP saying FDEP didn’t do proper due diligence on what Sabal Trail’s application, especially for the Outstanding Florida Waters of the Suwannee River and the Santa Fe River, the Suwannee County Commission is considering tonight a resolution against Sabal Trail’s proposed Hildreth Compressor Station.

Suwannee County resident Debra Johnson remarked,

“How about nowhere in our county. It’s like who wants this dangerous compressor station in Suwannee County ANYWHERE?”

David Shields testified at the hearing in Jasper that he had purchased land in Suwannee County because: Continue reading →

WWALS files Proposed Recommended Order with DOAH 2015-11-16

DEP failed to sufficiently review or verify Sabal Trail’s application, failed to timely place comments from affected landowners in the public record, and disregarded heightened protection requirements of Florida Outstanding Waters. Sabal Trail admitted Spectra Energy is its operator in perpetuity, and that horizontal directional drilling could adversely affect water quality of the Suwannee River, yet DEP failed to adequately consider such effects. DEP professed to be unaware of other potential risks such as crossing existing pipelines, including the Southern Natural Gas pipeline. Springs, fragile karst geology, leaks, LiDAR, and geologic collapse: all insufficiently considered by DEP. Sinkholes, springs, and gopher tortoises pointed out by landowners never examined by Sabal Trail or DEP.

A Spectra Energy executive from Houston deigned to come to “the middle of nowhere” to tell us they’d use thinner pipe in low population areas such as Suwannee County. He testified at length about Spectra’s safety history, even Continue reading →

Sabal Trail resolution at Suwannee County Board of Commissioners Tuesday 2015-11-17

ACTION ALERT! SBOCC will be drafting a resolution concerning the Sabal Trail pipeline and compressor station at the next meeting. (facebook event)

When: 6PM Tuesday, Nov 17, 2015

Where: 218 Parshley Street Southwest, Live Oak, Florida 32064

Directions: Turn right at post office, go through stop sign, next building on right.

Please attend and show your support for this very important initiative by our county officials. Your input would be greatly appreciated.

-Debra Johnson

This item is not on the Suwannee BOCC agenda yet. However, we have reason to believe it will be discussed and probably voted on.

This is huge, because Continue reading →

Sabal Trail through Lowndes past Clyattville Elementary School

The invading pipeline would pass within about one mile of Clyattville Elementary School Railroad Ave. to Clattville Elementary School where it would cross Clyatt Mill Creek and then Railroad Avenue, at about 30.680638, -83.326501.

This would be after crossing the Withlacoochee River from Brooks into Lowndes Counties just north of US 84, and before crossing Jumping Gulley Creek and the state line into Hamilton County Florida, where the hearing was held in Jennings for WWALS v. Sabal Trail & FDEP.

You can see the general route in the Cover Map. After crossing the Withlacoochee River, Sabal Trail would cross Martin Lane and Tiger Creek, then Continue reading →

EPA letter could change pipeline path –Jasper News

Sabal Trail won’t comment in Florida about the EPA letter to FERC that validates what WWALS and many others have been saying, although Sabal Trail did comment in Georgia.

Front page top Carl McKinney, Jasper News, 5 November 2015, front page, apparently not online, EPA letter could change course of gas pipeline,

…In an Oct. 20 letter, the EPA maintained it always had serious concerns about the project, and recommends the approximately 515-mile-long pipeline’s path be redrawn to avoid environmentally sensitive areas in Florida.

Now, the WWALS Watershed Coalition environmental group has filed to get the letter admitted as evidenm in a legal challenge to prevent the Florida Department of Environmental Protection from issuing a permit for the project, said WWALS president John Quarterman.

“It validates everything we’ve been saying,” he said.

Here is that EPA letter to FERC.

Last month, WWALS and Tallahassee attorneys representing Sabal Trail met face-to-face at Continue reading →