Tag Archives: Spectra Energy

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 →

Water and property rights should trump pipeline profits –WWALS op-ed in Gainesville Sun

Third newspaper and still counting, 28 August 2014, Gainesville Sun, John S. Quarterman: Water and property rights should trump pipeline profits.

The WWALS op-ed also appeared in the Moutrie Observer 1 August 2014 and the Ocala StarBanner 3 August 2014.

This comes after the 18 August 2014 OSFR v. FPL: head to head in the Gainesville Sun.

-jsq

Sabal Trail trying to avoid Withlacoochee River

Chris Mericle got the appended letter from Sabal Trail through Congressman Yoho’s office (FL-03). -jsq

———- Forwarded message ———-

From: Norfleet, Jessica
Date: Thu, Aug 28, 2014 at 10:41 AM
Subject: FW: Comment on Filing submitted in FERC PF14-1-000 by Individual No Affiliation,et al.

Here is the context of the information I just spoke to you about,

Jessica and Clay, I want to provide you a quick heads up regarding the Withlacoochee River crossing. Continue reading →

Resolution No. 14-10, Hamilton County, FL, 19 August 2014

Other Florida, Georgia, and Alabama counties could do what Hamilton County, Florida just did in this this resolution. Even before it got this resolution, FERC yesterday directed Sabal Trail to deal with what Chris Mericle had been saying, including proposing routes to minimize crossing the Withlacoochee River or to avoid crossing it entirely.

Chris Mericle sent a PDF copy of the resolution with its attached hydrogeological report. I’ve added links to the other referenced documents.

Chris is the local host for the September WWALS Outing on the Withalacoochee and Suwannee Rivers, where you can come float past that same area Sunday 21 September, and see many local springs, sinkholes and shoals that need to be protected from that pipeline.

RESOLUTION NO. 14-10

BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
HAMILTON COUNTY, FLORIDA Continue reading →

Sabal Trail avoid sensitive karst regions –Hamilton County FL Commission to FERC

Last Friday a resolution to FERC saying the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline should avoid sensitive karst limeston regions affecting water resources passed the Hamilton County, Florida Commission.

Joyce Marie Taylor has added the following to her article in the Suwannee Democrat 25 August 2014, Hamilton fights back against Sabal Trail pipeline,

A special meeting was called on Friday, Aug. 22, and the board voted to pass Resolution 14-10 that expressed their concerns about the proposed pipeline route across the Withlacoochee River that forms the western boundary of Hamilton County.

A portion of the resolution states, Continue reading →

Protect the Withlacoochee River from the Sabal Trail Pipeline –Chris Mericle at the Hamilton County Commission

Chris Mericle, local host for the September WWALS Outing, spoke to the Hamilton County Commission last Tuesday about the same section of the Withlacoochee River, where the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline is proposed to cross. You can come float past it yourself Sunday 21 September, and see many local springs, sinkholes and shoals that need to be protected from that pipeline, continuing on to where the pipeline would cross the Suwannee River.

Joyce Marie Taylor wrote for the Suwannee Democrat 25 August 2014, Hamilton fights back against Sabal Trail pipeline, Continue reading →

Atlantic Sunrise: Williams fracking pipeline through Sabal Trail to LNG export in Florida, Georgia, Maryland, and elsewhere

Fracked methane would come from Pennsylvania across our Withlacoochee River twice to LNG export in Florida, and many other rivers and aquifers would have the same problem throughout North America, as would domestic natural gas users as LNG export drives prices up, and local and state taxpayers having to clean up after insufficiently-insured pipeline companies. All the named coastal arrows on this map from Williams’ Atlantic Sunrise project in Pennsylvania branch off from Williams Transco to LNG export operations:

Continue reading →

Springs, shoals, and pipeline: Withlacoochee and Suwannee Rivers 21 Sep 2014

Update 5 September 2014: Join us on the rivers even if you’re not yet a member, and many things have happened in the past few weeks: see new post.

Update 25 August 2014: Chris Mericle, our local host for this outing, spoke to the Hamilton County Commission Tuesday 19 August 2014 about what he’s trying to protect from the pipeline.

Paddle past springs, shoals, sinkholes, and where Sabal Trail proposes a fracked methane pipeline to cross the Withlacoochee and Suwannee Rivers in Florida: the WWALS September Outing. Spend five Sunday hours on about ten miles of two of our fabulous southern blackwater rivers.

Meet 10AM Sunday September 21st at the CR 143 Ramp at mile 8 on the Withlacoochee River, 30.449111, -83.221352 or 30° 26′ 56.796″ N 83° 13′ 16.8666″ W. Take out at Anderson Spring, just past I-10, 30° 21′ 10.6806″ N 83° 11′ 21.7314″ S

This event is FREE! All we ask is that you are a current member of WWALS Watershed Coalition. If not, its easy to join online today at /donations/. Continue reading →

LNG export proposed from Suwannee and St Johns River Watersheds

A fourth Florida LNG export operation seeks approval, this one explicitly wanting to use methane from the Sabal Trail Transmission fracked methane pipeline. It’s on the divide between our Suwannee River Basin and the St Johns River Basin, where Jaxport is proposing to ship out liquid natural gas from Jacksonville. St Johns Riverkeeper and Our Santa Fe River beware.

The Sabal Trail pipeline itself was already proposed to cross three rivers in the Suwannee Basin: Continue reading →

Cross the Suwannee River: Sabal Trail permit application with FL-DEP

After an application for an exemption for the Withlacoochee River and the Santa Fe River, here’s Sabal Trail’s application to drill under the Suwannee River in between. Should we also expect an “HDD CROSSING” permit application for the Withlacoochee and Suwannee Rivers? And watch out, The Villages in Sumter County, Florida! Sabal Trail has applied for a permit in your county, too. Continue reading →