 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Gas Line Ruptures
May 4th, 2009 - the Palm Beach Post ran an article detailing a dangerous gas pipeline rupture in Martin County which caused I-95 as well as the turnpike to be shut down, caused two vehicle crashes and pushed a nearby school to be closed by the Martin County school district. We are considered “lucky” that the gas did not ignite and cause greater tragedy. This incident, along with hundreds of others, highlights the dangers of “clean” gas. Florida Power & Light, the largest provider of energy to South Florida, has been touting gas power as safe “green” energy for years. But what is green or safe about gas? The FPL Martin County power plant at 3705 megaWatts and the West County Energy Center (WCEC) at 3800 megaWatts are the two largest fossil fuel plants in the entire nation. They are less than 40 miles apart and both fueled by liquid gas. The gas pipelines that feed these polluting giants cross through many populated places and endangered eco-systems. The WCEC currently under construction in the northern Everglades ecosystem, is permitted to emit 20 million tons of CO2 per year. Gas plants and the pipelines that fuel them are a health and safety risk to the environment, our schools and communities. We bear the risk, while FPL gains more profit. We can’t let ourselves be fooled by the million dollar green washing campaigns any more. Gas is a dirty fossil fuel and to say it isn’t as dirty as coal sets a pretty low par for ourselves.
FPL Proposes More Natural Gas Pipeline
April 7, 2009 - Florida Power & Light filed a proposal on April 7th to build a third major natural gas pipeline in Florida -- a $1.5 billion undertaking that would snake 300 miles across the peninsula to help fuel a new fleet of power plants for the next 40 years.
If approved by the Florida Public Service Commission, the "Florida EnergySecure" pipeline would stretch from Palm Beach County to Bradford County in north-central Florida, with about two-thirds of the natural gas going to power plants in Riviera Beach and Cape Canaveral. The PSC has not yet set a timetable for reviewing the project, but FPL believes it could complete the pipeline project by 2014. Approvals are needed from the Public Service Commission, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers before the project can begin.
FPL hosted three short-notice open houses to discuss the project - in Port St. Lucie, Vero Beach, and Indiantown. Several members were present at the Indiantown forum which took place on April 27th .
FPL thought it would have a free for all touting everything from clean coal to clean green gas at its open house in Indiantown. The main thrust of the meet and greet your local lobbyist or earth destroyer was to sell FPL's proposed gas pipeline infrastructure which it would use to feed the two largest fossil fuel power plants in the U.S. The Martin Plant at 3705 megaWatts and the West County Energy Center (currently under construction in the Everglades) at 3800 megaWatts, will both run on liquified gas. Fortunatly, EEF!ers arrived on the scene to crash the greenwashing fest with signs and some heated discussion.