{"id":5733,"date":"2013-09-22T18:34:24","date_gmt":"2013-09-22T22:34:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/?p=5733"},"modified":"2013-09-22T18:40:27","modified_gmt":"2013-09-22T22:40:27","slug":"vdt-starts-to-catch-up-about-pipeline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/09\/vdt-starts-to-catch-up-about-pipeline.html","title":{"rendered":"VDT starts to catch up about pipeline"},"content":{"rendered":"

\r\n\r\n<\/a>\r\nSpectra used\r\n\r\nDougherty County Commissioner Ewell Lyle’s question<\/a>\r\nin answer the Valdosta Daily Times about that natural gas pipeline\r\nfrom Alabama to Florida.\r\nAnd notice how they’re saying Tallapoosa County, Alabama now, and not\r\nmentioning\r\n\r\nPCB-polluted Anniston, Alabama<\/a> as the source of the pipeline?\r\nThe VDT map conveniently clips Alabama completely out of the picture.\r\nHow about we clip Georgia out of the pipeline and install solar power instead?\r\n

\r\nMatthew Woody wrote on the front page of the VDT today,\r\n\r\nPipeline intersects area:\r\nSabal Trail project runs from Alabama to Florida<\/a>,\r\n

\r\n

\r\n\r\n<\/a>\r\nAndrea Grover, Public Affairs Representative from Spectra Energy,\r\nsaid that initially the pipe was going to be a closed system, but\r\nSpectra Energy decided to turn the pipe into an “open access\r\npipe,” meaning that any area along the pipe could potentially\r\ntap into the system to either receive gas from or supply gas to the\r\npipeline. Describing the pipeline as a highway, Grover said it will\r\nhave on-ramps and off-ramps. They provide the transportation of the\r\ngas, and once the pipe is in service, communities are encouraged to\r\nwork with Sabal.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\nDougherty County Commissioner Ewell Lyle\r\n\r\nsuggested letting locals tap it<\/a>\r\nless than a week ago.\r\n

\r\nNote that weasel word: “potentially”.\r\nI could “potentially” tap into the two (2) pipelines that\r\ncross my property, but decades they’ve been there and that’s never happened.\r\n

\r\n

\r\nWhen asked about the benefits of the pipe, Grover stated, “The\r\neconomic benefits are critical.”\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nThe company will pay taxes, provide both permanent and temporary\r\njobs, and natural gas to the cities it travels through (if the\r\ncities choose to tap into the pipeline).\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\nSo is it the cities’ choice or the pipeline company’s choice?\r\nAnd so much for anybody smaller than that along the route tapping into it.\r\n

\r\n\r\n\"Pipeline<\/a>\r\nThe VDT noticed the\r\nOption B LAKE already documented on 5 August<\/a>:\r\n

\r\n

\r\nThe pipe’s route has an “Option A” and an “Option\r\nB.” Option A is shifted more west which minimizes the impact\r\non the residents of Lowndes County. Option B would bypass Brooks\r\nCounty, but split Lowndes straight down the middle. To minimize the\r\nimpact of the pipe, most of the pipe will be buried at a minimum of\r\nthree feet.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\nOnly three feet?\r\nThe two pipelines through my property are at four feet.\r\nYet they still take up a forty foot right of way, and this proposed\r\npipeline RoW would be even wider.\r\n

\r\n

\r\nLandowners will be able to resume normal activity on their property,\r\nexcept no permanent structures can be built over the pipeline\r\nbecause they would impede with the maintenance of the pipe. If the\r\nland above the pipe was used for agricultural use, then that land\r\nwill still be able to be used in that manner.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\nWell, I guess growing trees is not agriculture, because you sure can’t\r\ngrow trees on a pipeline right of way.\r\nAnd the RoW provides a path for trespassers, so you’ll end up building\r\nfences, at your expense.\r\n

\r\nMeanwhile in Dougherty County, there’s already been a public hearing,\r\nbut around here we get this promise:\r\n

\r\n

\r\nGrover also said that Spectra Energy has been in contact with people\r\nalong the proposed route since June, and will begin to hold meetings\r\nin the affected communities beginning in October.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\nAfter\r\ntwo weeks of\r\n\r\ncitizen concerns<\/a>\r\nheard by\r\n\r\nthe Dougherty County Commission<\/a>\r\nand\r\n\r\na public hearing<\/a>\r\nwith\r\n\r\nmore scheduled<\/a>,\r\nwhat has the Lowndes County Commission done?\r\n

\r\n

\r\nSabal Trail has already been in contact with Lowndes County\r\ngovernment as well, said Grover. Speaking with Page Dukes, Lowndes\r\nCounty Clerk, Dukes said that the county is being treated like any\r\nother land owner along the route. The county will not have an\r\nopportunity to approve or deny the passage of the pipeline through\r\nLowndes County. Also, when asked if Lowndes County has considered\r\ntapping into the pipeline, Dukes said, “That offer has not\r\nbeen made to the county.”\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\nThe county does have an opportunity to hold public hearings and\r\nfor Commissioners to express opinions, which Spectra has demonstrated\r\nit does listen to.\r\nInstead, the Lowndes County government\r\n\r\ntakes no responsibility<\/a>\r\nand\r\n\r\nwrite no letters<\/a> that we’ve seen.\r\nNo Lowndes County Commissioners are even quoted in the VDT story;\r\njust the County Clerk repeating what the County Chairman said more than\r\na month ago.\r\n

\r\nMeanwhile, watch out:\r\n

\r\n

\r\nIf your property is chosen by Spectra Energy for the pipeline, your\r\nproperty will be appraised by an independent real estate appraiser\r\nprovided by Spectra Energy, and “based upon the appraiser’s\r\nmarket evaluation as well as other factors, Spectra Energy\r\ndetermines the fair market value to be used for negotiations,”\r\nsaid Grover.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nSpectra Energy goes into every easement negotiation expecting that\r\nan agreement will be reached. However, in the event that an\r\nagreement cannot be reached, they can obtain the rights to easement\r\nby eminent domain through the Federal Natural Gas Act. Eminent\r\ndomain will not be used as a negotiating tool, but “only as a\r\nmeans of last resort,” she said.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nIf eminent domain is used, then the court will “determine the\r\nappropriate compensation in the valuation proceeding.” Then\r\nthe landowner would be able to present to the court the compensation\r\nthey deem appropriate for the land.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\nI can tell you by experience that’s not the whole story.\r\n

\r\nMeanwhile, it’s time to \r\nstart contacting FERC and GA PSC<\/a> about this $3 billion\r\nboondoggle of no benefit to Georgians.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n -jsq\r\n<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Spectra used Dougherty County Commissioner Ewell Lyle’s question in answer the Valdosta Daily Times about that natural gas pipeline from Alabama to Florida. And notice how they’re saying Tallapoosa County, Alabama now, and not mentioning PCB-polluted Anniston, Alabama as the source of the pipeline? The VDT map conveniently clips Alabama completely out of the picture. […]","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[202,324,16,740,2,88,6124,6687,133,55],"tags":[6967,8763,1587,6959,8706,6962,785,209,8701,8699,8702,12,7,8734,562,6961,656,6076,6966,6,8742,8752,8727,4150],"class_list":["post-5733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-agriculture","category-animals","category-environment","category-forestry","category-government","category-lowndes-county-commission","category-natural-gas-2","category-pipeline-2","category-vdt","category-water","tag-andrea-grover","tag-animals","tag-brooks-county","tag-dougherty-county-commission","tag-environment","tag-ewell-lyle","tag-ferc","tag-floridan-aquifer","tag-georgia","tag-government","tag-lake","tag-lowndes-area-knowledge-exchange","tag-lowndes-county","tag-lowndes-county-commission","tag-natural-gas","tag-nimby","tag-paige-dukes","tag-pipeline","tag-spectra-energy","tag-valdosta","tag-vdt","tag-walb","tag-water","tag-wildlife"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p585fK-1ut","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5733","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5733"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5733\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5739,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5733\/revisions\/5739"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}