Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Yuletide Greetings!
Are you looking for a non-profit for your year end giving, or a gift
for that hard to buy for person? WWALS is a 501(c)(3) and your
donations are 100% tax deductible. I invite you to become a member
today or make an additional year end gift. Your gift helps us
achieve our mission:
/donations/
PO Box 88, Hahira, GA 31632
Organizations can donate to WWALS, too, as many have, in this very busy year of 2015 for WWALS:
Continue reading
“We see no reason to risk local citizens’ property, or taxes, or their drinking water,
or any part of the ecology for a profit for a company from some other state,” on WTXL in Florida’s state capital, Tallahassee, yesterday.
Brittany Kleinpeter, WTXL, Tallahassee, Florida, 14 December 2015, Environmental Group is Not Surprised by Judge’s Decision, Continue reading
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
It was a fine warm fall day for the Grand Bay Hike,
on the boardwalk through wet savannah and cypress and blackgum swamp
at
Grand Bay Wildlife Management Area,
which is on the
Alapaha River Water Trail.
Thanks to Bret Wagenhorst for organizing this outing.
Carol Cleary Herndon also posted a facebook album.
These pictures are from Gretchen Quarterman’s facebook album.
More outings coming up: Continue reading
The judge’s ruling was disappointing, but not unexpected. He found for the Respondents Sabal Trail and FDEP on every issue, even standing. WWALS and others will fight on for the Suwannee River, for the Floridan Aquifer, and for the property rights of local citizens against this pipeline boondoggle.
Indeed, “the project would result in unavoidable temporary and permanent losses of portions of wetlands along the route.” Mitigation somewhere else, not even in the same watershed, is no excuse. Nor does such “mitigation” stop the
eminent domain takings of local Florida citizens’ lands, or the
bulldozing of a grandmother’s ashes,
for the profit of a company from Houston, Texas.
This ruling, with its rather remarkable irregularities, appears to provide additional grounds for appeal beyond those we already knew. The judge repeatedly said in the hearing, and we quoted in the WWALS Proposed Recommended Order, that activities such as boating, swimming, fishing, and scuba diving counted for standing, yet his Order only accepts Continue reading
As Commissioner Marshall said, “it’s been a long time coming”, but Tuesday the Lowndes County Commission approved $24,000 to buy 4.35 acres from Acree Investments for a boat ramp on the Alapaha River just north of US 84. Details are on the LAKE blog.
Come celebrate with us
10AM tomorrow Saturday 12 December 2015 at Grand Bay,
which is also on the
Alapaha River Water Trail.
Commissioners told Gretchen as she was thanking each of them afterwards that they used the WWALS Alapaha River Water Trail map to determine there was no other boat ramp on the Alapaha River in Lowndes County, the closest being east of Lakeland and west of Statenville.
Of course there are other boat ramps in Lowndes County, but they are on the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail.
Thanks to Dr. Acree for agreeing to sell for a reasonable price, and to the Lowndes County Commissioners for agreeing to buy this land for the Alapaha River boat ramp and park in February 2013.
-jsq
Chairman Bashaw cited “economic impact” and backed down,
according to Debra Johnson by telephone and
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
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.
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, FLORIDATENTATIVE 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 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
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.