Tag Archives: Environment

Moratorium on Palmetto Pipeline goes to GA Gov. for signature on HB 1036

We all won twice against invading pipelines this week in the Georgia legislature. Yes, pipeline companies, advocates of water, air, and property rights work together, too A smashing 34-128 defeat of Spectra Energy’s invading Sabal “Sinkhole” Trail natural gas pipeline, by WWALS, Flint Riverkeeper, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, Georgia Sierra Club, Georgia Water Coalition, SpectraBusters, and many others, wasn’t the only win for landowners, environmentalists, and the people in the Georgia legislature this week. Push Back the Pipeline‘s petroleum products moratorium passed the final legislative hurdle in the House and is on its way to Gov. Nathan Deal to sign. You know, if Deal had stood up for the people against Sabal Trail, too, its easements to drill under Georgia rivers including our Withlacoochee River and Okapilco Creek, would have been defeated in the State Land Commission of which he is chair before they ever got to the legislature. But we all won, and won again! Spectra, Kinder Morgan, and even ALEC lost this time.

Walter C. Jones, jacksonville.com, 23 March 2016, Bill to stall pipeline from Belton, S.C., to Jacksonville awaits Georgia governor’s signature: Georgia House adopted moratorium that would impose moratorium on licensing and permitting until July 2017, Continue reading →

Issues and Opportunities in Comprehensive Plan Workshop @ SGRC 2016-03-21

This Reminder came in today, refreshingly explicitly mentioning agriculture. Note the different location, this time at the Health Dept. office after the Planning Commission meeting.

The next workshop for the 2016 Greater Lowndes Comprehensive Plan Update will be:

Monday, March 21, 2016
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 W. Savannah Avenue
Valdosta, Georgia

At this workshop we will Continue reading →

Comprehensive Plan Update Workshop @ SGRC 2016-03-07

As promised, there is an updated Work Book online, dated February 29, 2016. Title page As Ariel Godwin also promised, the SGRC website says:

The next workshop will be Monday, March 7, 2016, 5:00-7:00 p.m. at the SGRC office, 327 W. Savannah Ave., Valdosta, GA.

It will be interesting to see if this version of the Work Book for the 2016 Greater Lowndes County Comprehensive Plan Update contains any changes about the issues Greg Odom raised last month (22 February 2016) about road paving, trees, and reducing expense to the county. And LAKE will be at the meeting with the video camera.

-jsq

GA House passes moratorium on eminent domain for petroleum pipelines in HB 1036 at last minute

A moratorium on eminent domain for petroleum pipelines until June 30, 2017 pending study of land use rights, Moratorium on eminent domain for petroleum pipelines a change throughout of right to power of eminent domain, and “natural resources, environment, and vital areas of the state” now mentioned first, in HB 1036, passed yesterday, the last day for either half of the Georgia legislature to adopt a bill before sending it to the other half. A small change from the Georgia Senate could also affect natural gas pipelines.

See also Walter C. Jones, jacksonville.com, 24 February 2016, Senate subcommittee approves moratorium on eminent domain for petroleum pipelines in Georgia, Continue reading →

First Miller Bus. Park occupant: Nature Nate

An organic food company is the first thing it finally lands, after trying for years to lure traditional “industrial” businesses to Miller Business Park, and after the Industrial Authority renamed itself the Development Authority. Well, go real food! And congratulations Development Authority! For more local agriculture, come to South Georgia Growing Local Saturday 26 February 2016 at Pine Grove Middle School.

VALDOSTA AND LOWNDES COUNTY WELCOMES NATURE NATE’S!: NATURE NATE’S CHOOSES VALDOSTA GA FOR NEW HONEY OPERATIONS FACILITY,

Valdosta, Georgia — December 15, 2015—The Valdosta-Lowndes Development Authority (VLCDA) and Nature Nate’s announce the expansion of Nature Nate’s honey processing operations to Valdosta, GA. The project represents a $1.75 million investment, will create 10 jobs immediately and at least 15 jobs after 36 months.

“We welcome Nature Nate’s as our first tenant within Miller Business Park and Continue reading →

A clean energy future is already arriving –350.org & LNS

I’m thankful we’re already on the way to a clean energy future, Big Light bulb with more jobs, less expense than doing nothing, no new nukes, no coal at all, much less natural gas, no need for any new pipelines, better health, clean air and water, and profit. The COP meeting in Paris can do what it will, and we can still make a better world and profit by it. We’re already doing it, with solar and wind power, energy efficiency and conservation,

The Clean Energy Future: Protecting the Climate, Creating Jobs, Saving Money, by Frank Ackerman of Synapse for LNS and 350.org:

[M]eeting the IPCC targets will… create more jobs and save money.

This report, Continue reading →

Sabal Trail bad for VSU, rivers, animals, landowners, and community: to FERC in Valdosta 2015-09-30

Sinkholes, explosions, and other risks to our rivers, lands, and wildlife for no benefit from the Sinkhole Trail, plus FERC and its environmental contractor are paid by the pipeline companies, but still we can win, said local landowners and others to FERC in Valdosta last night, as you can see in these LAKE videos. And you can come to the Kayaktivism Day this Saturday several Valdosta State clubs are holding on the Withlacoochee River. Meanwhile, the FERC circus moves to Columbia High School in Live Oak, FL tonight. Continue reading →

A farce, a hoax, and wrong: citizens about Sabal to FERC in Moultrie 2015-09-29

“You tell us you’re sorry and it happens again”, said Alton Burns of Coolidge about pipeline leaks, fires, and explosions, setting the tone for the whole evening, which ended with local landowners calling the whole process a farce and a hoax. As attorney Jonathan Waters said, South Georgia is a home, not a pipeline easement.

The FERC meetings started the previous evening in Albany and continue at 5:30 PM each night at:

  • Wednesday, September 30, at Holiday Inn Valdosta, Conference Center Magnolia Ballroom, 1805 West Hill Ave., Valdosta, GA 31601. LAKE videos from Valdosta.
  • Thursday, October 1, at Columbia High School Auditorium, 469 SE Fighting Tiger Drive, Lake City, FL 32025 LAKE videos from Lake City.

There are many more things you can do to stop Sabal Trail. Remember, the bigger they are, the harder they fall.

Here are links to the LAKE videos from last night in Moultrie, followed by a video playlist. Continue reading →

Let’s stop Sabal Trail before it makes any more mistakes

Thanks to Julie Bowland for the picture of my VDT op-ed today. -jsq

jsq op-ed in VDT The same day the Sabal Trail was quoted in the VDT August 5th as saying it had done enough subsurface analysis on our fragile karst limestone topography, a sinkhole opened up next to Shiloh Road. Sabal Trail already had to move its Albany compressor station because arrowheads had been found there. The pipeline itself is a much bigger mistake: let’s stop it before it damages our property values, forests, rivers, or our people.

Spectra Energy’s paid staff are continue to assert that Sabal Trail’s proposed gouge through our fields, farms, and under our rivers will proceed according their plan to profit executives and investors in Houston, Texas.

Actually, Continue reading →

Videos: Suwannee-Satilla Water Council @ SSRWPC 2015-07-20

Fascinating stuff here, especially from Liz Booth and Jim Kennedy. They meet again today at Aniston’s Restaurant, 1404 W. Baker Highway, Douglas, GA.

You’ll probably notice there were some glitches with these July videos; thanks to Gretchen for salvaging most of them. And there’s no video of WWALS board member Al Browning speaking about water quality, nor of my presentation of the WWALS letter to SSRWPC: Please join the opposition to the Sabal Trail watershed invader —WWALS to SSRWPC.