Following the story that ran in the Friday, July 1 edition of the Madison Enterprise-Recorder, ‘Sabal Trail Pipeline could affect Madison County,’ Joe Boyles, a local that owns property in Madison, Hamilton and Suwannee Counties, contacted Greene Publishing, Inc. with the request of sharing another side of the Sabal Trail story.
In this landowner’s view, the Sabal Trail rage was being blown out of proportion and the facts needed to be looked into clearly.
As Greene Publishing, Inc. remains unbiased towards this economic and social conundrum, this writer sat down with Boyles to go over reasons that Sabal Trail cannot be kept out of Madison County if it decides to run through.
As with every story, there are two sides that it can be told from; having heard from John Quarterman, president of WWALS (Withlacoochee, Willacoochee, Alapaha, Little and upper Suwannee river) Watershed Coalition and another WWALS member, Debra Randall, it was important to hear from someone with a differing outlook on the pipeline.
The Sabal Trail pipeline is, by no means, something new to suddenly appear in Madison County. In fact, Boyles had been aware of the pipeline for the last three years, as the company laying the pipeline, Spectra, had contacted him to purchase easement through a 500-acre parcel of land in Hamilton County that he owned and managed. The land is currently being used as a tree farm and Sabal Trail was purchasing easement to lay their pipes through his land. When he was contacted by Spectra and informed that they wanted to purchase legal easement through his land, Boyles began to receive various information regarding Sabal Trail and their updates.
According to Boyles, Sabal Trail would be cutting down all of the trees that lay in the pipe’s path and the 36-inch pipe would be laid a minimum of three feet below the surface. No trees could be planted on top of the pipeline, but as the pipes run adjacent to the large stretch of utility poles that also cuts through Boyles’ property, he planned to simply extend the hay field that was already planted under the power poles.
“Trust me, I don’t exactly want Sabal Trail coming to my property,” said Boyles. “But I also know better than to stand in front of a moving bulldozer.”
Sabal Trail is, however, a gentle bulldozer. It has already plotted a course and plans to move forward with that route, but according to Boyles, there have been countless surveys and wildlife relocation projects on his land to insure that endangered species such as Gopher Tortoises don’t get caught up in the construction of the pipeline. “If they are being this vigilant on my property, I don’t see why they wouldn’t be like this for every inch of the pipe,” said Boyles.
“Sabal Trail continues to work with all landowners regarding their properties,” reads a Sabal Trail newsletter. “By actively working with directly affected landowners, Sabal Trail has acquired over half of the necessary easements for the project.” Through these discussions, Sabal Trail has been able to note the concerns and consider special construction requests of the owners of the property they are laying pipes through.
There is another reason Boyles did not plan to put up the fight against the pipeline; while Sabal Trail and Spectra Energy Partners might be the contractors laying the pipeline, they are not the ones who are paying to have the job done. The wallet behind the project is the Florida Power and Light Company, which is the largest energy producer in the state of Florida, and, according to Boyles, they have placed roughly $3.2 billion into the project to keep it funded. The company has over 10 billion customers and while they have no presence in Madison County, the pipeline will benefit many Floridians under their service. Florida Power and Light Company plans to convert five coal burning power plants in south and east Florida into natural gas plants. “All the [go-ahead] signals that they have received from the environmental community is what's driving them to do this,” said Boyles.
“All energy is on an international market,” added Boyles, saying that he could not be certain, as could no one else, that portions of the gas being pumped through the Sabal Trail pipeline would not be sold to foreign buyers. “But this pipeline will benefit Floridians.”
Duke Energy, which is a power source in Madison County, will also benefit from the pipeline. Thanks to Sabal Trail, Duke Energy will be able to open a new power plant in Citrus County, Fl. due to a 21-mile offshoot of the Sabal Trail pipeline.
Environmentally, Boyles isn’t too concerned. Sinkholes might be a problem, but they are a problem anywhere you go in the ‘sinkhole belt’ of the south. Without warning, sinkholes have opened up beneath homes, churches, parking lots and other places that a community populates. Sinkholes might pose an issue to the pipeline, but with $3.2 billion and 10 million customers on the line, Florida Power and Light Company will be using every means to assure that their pipeline stays functioning and safe. In fact, the Florida Energy Regulatory Commission has approved the final environmental statement provided by Spectra.
Sabal Trail is not just some regular piping put down in the earth; this is a highly technologically advanced, state-of-the-art pipe that requires skilled technicians. “Not just anyone can lay this pipe,” said Boyles.
He also spoke briefly on fracking.
Fracking, which is technically called hydraulic fracturing, has received a bad name amongst Madison County, but according to the source, it is not always evil.
For example, in places where water is not so readily available as it is in Florida, fracking the wells of residents in dryer-states can help provide more plentiful wells and water sources.
“Sabal Trail is just a conduit for gas,” said Boyles. Just like roads are conduits for traffic and power lines are conduits for electricity; a conduit is not evil, it’s a required necessity.
In summary, the Sabal Trail pipeline may offer new opportunities to the state of Florida, or it may damage our natural waters. The pipes will not be drilling for pockets of natural gas in Madison but will instead be quietly pumping it from other regions so that Florida residents will have access.
Before alienating this change to Florida, be sure to learn the facts and gather up all the information about the Sabal Trail pipeline and the purpose it is trying to complete.
To learn more about the Sabal Trail pipeline and view maps of the gas line route, visit www.sabaltrailtransmission.co-m/florida.