Category Archives: Activism

Sabal Trail answers: Commissioners did forward questions @ LCC 2013-12-09

Nobody said last Monday that Commissioners had asked for a written response from Sabal Trail. All we knew was the four questions Commissioners asked. Maybe the county should hire a public information officer; I see they no longer have one listed on their website front page, and the last website public notice is from April. Fortunately, Commissioner Demarcus Marshall forwarded Spectra’s answers yesterday. He also copied the Valdosta Daily Times, with attached PDF. -jsq

From: Demarcus Marshall
Date: December 13, 2013, 3:01:32 PM CST
Subject: FW: Sabal Trail/Lowndes County Commissioner response FINAL 12122013.pdf

Concerned Citizens,

These are the responses from Sabal Trail regarding the questions forwarded to me. Please forward to those in opposition of the surveys and those that have agreed to them.

Commissioner Demarcus Marshall, M.P.A.

From: Fahrenthold, Brian C
Sent: Thursday, December 12, 2013 9:46 PM
To: Demarcus Marshall
Cc: Bill Slaughter; Joyce Evans; Richard Raines; Crawford Powell; John Page; County Manager; Belinda Lovern
Subject: Sabal Trail/Lowndes County Commissioner response FINAL 12122013.pdf

Commissioner Marshall, Mr. Chairman, Commissioners and County Manager Pritchard:

Attached is a more detailed summation to the questions posed to the Commission by Ms. Singletary.

Should you need Continue reading →

EPA, GA EPD, and Southeast Health in Waycross about Seven Out Superfund @ EPA 2013-11-14

Now EPA is convinced that the public wants answers, after dozens of citizens turned out to ask questions at Waycross City Hall 14 November 2013. A study of contamination sampling is in peer review, and GA EPD and GA Health Dept. are also involved. Citizens and silentdisaster.org and Satilla Riverkeeper and WWALS Watershed Coalition are watching.


Matthew J. Huyser, EPA (l. standing blue shirt), Jim Brown, GA EPD (c. standing white shirt), Ashby Nix, Satilla Riverkeeper (facing Brown, paper in hand), Joan Martin McNeal, silentdisaster.org (r. in group)

Roger Naylor, Public Relations Director for Southeast Health District, is quite familiar with Janet McMahan’s discovery of arsenic in groundwater and says Continue reading →

Videos: Solar Canopy Ceremony @ SAVE 2013-11-15

VSU’s president turns out to be a professor of environmental ethics, as he reminded us at the VSU Solar Canopy Ceremony 15 November 2013.

Here’s a video playlist:

Continue reading →

SpectraBusters Informational Meeting 2013-11-16

Standing room only while Ellis Black (GA Dist. 174), Bill Slaughter (Lowndes County Chairman), and Tim Carroll (Valdosta City Council) spoke after Gretchen Quarterman gave an introduction at the first SpectraBusters Informational Meeting last Saturday. A second meeting is scheduled for this Saturday morning at 10AM at the Valdosta City Hall Annex.

Video. Gretchen asked if there were any representatives from the pipeline company present. Nobody spoke up. Several affected landowners did speak: Beth Gordon from Levy County, Florida and Larry Rodgers and Carol Singletary from Lowndes County, Georgia.

Video. Elected officials spoke. Bill Slaughter (Lowndes County Chairman) said Continue reading →

Pipeline opposition meeting planned this weekend –VDT

In the Valdosta Daily Times yesterday.

VALDOSTA — A group of citizens opposed to the Sabal Trail pipeline will meet at the Valdosta City Hall Annex, 300 N. Lee St., Valdosta, GA 31601, Saturday, Nov. 23, from 10 a.m. to noon.

The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the 36-inch natural gas pipeline that is proposed to run through Colquitt, Brooks and Lowndes counties.

Contact: Gretchen Quarterman (229) 834-1945, or Beth Gordon (352) 528-0111.

The VDT piece drew from this PR of 19 Nov 2013, More about the Sabal Trail gas pipeline and how to stop it: SpectraBusters Information Meeting #2.

-jsq

We desperately need your help –Carol Singletary @ VCC 2013-11-07

A local mom said she was one of many landowners being bullied by a pipeline company and asked for help from local leaders, at the 7 November 2013 Valdosta City Council Regular Session.

Carol Singletary @ VCC 2013-11-07

Here’s Part 1 of 2:

Carol Singletary’s impassioned and reasoned plea got a response from Mayor John Gayle, even if it was only Continue reading →

SAVE fossil fuel divestment on Spectator front page twice in two weeks

Winning PR by losing initial decisions: SAVE‘s doing it right.

Will Lewis write for The Spectator yesterday, SAVE fails to persuade Foundation,

“Compliance with your well-intentioned request is impractical for a number of reasons and perhaps even a breach of the fiduciary responsibility that all of our trustees take very seriously,” the refusal read.

Here’s SAVE’s request, and here’s SAVE’s president’s comment:

Danielle Jordan, senior anthropology major and president of SAVE, said, “There’s a lot of disappointment but we are not going to stop, we don’t see this as the end of our campaign. It lets us know where we stand with the Board of Trustees.”

The VSU Foundation’s Investment Objectives in the Investment Policy and Guidelines states that “Foundation funds should be invested to produce maximum total return consistent with prudent risk limits.”

On the other hand, the VSU Trustee Handbook says the Mission Statement of the VSU Foundation is: Continue reading →

Keep the pipeline fox out of your henhouse! –Don Brotherton

LTE in the VDT yesterday, scan by Michael Noll. And you can also rescind. -jsq

Say no to Sabal

I have been contacted by Sabal Trail Transmission for the permission to survey our property for the proposed natural gas pipeline in Lowndes County Afier receiving several letters from Sabal and now having received the “scary” certified letter, my answer is still the same. No. We already have one gas pipeline on our property and having two will not be twice the fun.

Sabal is in the very early stages of gathering information to get a permit from FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission). They can only gather this information from surveys. If property owners allow them to survey It is the same as letting the fox in the hen house. They will have the information they need to obtain the permit.

Keep the fox out of your hen house! If you haven’t already said yes, just say no!

Don Brotherton
Valdosta

Here’s a sample letter to deny permission to Sabal Trail Transmission.

And even if you already signed, you can resind permission. Here’s a sample letter to deny permission to Sabal Trail Transmission.

More on SpectraBusters.

-jsq

SpectraBusters against the Sabal Trail pipeline

Pipeline opposition got written up in the Albany Herald. You haven’t seen many pipeline posts here in the LAKE blog lately because SpectraBusters has its own blog now.

SpectraBusters

Other recent developments include Florida PSC tentatively approved pipeline, Gertrude Dickinson’s stream of opposition from Sumter County Florida, and schedule of Open House meetings in December required by FERC among the FERC filings about the Sabal Trail pipeline and how to file a comment or become an intervenor with FERC.

Remember Spectra will be haunting the Lowndes County Commission Work Session 9 December 2013.

And if you want to see where Spectra’s gas comes from, come see Gasland II at VSU 7PM Thursday 7 Nobemver 2013.

SpectraBusters: We ain’t afraid a no pipeline!

-jsq

Video of citizens in Athens opposing Georgia Power solar tax

Another city, more citizens opposed to Georgia Power’s solar tax, and to Georgia Power’s rate hikes for fossil fuels and nukes.

Seth Gunning of Georgia Sierra Clug Hyacinth Manacap Empinado wrote for Athens Patch today, “No” To Rate Hike for Georgia Power, Say Residents at Athens Meeting: People urged Public Service Commissioner Tim Echols to vote against the Georgia Power rate hike request.,

Tim Echols GA PSC and Seth Gunning GA Sierra Club Echols says that part of the money will be used to clean up older coal plants and convert some plants to burn cleaner, natural gas.

If approved, Continue reading →