Groups File Suit to Block Fracked Gas Line Through Florida
Posted August 20, 2016 01:20 am | Public News Service
Tallahassee, FL – A controversial plan to build a $3
billion gas pipeline through the heart of Florida has
hit a snag, as three groups have filed a petition in
court to block its construction.
The Southeast Market Pipelines Project would transport
fracked natural gas across close to 700 lakes, rivers
and streams, and potentially impact nearly 2,000 wetland
systems in three states.
Raleigh Hoke, campaign manager for the Gulf Restoration
Network - one of the groups filing the lawsuit in
federal court - explained people along the proposed
route have been speaking out against it for years.
"The public has continually been left out of the
decision-making process for this project, and that's
just not acceptable," Hoke insisted. "Our water and our
communities are too important to risk for the benefit of
this out-of-state, fracked-gas company."
If built, the pipeline would extend through Florida and
southern Georgia, over an area that provides drinking
water for about 10 million people.
The groups Flint Riverkeeper and the Sierra Club also
are parties to the lawsuit, which alleges the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers failed to properly notify the public
or allow for input, and that the plans don't do enough
to mitigate environmental impacts.
Hoke maintained it isn't only the communities the
pipeline would pass through that would be affected. The
plan allows for the companies building the pipeline to
discharge dredged and fill material into water bodies,
such as wetlands, during construction.
"You're also talking about this pipeline going through
some of the most beautiful and pristine springs - not
just in Florida, but in the world," he said. "And it's
incredibly important that we're protecting this resource
that is part of the natural heritage of Florida
residents, but also this big driver of the economy when
it comes to tourism."
Last week, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission gave
final approval for construction to begin on the
southernmost portion of the pipeline, stretching 126
miles from Central Florida to Martin County. The
northern portion, known as the Sabal Trail, hasn't yet
been green-lighted.
Image added by the Observer
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