BLOCK Plains & Eastern Clean Line docket filings
June 8th, 2015
QUICK — take a few seconds and send a missive to BOTH plainsandeastern@hq.doe.gov AND Angela.Colamaria@hq.doe.gov and ask for 1) an extension of time to file comments, at least to September 11, 2015; and 2) public hearings across the affected area, as they did for the DEIS.
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Hot off the press, here are the BLOCK Plains & Eastern Clean Line: Arkansas and Oklahoma Initial Filings to the DOE’s Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability in the Plains & Eastern Clean Line docket:
And to add a little frosting on the cake:
Meanwhile, Clean Line is putting its efforts into ASTROTURF!!! You’d think they’d have a clue how that goes over.
And here’s the Citizens First Congress Champions for Change luncheon, where BLOCK Plains & Eastern Clean Line: Arkansas and Oklahoma’s Alison Milsaps spoke to the crowd:
Arkansas natural gas pipeline fails
June 7th, 2015
A Spectra Energy owned backup line to the Texas Eastern natural gas pipeline ruptured, last Sunday or Monday. It’s a 24″ pipeline, and 4 million cubic feet of gas leaked out. That’s a lot of gas, one article says it’s enough for 60+ homes for a year!
What’s most odd about this is the lackadaisical attitude about reporting this problem, see that last article on the list below. One article reported:
Arkansas River pipeline blowout occurred Sunday morning, cause still unknown
Then within a couple minutes, the turbulence dissipated and disappeared. Metzler said he drove down to the river that afternoon, but to his puzzlement could find nothing amiss. He and others talked about contacting the Coast Guard, he said, but decided against it because “we didn’t know what to tell them. Something had happened, but nobody knew what.”
…
Metzler said there was concrete scattered across the deck of the Chris M, skid marks across the boat’s surface, and handrails and an exhaust stack knocked over. “The concrete still had the form of a pipe,” he said, and parts of it were “covered in soot — I decided this thing must have been on fire.” He is convinced the Texas Eastern exploded. “I believe a big piece of pipe blew out of the river and flew through the air,” he said.
The towboat Chris M, owned by Jeffrey Sand Co. in North Little Rock, was damaged Sunday morning when a natural gas pipeline i… (Credit: Special to the Democrat-Gazette)Pipeline in Arkansas River Ruptures, Releases Natural Gas
Natural Gas Released as Pipeline Ruptures in Arkansas River
Arkansas pipeline shut after rupture
63-year-old gas line that blew had a ‘smart pig’ check in ’12
Officials close Arkansas River after natural gas line ruptures
Gas Pipeline Ruptures in Arkansas River
Natural gas line ruptures in river near LR airport
CHECK THIS ONE: News of pipeline rupture called slow
From the “WHAT THE HELL WERE THEY THINKING” file…
May 25th, 2015
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The miracle was he was brought to the hospital, treated, and released. WHEW!
Who would hold an event with fly-ins of any type next to a big honkin’ transmission line?
From Scripps Channel 5 News
Skydiver Treated, Released From Hospital After Hitting Powerlines
And another version:
And in the Winchester Herald Chronicle:
Skydiver lines jolts Memorial Day event landing in power
Posted on Monday, May 25, 2015 at 9:27 am
STAFF WRITER courtney stachel
A skydiver drifting into a power line from a wind gust Saturday at the Red, White and You Memorial Day event in Winchester was followed by a happy ending when word was given that he had been treated and released from the hospital.
More than 400 spectators witnessed the incident when skydiver John Pitts, of the Fly It Like You Stole It skydiving team, was the first of three divers to exit an airplane and came down toward the ground gracefully while the National Anthem was being played.
A wind gust hit Pitts, causing him to drift into the electrical lines where he was left hanging for less than a minute. He dropped from the lines and fell onto a rocky area next to Tims Ford Lake.
Zachary Colescott, Winchester Municipal Airport manager, said right after the fall that Pitts was conscious and being airlifted.
Colescott said the team was concerned about the wind flow the day of the event.
“That was one thing we were worried about was the wind — being so close to the water and the power lines,” he said. “I’m really glad he is okay.”
Despite the scary interruption to the show, acclaimed country singer Lee Greenwood went on to perform as scheduled.
The event lasted all day and held plenty of entertainment for spectators, including the traveling Vietnam memorial wall, musical entertainment and a boat parade.
Jayson Davis, Moore-Cortner Funeral Home family services counselor, said the outcome at the event was surprising.
“There were a lot more people who came out than we expected,” he said. “I’m proud that so many people came out to enjoy the day with us.”
Greenwood was the main attraction. He spoke from the heart in a talking to the Herald Chronicle about small town U.S.A. and how he was looking forward to coming to Winchester and preforming.
“I love the small town flavor as it reminds me how I grew up in California,” he said. “Little towns are becoming big towns, and big towns are becoming big cities. Somewhere in the transition, we are losing the face of America. Winchester, Tennessee, is a reminder of all that is good with the United States.”
For Greenwood, Memorial Day provided the perfect opportunity to spread his message of patriotism.
“Memorial Day is not just about the good food, drinks and fireworks, which thrills the crowds — it’s about remembering those who have sacrificed through the years to give us that chance,” he said. “There are memorials all across the nation that bear witness to the struggle America has had in gaining and maintain our independence. It’s that thought I reflect on when I sing and when we observe this holiday.”
Great decision this week from the Kentucky Court of Appeals:
Here are some choice snippets:
In granting summary judgment, the trial court believed that KRS 278.502 only granted condemnation powers to entities providing public utilities regulated by the Public Service Commission. It also believed that since the pipeline was only going to be utilized to move NGLs to the Gulf of Mexico, the pipelines would not be “in public service.” We agree.
And another logical finding:
If these NGLs are not reaching Kentucky consumers, then Bluegrass and its pipeline cannot be said to be in the public service of Kentucky. We therefore affirm the circuit court’s judgment that Bluegrass does not possess the ability to condemn property through eminent domain.
Another Bakken BOOM! train explodes
May 6th, 2015
This photo was taken by neighbor Jennifer Willi, who lives about 1/2 mile from the scene of the derailment, near Heimdal, North Dakota. At least 10 cars exploded and are burning. They should publish the destination of the cars so people will know the reach of these trains! They line up outside the Delaware City refinery; blew up in Lac Megantic, Ontario; Lynchburg, VA. We are all at risk!
Some coverage, with a snippet from each:
Crude oil train derails in North Dakota, residents evacuate town
“It’s all over the place,” Wells County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Janelle Pepple told the Daily News. “Thick, billowing black smoke; flames shooting 100 feet in the air. It’s a pretty spectacular-looking fire.”
North Dakota Town Evacuated After Train Derailment
North Dakota Town Evacuated After Oil Cars Derail And Catch Fire
Roehrich said she couldn’t get close enough to the train to see whether it was exploding or just burning. “It looks a lot like Casselton,” she said, referring to the fiery train wreck of oil tankers near Casselton in late 2013.
(with the admission that new cars don’t really matter)
BNSF said the tank cars that derailed were constructed under a 2011 voluntary rail industry standard intended to make them tougher than older cars that were long known to pose a safety risk. But the new cars have proved equally dangerous. The five major oil train accidents so far this year in the U.S. and Canada all involved the newer cars, each of which can hold about 30,000 gallons of fuel.
From KMSP:
A new MnDOT analysis released in March shows 326,170 Minnesotans live within the half-mile evacuation zones along state oil train routes.
This video was up on KMSP’s site, then disappeared, maybe it will come back: