FERC Authorization for Sabal Trail to Commence Drilling under Rivers 2016-08-25

August 28, 2016

Profit for a pipeline company from Houston, Texas is, after all, more important to FERC than our rivers, aquifer, drinking water, or property right. Quote from John Quarterman, WWALS.

On August 27, 2016 at 10:41PM, jsq at WWALS Watershed Coalition published the following article: Nevermind that historic 128 to 34 Georgia House vote against river-drilling easements. The Georgia Attorney General’s office declined to defend lawsuits in county Superior Courts (including Lowndes County, GA), and judges gave Sabal Trail the easements. Then the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued its permit. So Thursday John Peconom of FERC told Sabal Trail to start drilling under Georgia’s Chattahoochee, Flint, Ochlockonee, and Withlacoochee Rivers, as well as Hannahatchee Creek. They avoided Okapilco Creek by planning on plowing through

Hog Creek just upstream in Colquitt County.

Only Georgia rivers are included in this particular commence order; not Alabama’s , Oaktasas Creek, or Hillabee Creek, and not Florida’s , Santa Fe River, Withlacoochee South River, or Shingle Creek. But don’t be surprised when Mr. Peconom, doling out go-aheads bit by bit, gets around to targetting those streams as well. Profit for a pipeline company from Houston, Texas is, after all, more important to FERC than our rivers, aquifer, drinking water, or property rights.

Yes, there are things you can do, listed at the end of

Federal permits inflame opposition to Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline boondoggle WWALS PR 2016-08-16

People wanted to know exactly where are these river crossings. See the maps shown here (click on any one of them for a larger image), pulled from Sabal Trail’s alignment sheets of 7 April 2016, filed with FERC as

Accession Number 20160407-5081, “Sabal Trail Transmission, LLC submits its Implementation Plan—Supplemental Information for the Sabal Trail Project under CP15-17.”

John Peconom’s letter refers to those April alignment sheets, and his letter was filed with FERC 25 August 2016 as

Accession Number 20160825-3045, “Letter order granting Sabal Trail Transmission, LLC’s 8/19/16 request to commence construction of certain Phase 1 facilities for the Sabal Trail Project under CP15-17.”

The full text of his letter is below, followed by the maps; click on any one of them to get a bigger one.

-jsq

You can join this fun and work by becoming a WWALS member today!

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FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20426 OFFICE OF ENERGY PROJECTS In Reply Refer To: OEP/DG2E/Gas Branch 3 Sabal Trail Transmission, LLC Sabal Trail Project Docket No. CP15-17-000 §375.308(x) August 25, 2016 Ms. Lisa A. Connolly General Manager, Rates and Certificates Sabal Trail Transmission, LLC 5400 Westheimer Court, Suite 6N61 Houston, TX 77056 Re: Authorization to Commence Construction of Previously Excluded Phase 1 Facilities Ms. Connolly: In accordance with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (Commission) February 2, 2016 Order Issuing Certificates and Approving Abandonment (Order), I grant Sabal Trail Transmission, LLC’s (Sabal Trail) August 19, 2016 request to commence construction of certain Phase 1 1 facilities as identified in the following table . Start End Project Station No. Station No. Component Description Chattahoochee 4552+54 4570+54 River Crossing Hannahatchee 4818+72 4832+56 Creek Crossing Flint 8588+62 8625+42 River Crossing Ochlockonee 10513+57 10531+57 River Crossings (2) Withlacoochee 12222+21 12261+06 River Crossing This authorization is based on my review of Sabal Trail’s Request for Notice to Proceed; its compliance with the environmental conditions of the Commission’s Order as described in its Implementation Plan filed on March 11, 2016, and supplemented on April 7, 2016, July 21, 2016, August 11, 2016, and August 15, 2016; and its documentation of the necessary federal authorizations applicable to the requested activities. I remind you that Sabal Trail must comply with all applicable terms and conditions of the above referenced Order. If you have any questions regarding this authorization, please contact me at (202) 502-6352. Sincerely, John V. Peconom Environmental Project Manager cc: Public File, Docket No. CP15-17-000 1 The station numbers correspond with the construction alignment sheets (Revision 1) filed with the Commission on April 7, 2016.

Spread 1: Alabama

Spread 2: Stewart to Colquitt Co., GA Spread 3: Mitchell to Lowndes Co., GA Spread 4: Suwannee, Gilchrist, Alachua, Levy, Marion Co., FL

Spread 5: Gilchrist to Lake & Citrus Co., FL Spread 6: Sumter to Osceola Co., FL Tallapoosa River HDD, Tallapoosa Co., AL

Oaktasas Creek, Alexander City Compressor Station, Tallapoosa Co., AL Hillabee Creek HDD, Tallapoosa Co., AL Hillabee Creek @ AL 22, Tallapoosa Co., AL

Chattahoochee River HDD, Russell Co. AL, Stewart Co., GA Hannahatchee Creek HDD, KMI Pipeline, Chattahoochee Valley Trail, Stewart Co., GA Norfolk Southern RR, Dougherty Co., GA

West Oarkridge Dr., Dougherty Co., GA KMI Pipeline, Dixie Pipeline, Kreg Ave.,, HDD Begins, Dougherty Co., GA Flint River HDD, Dougherty Co., GA

Ochlockonee River HDD, Colquitt Co., GA Ice House America, Colquitt Co., GA Hog Creek @ Crosby Road, Colquitt Co., GA

Withlacoochee River HDD, Brooks Co. & Lowndes Co., GA U384 & Withlacoochee River HDD, KMI Pipeline, Lowndes Co, GA Suwannee River HDD, Hamilton Co. & Suwannee Co., FL

Suwannee River HDD, Suwannee Co., FL Hildreth Compressor Station, Suwannee Co., FL FGT Suwannee M&R Station, Suwannee Co., FL

Santa Fe River HDD, Suwannee Co. & Gilchrist Co., FL Santa Fe River HDD end, Gilchrist Co., FL Withlacoochee South River HDD, Marion & Citrus Co., FL

Dunnellon Compressor Station, Marion Co., FL Shingle Creek HDD, Hunters Creek Pipeline, Osceola Co., FL Dyer Blvd. HDD, Hunters Creek Pipeline, Osceola Co., FL

Thacker Ave., Hunters Creek Pipeline, Osceola Co., FL Read this article atWWALS Watershed Coalition at http://www.wwals.net/2016/08/27/ferc-authorization-for-sabal-tra il-to-commence-drilling-under-georgia-rivers-2016-08-25/. Posted via IFTTT