Who other than Sabal Trail needs a yard full of 36-inch pipe?
A pipe yard apparently built on top of jurisdictional wetlands,
so WWALS has informed the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD)
and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).
Here is PDF and below is text and images of the letter WWALS sent to the Corps today.
July 5, 2016
Continue reading
Thanks to Janet Barrow for this letter approved by the Marion County, Florida BOCC yesterday, 3 May 2016 (PDF). That makes three Florida Counties requesting investigation of Sabal Trail discrepancies by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, after Hamilton County and Suwannee County.
Marion County
Board of County CommissionersDistrict 1 — David Moore, Commissioner
District 2 — Kathy Bryant, Chairman
District 3 — Stan McClain, Commissioner
District 4 — Carl Zalak ill, Vice Chairman
District 5 — Earl Arnett, ConnnissionarMcPherson Governmental Complex
601 SE ZSth Ave.
Ocala, FL 34471
Phone: 352-438-2323
Fax: 352-438-2324May 3, 2016
US. Army Corps of Engineers
Jacksonville District Regulatory Division
Jacksonville Permits Section
Attn: Mr. Mark R. Evans
Post Office Box 4970
Jacksonville, Florida 32232RE: Sabal Trail Transmission and Sabal Trail Citrus County Line projects within Marion County, Florida
Dear Mr. Evans:
Over 30 miles of pipeline are expected to be installed within Marion County, Florida for the Sabal Trail Transmission and Sabal Trail Citrus County Line projects. These pipelines will cross important, sensitive environmental lands, While Continue reading
Congratulations to Madison BOCC for this ordinance Madison passed unanimously last night (PDF):
ORDINANCE NO. 2016-______
AN ORDINANCE OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MADISON COUNTY, FLORIDA, AMENDING THE MADISON COUNTY LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE TO PROHIBIT HIGH INTENSITY PETROLEUM OPERATIONS AND THE STORAGE AND/OR DISPOSAL OF HIGH INTENSITY PETROLEUM OPERATIONS WASTE; PROVIDING CERTAIN FINDINGS; AMENDING THE DEFINITIONS SECTION OF THE MADISON COUNTY LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE TO DEFINE CERTAIN TERMS WITH REGARD THERETO; CREATING SECTION 6.5 OF THE MADISON COUNTY LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE ENTITLED “REGULATIONS GOVERNING HIGH INTENSITY PETROLEUM OPERATIONS AND HIGH INTENSITY PETROLEUM OPERATIONS WASTE PRODUCTS”; PROVIDING FOR REPEAL OF CONFLICTING ORDINANCES; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
WHEREAS, Continue reading
Everyone from the Atlanta Journal-Constition to the Palm Beach Post to the
Ocala StarBanner
considers the EPA letter to FERC
to be of great significance.
WWALS agrees, and has filed a motion to ask the judge to take notice in WWALS v. Sabal Trail & DEP.
§ 373.414 Florida Statutes, begins:
(1) As part of an applicant’s demonstration that an activity regulated under this part will not be harmful to the water resources or will not be inconsistent with the overall objectives of the district, the governing board or the department shall require the applicant to provide reasonable assurance that state water quality standards applicable to waters as defined in s. 403.031(13) will not be violated and reasonable assurance that such activity in, on, or over surface waters or wetlands, as delineated in s. 373.421(1), is not contrary to the public interest. However, if such an activity significantly degrades or is within an Outstanding Florida Water, as provided by department rule, the applicant must provide reasonable assurance that the proposed activity will be clearly in the public interest.
Not just “not contrary to the public interest”. For an Outstanding Florida Water applicant (Sabal Trail) “must provide reasonable assurance that the proposed activity will be clearly in the public interest.” The Suwannee River is an Outstanding Florida Water. And the EPA letter is pretty good evidence that Sabal Trail did not provide such reasonable assurance.
Filed October 30, 2015 4:43 PM Division of Administrative Hearings (also PDF on WWALS website): Continue reading
WWALS is about environmental issues such as
those FL-DEP said could proceed.
However, environmental issues extend far beyond
FL-DEP’s narrow view.
A pipeline sinkhole could affect springs
or wells miles away, and that could affect property values,
insurance rates, and of course eco-tourism.
Tourism brings in
$67 billion a year to Florida.
Why would any Florida state agency want to risk that for a pipeline when the Sunshine State can go straight to solar power?
Christopher Curry, Gainesville Sun, 4 September 2015, Part of Sabal Trail challenge will proceed, Continue reading
Add that many WWALS members, some pictured here on the Suwannee River
at the proposed Sabal Trail crossing, live in Florida,
and this article from that same day is a good summary of the situation a week ago.
It was also picked up by
Bakken.com, “Powered by Shale Plays Media”.
Christopher Curry, Ocala StarBanner, 15 August 2015, Georgia-based group hopes to block natural gas pipeline, Continue reading
Canada’s National Energy Board just ordered Spectra Energy to fix chronic
corrosion and leak problems after numerous fines, as did U.S. PHMSA before, yet
Florida’s DEP plans to trust Spectra to build the Sabal Trail pipeline
on top of our Floridan Aquifer, drilling under the Suwannee and Santa Fe
Rivers.
This in the Notice of Intent to Issue Sabal Trail Transmission of 10 July 2015 sounds good without that context: Continue reading
Thirty-day comment periods closing 12 August 2015 to comment on
the US 84 widening project, say
two Public Advisories from GA-EPD Watershed Protection Branch.
One is in
the Satilla River watershed, about
“two existing open water ponds
(outflowing into jusrisdictional[sic] wetlands associated with Lees Branch)”:
those ponds are next to the groundwater-contaminating CSX railyard in Waycross.
One is in
the Upper Suwannee River watershed, about
“three existing open water ponds
(outflowing into jusrisdictional[sic] waters associated with Greasy Creek and the CSX railroad)”.
Maybe the
Southern Environmental Law Center letter
to GDOT and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers got some results,
although these advisories are from a different state agency.
The Upper Suwannee one starts at Continue reading
I still see EPA’s new Clean Water Rule
as a good thing, since it protects drinking water,
paddling, and fishing, while opponents remain quite vague about
what might be wrong with it.
After last year’s comment period, U.S. EPA has posted a prepublication version of its final Clean Water Rule.
Katie Shepherd, L.A. Times, 27 May 2015, Under new EPA rule, Clean Water Act protections will cover all active tributaries, Continue reading
A county commission is representing its people and the waters of Georgia in a resolution Dougherty County sent to FERC which says in part:
Continue reading
SECTION II Thus, we are in opposition to the construction of the proposed pipeline in Dougherty County and request that FERC give serious consideration and analysis to alternative routes (1) that avoid unstable geologic areas such as karst and sink-hole prone areas, (2) that minimize impacts to drinking water and agricultural water supplies, (3) that minimize impacts to wildlife habitat, forest, wetlands, streams and rivers and (4) that do not compromise socio-economic and cultural issues.