Category Archives: Safety

There are things you can do about the Sabal Trail Pipeline –Mario Bartoletti @ LCC 2014-03-11

Apparently the community believes the Commission thinks there’s nothing they can do, but Mario Bartoletti, speaking for himself and for WACE, said he thought there were things the Commission could do about that 36-inch methane pipeline, and he listed some things, at the 11 March 2014 Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission.

Here’s the video:


There are things you can do about the Sabal Trail Pipeline –Mario Bartoletti
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 11 March 2014.

His list included:

Continue reading

Water issues under Moody Family Housing –Dr. Michael Noll @ LCC 2014-03-11

Water issues still need to be investigated and resolved under the proposed Moody Family Housing, said Dr. Michael Noll, presenting a public comment by him and two other VSU professors about the recent evironmental assessment to the 11 March 2014 Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission.

Here’s the video:


Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC)
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 11 March 2014.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).

Appended is the text of the VSU professors’ letter, and here it is in PDF.

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

Corporate power comes home –Jim Parker

Letter to the Editor in the Valdosta Daily Times yesterday. -jsq

How is it that one foreign corporation, that has just come into existence to do this project, can have greater power than all of the thousands of citizens affected, and their elected governments?

No, I’m not talking about the Keystone XL pipeline, but he issues are the same. This one wants to run a 36-inch gas pipeline through a number of states and counties, including Lowndes, affecting thousands of landowners. It’s known as Sabal Trail Transmission, LLC, and is the unholy offspring of Spectra Energy Corp. and NextEra Energy.

How can one foreign corporation (they’re from out of state), have so much power vis-avis the thousands of landowners and citizens of Lowndes County, that the citizens must give up a hundred-foot-wide swath of their land, along with the depreciation of their property values, not to mention their personal safety, and allow this pipeline to come through? The gas is not even for use in Lowndes County, or even the State of Georgia. However, the general feeling is we have to give in to the corporation’s demands. County Commission Chairman Bill Slaughter is quoted as saying, “There’s nothing we can do.”

Does anyone else see the problem here? 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

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

Broadband, outsourcing, trash, and fire @ LCC 2014-02-28

The second day of the Commission retreat is finished. Reporting from location, Gretchen noted:

1PM: BroadBand

Chairman Bill Slaughter has a five year goal of making broadband available. Some possibility of creating a fibre ring. He says he’s working with the City of Valdosta.

Well, a year ago in February he said broadband was “one of the number one issues”, but in October he said “we have broadband”, so it’s anyone’s guess what his opinion will be in a few months.

1:06PM: Outsourcing

Commissioner Crawford Powell wants to outsource more county services.

That’s working so well, after all; see the next note.

1:19PM: Trash evaluation

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