Tag Archives: FERC

56% increase shale gas 2012-2040; 100% 200% increase solar 2012-2014

Projected 56% fracked methane increase over 28 years sets a Wall Street analyst a-twitter, while solar already went up 400% in four years and will continue to do so for the next decade. Which would you rather bet on? More “natural” gas pipelines that would take twice the land to produce as much power as solar panels, or just go straight to installing the solar panels, faster, cheaper, and with local jobs and reduced electric bills?

David Alton Clark wrote for seekingalpha 20 June 2014, Kinder Morgan: Is The Party Over?

1) Shale gas provides the largest source of growth in U.S. natural gas supply.

A 56% increase is expected in total natural gas production from 2012 to 2040 resulting primarily from increased development of shale gas, tight gas, and offshore natural gas resources.

He claims U.S. demand is still leading production, but: Continue reading →

Kelly Lenz resigns as Library Director

Via AP from VDT yesterday, Library director accepts new position,

The South Georgia Regional Library Board of Trustees announced the resignation Thursday of Director Kelly Lenz.

Lenz has accepted the position as the director of the Middle Georgia Regional Library System. Since 2008, she has served in various positions with the South Georgia Regional Library.

The Middle Georgia Regional Library System says it is headquartered at the Macon-Bibb County Public Libraries and serves Bibb, Crawford, Jones, Macon, Twiggs, & Wilkinson Counties.

The story says she will continue to work with SGRL until an interim director is named, and she starts her new job in Macon 4 August 2014.

The story doesn’t mention Continue reading →

Twice the acreage than solar for Sabal Trail pipeline to produce the same power @ FERC 2014-03-05

According to Sabal Trail’s own numbers, twice as much land for the entire three-pipeline Spectra -> Sabal -> FSC proposed gouge through three states as would be required to produce as much solar power.

STT’s solar acreage estimates from their Draft Resource Report 10: Alternatives (RR10) of November 2013, Continue reading →

2 megaWatts solar in Lanier County

Somebody told me a few weeks ago there’s a big solar farm near Lakeland. He was not very specific about where, but it’s big: two megawatts, organized by a company out of Chicago. Can anybody point me to where it is so I can go take pictures?

Evergreen Solar Services says,

2.0 MW Lakeland, GA
Completed in 2014, 2 — 1.0 MW Georgia Power ASI projects. Fixed tilt PV with central inverters, medium voltage interconnected.

You can see by this Evergreen Solar Services picture that Continue reading →

Local governments can regulate land use –the anti-fracking activists who just won the world’s largest environmental prize

There is something we can do about that proposed fracked methane pipeline.

Lindsay Abrams wrote for Salon today, The real secret to beating the Koch brothers: How our broken political system can still be won: A duo of activists has quietly bested the energy lobby, helping ban fracking in 172 towns. Here’s how they did it,

You probably haven’t heard of Helen Slottje, or, for that matter, of her husband, David. But in the past few years, the former corporate lawyers have become arguably two of the most powerful opponents of fracking in New York — not to mention the most successful. As the (sort of) public face of the duo’s efforts, Helen Slottje on Monday was honored with the Goldman Prize, the world’s largest environmental prize.

OK, what did they actually do? Continue reading →

U.S. electric demand still going down, while solar goes up like a rocket

If we need less electricity and we already getting almost all new energy from solar power, why not shut down some more coal, oil, and nuclear plants, and not build any destructive, hazardous, and unnecessary natural gas pipelines?

See U.S. Electricity Use is Declining and Energy Efficiency May be a Significant Factor by American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, February 25, 2014. See also Changes in Electric Power Annual (EPA) 2012 by the U.S. Energy Information Association (eia), especially Table 1.1. Total electric power industry summary statistics, which says U.S. electric power net generation from all sources went down by 1.3% from 2011 to 2012. The biggest declines were in Petroleum Coke (30.6%), Hydroelectric Pumped Storage (22.9%), Petroleum Liquids (16.7%), Coal (12.7%), and Nuclear (2.6%). The biggest increases in generation were from Wind (17.2%), Natural Gas (20.9%), and Solar (138%). Continue reading →

As predicted U.S. solar capacity grew more than 400% in 4 years

This month’s eia report confirms that solar did exactly what former FERC Chair Jon Wellinghoff predicted: “That’s what is happening in solar. It could double every two years.” Wellinghoff’s further prediction remains on the money: “…at its present growth rate, solar will overtake wind in about ten years. It is going to be the dominant player.” Because of exponential growth like compound interest caused by ever-falling solar PV costs, solar will win like the Internet did.

U.S. Energy Information Administration (eia) wrote 22 April 2014, Solar-electric Generating Capacity Increases Drastically in the Last Four Years,

U.S. solar capacity increased significantly in the last 4 years. In 2010, the total solar capacity was 2,326 MW which accounted for a comparatively small fraction (0.22%) of the total U.S. electric generating. capacity. By February 2014, this capacity increased 418% to 12,057 MW, a 9,731 MW gain, and now accounts for almost 1.13% of total U.S. capacity. Reported planned solar capacity additions indicate continued growth

12,057 / 2,326 = 5.18 times, which is more than 2 * 2 = 4, ergo Wellinghoff was right. Continue reading →

Can we get pipeline update and citizen input? –Carolyn Singletary @ LCC 2014-03-11

A directly affected landowner wanted to know what happened with the talks among several local county attorneys about the proposed Sabal Trail pipeline, and was there any way citizens could provide input, at the 11 March 2014 Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission.

Here’s the video:


Can we get pipeline update and citizen input? –Carolyn Singletary
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 11 March 2014.

Also she wondered if she could hear Continue reading →

Lowndes County Democratic Party opposes the Sabal Trail Methane Pipeline –Gretchen Quarterman @ FERC 2014-03-04

Gretchen Quarterman stood up for local landowners, the economy, and the environment, by reading the statement against the pipeline recently approved by the Lowndes County Democratic Party, of which she is the chair, at the Valdosta FERC Scoping Meeting 4 March 2014.

Here’s the video:


Lowndes County Democratic Party opposes the Sabal Trail Methane Pipeline –Gretchen Quarterman
Sabal Trail Methane Pipeline,
Scoping Meeting, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC),
Video by John S. Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 4 March 2014.

Here’s the text she was reading: Lowndes County Democratic Committee Opposes Sabal Trail Methane Pipeline Continue reading →

Sierra Club Chapters Oppose Sabal Trail Gas Pipeline –read by Danielle Jordan @ FERC 2014-03-04

Danielle Jordan, VSU student and president of Students Against Violating the Environment, stood up for local landowners and the environment against Spectra’s Sabal Trail pipeline at the Valdosta FERC Scoping Meeting 4 March 2014, by reading a statement against the pipeline by the Sierra Club chapters of Alabama, Florida, and Georgia.

Here’s the text she was reading: TRI-STATE SIERRA CLUB CHAPTERS OPPOSE GAS PIPELINE: Statement of the Georgia, Florida, and Alabama Sierra Club Chapters Opposing the Sabal Trail Pipeline.

Here’s the video:


Sierra Club Chapters Oppose Sabal Trail Gas Pipeline –read by Danielle Jordan
Sabal Trail Methane Pipeline,
Scoping Meeting, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC),
Video by John S. Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 4 March 2014.

-jsq