Tag Archives: LAKE

VDT redacted Sabal Trail pipeline FERC Scoping Meeting story @ FERC 2014-03-04

Amusingly, when the VDT fixed the typos in their online story, they redacted me and Gretchen right out of it. I’m flattered! Still, congratulations to the VDT on quoting a lot of landowners (and a few others who remained unredacted), and on putting this story on the front page.

Here’s an extract from the online version showing changes from the printed version (pictured) as if the newspaper had used standard blogging markup for changes after posting. Starting with the pullquote in the printed version, which they edited heavily in the online version:

Affected Land owner Landowner Larry Rodgers said he has been trying to sell his property for a long time, and once he He had an interested buyer and they found out about, but upon learning of the pipeline running through his property they dropped their, the interested party withdrew the offer.

“Where do I go to file that complaint!? And whose who’s responsible for value lost due to property damage?” Rodgers asked. Peconom replied, “I don’t have an answer for you tonight, but well we’ll look into it.”

Concerned citizens Gretchen Quarterman said she was concerned about the pipeline moving Natural Gas that has been fracked, and the taking of property from private land owners to benefit a company that does not do business in Georgia. She also brought up safety concerns regarding sink holes, and proposed Florida use an alternate way of producing energy, such as solar “because as we all know Florida is the sunshine state.” Continue reading →

Videos: Valdosta FERC Scoping Meeting @ FERC 2014-03-04

Here are videos of the whole thing.

Update 2014-03-08: Fixed date.

See also:

  • FERC holds meeting to discuss Sabal Trail pipeline by Colter Anstaett, WALB

    “I just lost a contract on the sale of part of my property because of this pipeline,” said Larry Rodgers, a Lowndes County landowner.

    “Why is it set in stone that you pay one price forever for the value of the property they use when they’re gonna be makin’ profits on it forever…the landowner has to continue to pay property taxes. So, I don’t understand why they can’t share the profits,” continued Rodgers….

    One concerned landowner, Rick Hastings, questioned whether any information that the third party collected and presented Continue reading →

All against, except County Commissioners @ FERC 2014-03-04

At FERC’s Scoping Meeting for Spectra’s proposed Sabal Trail methane pipeline, about 100 people, not counting FERC or Spectra. Lots of good questions. Not many answers. John Peconom of FERC said afterwards the comments were mostly about the big picture. Except questions from local government officials: there were none. Video to come.

WALB was there for a long time, so they’ll probably cover it (they did). Matthew Woody of the VDT had heaps of material and went off to file by 10PM (here’s his story).

Three Lowndes County Commissioners were there: Chairman Bill Slaughter, Joyce Evans, and Crawford Powell, and County Engineer Mike Fletcher and Utilities Director Mike Allen. Not one of them spoke.

In Gilchrist County, Florida, all five County Commissioners, plus Continue reading →

There’s nothing we can do about the pipeline –Bill Slaughter @ LCC 2014-02-24

“There’s nothing we can do,” said Lowndes County Commissioners about the proposed Sabal Trail pipeline, after the Chairman refused to let a citizen speak during the 25 February 2014 Lowndes County Commission Regular Session. But there are things local governments can do, as other local governments and elected officials have already demonstrated.

Citizen Carol Singletary drove 100 miles to get there. As Chairman Bill Slaughter asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting, she said she called in to say she wanted to speak. Slaughter responded,

You have to fill out the paperwork and everything in order.

Phillip Singletary said he did, and it was in the Commission Chamber entranceway.

The Chairman did not relent; “just do it next week; next time”. Nevermind that he has let people speak who hadn’t turned in the paperwork before the meeting started (we have videos). He even let pipeline reps speak from the audience without coming up to the podium and didn’t let any citizens speak at the Spectra sales pitch back in December.

Commissioner John Page moved to adjourn, and added that he would like to see Ms. Singletary after the meeting. Chairman agreed, somebody seconded, and they voted to adjourn.

Do elected Commissioners now have to get a vote of the Commission to talk to citizens?

Here’s the video of that part.

After the meeting, Continue reading →

Fire engine sinkhole in Atlanta

I wonder if their insurance covered this? TV reporter wonders if sewer lines were affected. What if a methane pipeline had been there, like when Florida Gas Transmission called the 25-acre sinkhole in Louisiana “Force Majeure”, or an act of God, or not their fault? Will your insurance cover sinkholes or broken pipelines?

AP in the AJC 3 March 2014, Atlanta fire engine stuck in sinkhole,

Department spokeswoman Janet Ward told local outlets that the sinkhole on Ashby Grove opened as the truck was driving along the street Monday afternoon. Ward estimates that the hole was about 8 feet long, 6 feet wide and 5 feet deep.

Marcus K. Garner wrote for the AJC yesterday Atlanta firetruck gets stuck in sinkhole,

The cause of the sinkhole is unknown at this time.

Leaking sewer or water line, overpumping, other?

Julie Wolfe reported for 11alive yesterday, Continue reading →

FERC pipeline Scoping Meeting tonight in Valdosta: testify for your community

A local affected landowner and the chair of a local political party ask you to come tonight at 6PM at the Holiday Inn on West Hill Avenue to testify to the federal agency that decides on a permit for the proposed yard-wide hundred-foot right of way methane pipeline that a company from Houston wants to gash through here. First a presentation by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), then citizens can stand up and be recorded by a court reporter.

As directly affected local landowner Carol Singletary pointed out on WALB Sunday,

“When you have it within 100 feet of your home, you cannot have any sense of security there. There are alternate routes that aren’t being considered. So I want to get those on the table and some strong considerations given to those.”

As Gretchen Quarterman pointed out for the Lowndes County Democratic Party on WCTV yesterday,

“The Georgia Democrats feel that there’s a moral obligation to leave the world as beautiful and majestic as we found it and the pipeline, it does not do that”, says Gretchen Quarterman, Chairman of the Lowndes County Democratic Committee.

More from the LCDP Press Release yesterday, plus more meetings and more ways to testify, Continue reading →

Solar panels in Stow, Massachusetts

In snowy Massachusetts you can finance a solar system with little money down and complete payoff in 11 years. Get the Georgia legislature to pass HB 874 and we’ll be able to do this in sunny Georgia, too.

Used with permission from howeowner Carl Howe. -jsq

People seem interested so I’ll share details of our solar installation in Stow, MA.

Full disclosure: I know the president of our solar installation firm socially (he’s a friend of a friend of ours), and like many solar installers, they do pay referral fees if others sign up based on a recommendation from an existing customer. Should anyone decide to do business with our installer, New England Clean Energy, please mention my name.

We used New England Clean Energy from Hudson MA. I believe that they are one of, if not the, highest quality installer in our area. They have more than 300+ installations in MA and NH. Of course, SolarCity and others are also in the region, Continue reading →

GA Senator Tim Golden not running

This makes state Senate district 8 an open seat. Qualifying is al this week, Monday through Friday.

Dated 2 March 2014, STATEMENT OF SENATOR TIM GOLDEN:

Today, I am announcing that I will not be a candidate for re-election to the Georgia State Senate, District 8, in 2014. After 34 years in public service—more than half of what will soon be my 60 years on this earth—and having gone through many difficult yet successful campaigns during that time, I have decided that this is the right time to devote more time to my business career and to my family during the remainder of our son’s high school years before he goes on to college.

I’m familiar with at least one of Sen. Golden’s campaigns, but he has also spoken up for solar power in Georgia, although neither he nor his buddy Gov. Deal got it that doubling GEFA’s solar state tax rebate fund once in 2011 wasn’t enough when solar deployments increase 65% every year. Witness we installed 12KW more of solar panels at the end of 2012 and we’re finally on the list for rebate for 2014 because state funds for 2012 and 2013 were already used up.

Maybe we can elect a state senator who will Continue reading →

Valdosta City Council member Tim Carroll files with FERC

Tim Carroll, District 5, has filed a request based on property rights and water issues for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to deny the Sabal Trail Transmission methane pipeline that Spectra Energy wants to run through Lowndes County. Here’s the letter: Property rights and water: please deny the Sabal Trail methane pipeline –Tim Carroll, Valdosta City Council, 5th District

Valdosta is the county seat of Lowndes County, Georgia, and at least one landowner with land in the path of that proposed pipeline lives in the City of Valdosta in Council Carroll’s district.

-jsq

Florida tired of Valdosta’s WWTP spills

Once again, Valdosta famous into Florida again for wastewater spill, and Florida residents are tired of it.

WCTV 1 March 2014, Georgia Spill Leads To Warning In Florida

[Matt] Meersman and his friends enjoy visiting the Suwannee River to train for canoe races. According to the City of Valdosta, heavy rains have caused about 7.5 million gallons of highly treated waste water to wash into the Withlacoochee River, which connects to the Suwannee. Signs are posted around the Suwannee River State Park to let people know about the possible dangers of swimming in the water.

“When it’s impacted by stuff like this, it makes it hard on us to think about it as the pristine place that we like to think of it as,” said Meersman.

Meersman says there are other rivers around the area they can practice on in the meantime, but he says he’s tired of the spills.

“It’s bad enough Continue reading →