Tag Archives: USACE

Reject Sabal Trail easement payment tonight –WWALS to Lowndes County Commission 2016-01-26

The Lowndes County Commission is voting tonight on an easement for the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline through a mercury-contaminated closed landfill. STA. 12818+00 TO STA. 12871+00, Clyatt Mill Creek, Railroad Ave. They only gave one day’s notice, and they didn’t mention the landfill. Here is the letter (PDF) I just sent them asking them to reject that easement, to support their own previous unanimous resolution against Sabal Trail, and to contact state and federal elected and appointed officials and ask them also to reject Sabal Trail. You can write them, too, to commissioner@lowndescounty.com.

To: Lowndes County Board of County Commissioners, Continue reading

EPA stepped back, while opposition ramps up against Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

EPA stepped back, while opposition ramps up against Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline

Hahira and Albany, Georgia, December 18, 2015— (PDF) Mysteriously contradicting a substantive October letter from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 4 in Atlanta, a different EPA branch last Friday sent a brief and sketchy letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers uncritically accepting what Sabal Trail’s attorney’s told it, even as multiple environmental and landowner organizations filed objections with the Corps and multiple state agencies against that invading natural gas pipeline.

“I smell a skunk,” said Frank Jackalone, senior organizing manager, Sierra Club of Florida.

Tim Carroll, Valdosta City Council member, said, “I don’t understand how EPA and FERC can say there will not be a negative impact on our environment, aquifer, streams and rivers. A number of experts testified and spoke up saying the likelihood is very high that there could be damage to the aquifer and the environment. Why would we want to allow this to happen, to run the risk of seriously degrading one of the best water resources in the world.,” Valdosta, Moultrie, and Albany, the three biggest cities along the pipeline path in Georgia, all passed resolutions against Sabal Trail, as did the counties of Terrell, Dougherty, Colquitt, Brooks, and Lowndes, in Georgia, and Hamilton and Suwannee Counties in Florida.

“The one government agency actually defending our drinking in the Floridan Aquifer and the many rivers in Georgia and Florida just stifled itself,” Continue reading

EPA chooses to believe Sabal Trail’s intent over Sierra Club and WWALS warnings

It looks awful strange when EPA chooses to name and believe Florida Audubon, which agrees with Sabal Trail, but doesn’t even name Sierra Club, when discounting SC’s much larger concerns. Why should EPA, or we, believe Sabal Trail’s “intent” when Sabal Trail’s parent company, Spectra Energy, has repeatedly not even followed federal law or its own corporate procedures?

Addresses Bruce Ritchie, Politico, 16 December 2015, EPA reverses course on several Sabal Trail pipeline issues,

TALLAHASSEE — The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency has reversed itself on numerous points in opposition to a proposed natural gas pipeline that would extend from Alabama across Southwest Georgia and North Florida.

In October, the EPA said in a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) that it had “very significant concerns” that the proposed route posed a threat to the Floridan Aquifer, the drinking water supply for much of the region. The agency also raised concerns about the pipeline’s impact on wetlands, conservation lands, and minority communities in the region.

But in a Dec. 11 letter sent to the Army Corps of Engineers, the EPA’s James D. Giattina said the agency had met with representatives of Sabal Trail Transmission LLC and reviewed the company’s comments sent to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. As a result, the EPA has come to different conclusions on several issues.

The EPA’s change of heart raises suspicions for Frank Jackalone, senior organizing manager for the Sierra Club in Florida.

Continue reading

Videos: Suwannee BOCC backs down against Sabal Trail 2015-12-10

They did fix the two typos, but they didn’t approve or send the letter, as you can see in their own video. Here’s more discussion of why they should send such a letter, and pass another resolution.

For more details, see previous blog post and Carl McKinney, Suwannee Democrat, 10 Dec 2015, County not sending pipeline opposition letter.

Regarding Commissioner Gamble Wainwright’s comment that “my business depends increasingly on energy” OK, but “energy is going to cost more and more money”, sorry, not so. See Continue reading

Suwannee BOCC backs down against Sabal Trail 2015-12-10

Chairman Bashaw cited “economic impact” and backed down, according to Debra Johnson by telephone and Bridge broken at river and Carl McKinney on twitter. SBOCC meets again Tuesday evening, and people may want to tell them what they think about this.

Debra says Sessions also backed down, and one of them referred to natural gas as a “bridge fuel”, an old position Sierra Club abandoned years ago after realizing methane is a bridge to nowhere, because it is a worse greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Apparently they talked to somebody named Evans (presumably Mark R. Evans) of the Army Corps Jacksonville office and somebody from Orlando, presumably a Sabal Trail contractor.

So after calling an emergency meeting and drafting an excellent letter the Suwannee County Board of Commissioners fell for misinformation from fracked methane proponents and backed down.

A bridge to nowhere: methane emissions and the greenhouse gas footprint of natural gas, Continue reading

Draft letter from Suwannee County to Army Corps of Engineers for Emergency Commission Meeting 2015-12-10

Wow! They’re not kidding around. Suwannee County calls on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to keep the Sabal Trail invading pipeline out of Suwannee County and out of the state of Florida.

Draft letter Here’s the agenda for tomorrow morning’s 9:30 AM Thursday December 10th 2015 meeting:

SUWANNEE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
COUNCIL MEETING ROOM
LIVE OAK CITY HALL
101 SOUTHEAST WHITE AVENUE
LIVE OAK, FLORIDA

TENTATIVE AGENDA FOR SPECIAL-CALLED MEETING
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2015

  • Consider sending a letter from the Board to the US Army Corps of Engineers and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission pertaining to the Sabal Trail Pipeline.

Here’s the draft letter: Continue reading

Suwannee BOCC emergency meeting against Sabal Trail 9:30 AM Thu Dec 10 City Hall, Live Oak, FL

Suwannee County, Florida leads the fight against Sabal Trail!

Carl McKinney, Suwannee Democrat, Twitter, noon 9 Dec 2015,

Suwannee County calls emergency meeting on fight against #sabaltrail pipeline. Tomorrow, 9:30 am, Live Oak City http://m.suwanneedemocrat.com/community/suwannee-county-calls-emergency-meeting-tomorrow-morning-instead-of-next/article_0b6c8600-9e95-11e5-bdc9-87508a5e1960.html?mode=jqm

Note that’s a different location than usual.


Photo: Ebyabe, CC share, attribution, remix, share alike.

Carl McKinney, Suwannee Democrat, 9 Dec 2015, Suwannee County pipeline fight: Sabal Trail emergency meeting tomorrow morning,

The Suwannee County Commission has called an emergency meeting tomorrow, Dec. 10, at 9:30 a.m. to discuss the fight against the Sabal Trail natural gas pipeline. It was originally on the agenda for next week’s meeting on Dec. 15.

The meeting will be at Live Oak City Hall, 101 SE White Ave in Live Oak.

Commissioners will discuss sending a letter to the US Army Corps of Engineers asking it Continue reading

Deadlines for Sabal Trail comments: Army Corps, FERC, Suwannee County

Due to widespread opposition to Sabal Trail’s invading fracked methane pipeline, the Corps extended its deadline 60 days, and FERC slipped a month. Deadlines coming up this week and next.

This Friday, December 11, 2015:
Deadline to comment to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
The Corps wants comments on cumulative effects, including from local governments and other organizations, as well as individuals. No Corps permit, no pipeline.

No pipeline! Suwannee County to FERC, Army Corps, and Florida

Suwannee County has waked up! Carl McKinney, Suwannee Democrat, 7 December 2015, Suwannee County seeks allies in pipeline fight,

County staff is writing a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the state of Florida, requesting the pipeline not enter Suwannee County.

The commission will vote on whether to send the letters during its Dec. 15 meeting. Both the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection have to issue permits for the venture.

Commissioner Larry Sessions proposed Continue reading

To protect the aquifer and to protect the river: Suwannee County against Sabal Trail 2015-12-01

Standing on their previous resolution against the Hildreth compressor station, SBOCC decided to vote next time on a much stronger resolution to keep the pipeline completely out of Suwannee County. Will Sabal Trail show up for that meeting, 15 December 2015, like Andrea Grover told Carl McKinney of the Suwannee Democrat they would if they had advance notice? I suggest all interested parties come to tha meeting to see, not to mention to counter any “information” Sabal Trail may supply.

Here is SBOCC’s own video of that meeting, in which you can see Commissioner Larry Sessions raise the issue:

Commissioner Larry Sessions I’d like to discuss one thing. Last meeting we discussed at length the Sabal Trail issues, possibly coming through our county and crossing the river a couple times.

I’d like to propose that staff make up a letter or a proposal to restrict the pipeline or maybe have the pipeline avoid all karst areas and wetlands coming through our county. We’re trying to Continue reading