Is anything sacred to a pipeline company?

Apparently not, since Sabal Trail wants to drill through a cemetery, McIntyre Family Cemetery, aka Old Redland Cemetery, on Knights Ferry Road. See below.

That’s in addition to through the old landfill site on Madison Highway, where Lowndes County granted Sabal Trail an easement for only one pipeline back in 2016; see also below.

What “new high-volume customers” can you think of that would be enough to cause a whole new pipeline? I can’t think of any except hyper-scale AI datacenters.

Lowndes County has been talking to Sabal Trail since July, about a second pipeline through McIntyre Cemetery on Knights Ferry Road, and the landfill on Madison Highway

A lobbyist for Sabal Trail met with Lowndes County Chairman Bill Slaughter about “potential expansion of Sabal Trail” on Tuesday, July 21, 2026,

This apparently irritated Lowndes County Manager Paige Dukes, because the lobbyist’s firm apologized to her the next day for “confusion on Monday around our meeting request.”

Sabal Trail Intro from Joel Wiggins to Lowndes County Manager

Belinda Lovern

From: Joel Wiggins <wiggins@thesoutherngroup.com>
Sent: Wednesday, July 22, 2026 11:24 AM
To: County Manager
Subject: Sabal Trail Intro

Attachments: Sabal Trail Expansion and Extension Initial Project Fact Sheet 07092026.pdf; IMG_1985.jpeg

EXTERNAL EMAIL: Do not click any links or open any attachments unless you trust the sender and know the content is safe.

Good Morning Paige,

I apologize for the confusion on Monday around our meeting request. Dante on my team is a former ACCG employee and reached out directly to Chairman Slaughter due to his personal relationship. Typically, I would reach out to you directly and I apologize for any confusion.

We were able to meet with the Chairman yesterday and update him on our potential expansion along the Sabal Trail. We are in the early stages of a proposed expansion and are meeting with local leaders in all counties. We anticipate that any improvements would take place within the ROW of the existing pipeline, but we wanted to touch base before landowner notices go out on 8/1.

Please see attached for a fact sheet and map of the pipeline’s footprint in the County. Thank you again for your time and we look forward to discussing further tomorrow.

Thanks again,

Joel Wiggins
Managing Partner
The Southern Group of Georgia
C: 404-971-2690
Email: wiggins@thesoutherngroup.com

Sabal Trail Intro and apology
PDF

LAKE got these materials from Lowndes County in response to an open records request, and Belinda Lovern is the Lowndes County Clerk. All these materials are on the LAKE website and images are below.

That letter doesn’t say who Dante is, but Dante Handel is listed The Southern Group’s website for their Atlanta office.

title=”Dante Handel –The Southern Group” name=”Pics:Dante-Handel-The-Southern-Group”> Dante brings deep experience in Georgia’s legislative and revenue arenas to The Southern Group, with a career rooted in public service and policy expertise. He began his work in state government with Senator Chuck Hufstetler, staffing the Senate Finance Committee, before joining the Georgia Department of Revenue’s legislative affairs team. There, he tracked hundreds of bills each session spanning income, sales, and property tax, motor vehicles, and regulated industries. Dante also played a key role in the landmark marketplace facilitator bill that defined the taxability of digital sales in Georgia.

At the Department of Revenue, Dante’s versatility extended beyond legislative affairs—he supported communications efforts, managed agency web content, clerked administrative hearings, and compiled the state’s monthly income tax credit report.

Building on his deep understanding of the tax code, Dante later joined the Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG), where he represented all 159 counties on revenue and finance issues. His work focused on high-profile legislation, including HB 581 (2024), the statewide floating homestead exemption, and its subsequent cleanup bill, HB 92 (2025). Dante’s relationships reach across Georgia’s local government landscape, including tax assessors, commissioners, finance officers, and transportation leaders.

A graduate of the University of Georgia with a degree in political science, Dante lives in Marietta with his wife, Abbye, and their two dogs.

Linkedin still shows him as “Associate, The Southern Group – Georgia”, “Oct 2025 – Present · 11 mos”.

So Dante wasn’t around back in 2016 when Bill Slaughter signed signed an easement with Sabal Trail. But working at ACCG, GA DOR, and GA Senate, he would have gotten to know plenty of county commissioners.

Joel Wiggins attached the usual route maps, “Purpose and benefits,” and a map of the route through Lowndes County, Georgia.

Maps: Proposed Sabal Trail Transmission Expansion and Extension Development
PDF

Purpose and benefits
PDF

Map: LOWNDES COUNTY, GEORGIA, Proposed Sabal Trail Pipeline
PDF

McIntyre Cemetery on Knights Ferry Road

Lowndes County got a letter about McIntyre Cemetery on August 3, from Walton Johnson, Supervisor Lands and ROW Gas Projects, Sabal Gas Transmission, LLC.

According to findagrave.com, that’s McIntyre Family Cemetery, also known as Old Redland (White) Cemetery.

Dear McIntyre Cemetery: Re: Proposed Sabal Trail Extension and Sabal Trail Expansion, Tract # GA-LO-028.000.01, Parcel ID. # 0038 045
PDF

Walton Johnson, Supervisor Lands and ROW Gas Projects, Sabal Gas Transmission, LLC
PDF

Attached to that letter were the same overall route maps and “Purpose and benefits” that you have already seen.

The cemetery letter does not give a street address nor GPS coordinates, but it does include Lowndes County Parcel ID 0038 045, from which we can tell where it is, on Knights Ferry Road, east of Ousley Road.

Map: Mcintyre Cemetery, Sabal Trail, Lowndes County 2026-08-30 —Lowndes County Tax Appraisers

It’s hard to tell where the old pipeline is on this map. But if we zoom out, we can see where it gouged under the Withlacoochee River, and in the bottom right of the below map, where it crosses Rocky Ford Road. McIntyre Cemetery is highlighted in between.

Map: Sabal Trail, Withlacoochee River, Mcintyre Cemetery, Rocky Ford Road 2026-08-30 –Lowndes County Tax Appraisers

According to Sabal Trail’s own 2016 Alignment Maps, the old pipeline goes east of McIntyre Cemetery, on the other side of McGoggle Road.

1657-PL-DG-70197-239, STA. 12488+00 TO STA. 12541+00, PIPELINE FACILITY, (UNNAMED CREEK), 12511+97 CL KNIGHTS FERRY ROAD, LOWNDES COUNTY, GEORGIA, 2026-03-14, Sabal Trail Alignment Maps by Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE) https://www.google.com/maps/@30.7476520,-83.4075500,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x0

On August 10, Lowndes County got another letter about McIntyre Cemetery, this time asking for authorization for a survey.

Dear McIntyre Cemetery, c/o Lowndes County: You were recently mailed a letter announcing that Sabal Trail Transmission, LLC….
PDF

landowner hotline toll-free at 1-844-963-3337 or visit our website at https://www.sabaltrailtransmission.com/Project.
PDF

SURVEY AUTHORIZATION, Landowner Name: McIntyre Cemetery, c/o Lowndes County, Tract # GA-LO-028.000.01, Tax Map/ Parcel ID #: 0038 045
PDF

Description of Survey Activities
PDF

Lowndes County between Madison Highway and Railroad Avenue

Also on August 10, Lowndes County got a request from Sabal Trail for survey authorization for the same two parcels from 2016, by the old landfill between Madison Highway and Railroad Avenue, south of Clyattville.

Dear Lowndes County: …we are requesting your consent to perform survey activities on your property, including area adjacent to or beyond the existing Sabal Trail easement.
PDF

Page 2
PDF

Once again, Sabal Trail did not say where the parcels are, other than their Parcel ID numbers: 0098 003, 0098 004. They are between Railroad Avenue and Madison Highway.

Map: Madison Highway and Railroad Avenue, Sabal Trail, Lowndes County 2026-08-30 —Lowndes County Tax Appraisers

The other two pages of that letter are identical to the August 10 letter about McIntyre Cemetery, except for the parcel numbers.

SURVEY AUTHORIZATION, Landowner Name: Lowndes County, Tract # GA-LO-070.000.01 , GA-LO-072.000, Tax Map/ Parcel ID #: 0098 003, 0098 004
PDF

Description of Survey Activities
PDF

Here’s what Sabal Trail’s 2016 Alignment Maps show for where the old pipeline goes through those parcels.

1657-PL-DG-70197-247, STA. 12912+00 TO STA. 12965+00, MP 244.55, MP 245, MP 245.55, Unnamed Creek, (UT WITHLACOOCHEE RIVER), 12919+14 CL SR-31, (MADISON HIGHWAY), KINDER MORGAN PIPELINE, LOWNDES COUNTY, GEORGIA, 2026-03-14,, Sabal Trail Alignment Maps by Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE) https://www.google.com/maps/@30.6718150,-83.3170220,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x0

Those maps aren’t on Sabal Trail’s own website anymore, but LAKE saved all of them, with a search function.

Investigative reporting costs money, for open records requests, copying, web hosting, gasoline, and cameras, and with sufficient funds we can pay students to do further research. You can donate to LAKE today!
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-jsq

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