Natural gas pipeline through Polk County creates little clamor

LAKE WALES — Oil and gas pipelines have become magnets for controversy.

Nationally, the Keystone XL Pipeline, a crude oil system now under construction in the West, has drawn fervent opposition from environmental groups and some Native American tribes, leading to protests along the route.

In Florida, the Sabal Trail natural gas pipeline, which begins in Alabama and will cover 268 miles across the state, has also attracted fierce criticism and demonstrations. Last month, a man wielding a high-powered rifle reportedly shot at a section of the pipeline under construction in Marion County and was fatally shot by law-enforcement officers after a vehicle chase.

And in Central Florida, a natural gas pipeline now being installed — including a stretch of 53 miles in Polk County — seems different. Construction on the Florida Southeast Connection began in August and is nearly finished, and the project has drawn no discernible public outcry.

On a recent afternoon, a construction worker in the cab of an excavator used the machine’s bucket to dump dirt over a segment of the aqua-tinted pipe set in a trench just off Church Road, about two miles east of Lake Wales. The solitary action, taking place at the edge of a citrus grove about 100 yards off State Road 60, seemed to reflect the lack of clamor surrounding the project.

That’s not to say the Florida Southeast Connection hasn’t had a major local impact. The pipeline crosses the properties of about 250 owners in Polk County, said David McDermitt, a spokesman for NextEra Energy, the company in charge of construction. And NextEra had to negotiate agreements with all of them to purchase permanent easements before starting construction.

NextEra, the parent company of Florida Power & Light, which will operate the pipeline, reached “amicable” settlements with all but one of the Polk County property owners, McDermitt said. One case is still in litigation amid a dispute over fair compensation.

NextEra is building the $550 million pipeline to meet rising energy demands in Florida, McDermitt said.

Natural gas provides more than half of the state’s electricity supply, and more than 4,600 miles of natural-gas pipelines already exist in Florida. When planning began on the Southeast Connection, there were only two major pipelines supplying the state and both were at or near capacity.

Polk pathway

The 126-mile Southeast Connection begins at the Central Florida Hub, a natural-gas transmission facility in Osceola County, just north of the Polk County boundary, and will terminate at an energy center in Martin County. At that point, it will connect with FP&L’s existing pipeline system.

The 53-mile segment in Polk County runs south, roughly parallel to and a few miles east of U.S. 27, toward Lake Wales and then turns east, running along or near S.R. 60 into Osceola County. The pipeline will carry natural gas from other pipelines, including Sabal Trail, that feed into the Central Florida Hub.

FP&L is replacing its older, coal-fueled power plants with gas-powered plants, which produce lower emissions. McDermitt said the company recently closed one coal-fired plant and is in the process of shuttering another.

Gas carried by the pipeline will be burned to generate power used throughout FP&L’s network. The company has no customers in Polk County.

More than 80 percent of the pipeline is already underground, McDermitt said, and construction will be completed by May. The segments running beside S.R. 60 generally follow established rights of way controlled by the Department of Transportation.

NextEra started the planning process in 2013 and soon completed an analysis of its preferred route. The project faced review from multiple federal and state agencies, with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which regulates interstate transmission of gas, taking the lead role.

The Sierra Club, a leading environmental group, opposed the Keystone XL pipeline and joined lawsuits to stop construction of Sabal Trail. But the group didn’t oppose the Southeast Connection because it is not a “supplier pipeline” and instead will carry gas that has blended from multiple sources, said John Ryan, energy chair for the Ancient Islands Group, the Sierra Club’s local chapter.

Ryan said Sierra opposes Sabal Trail in part because it will be a direct carrier of natural gas extracted through hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” a process many environmental groups consider damaging.

After clearing regulatory hurdles, NextEra began contacting affected property owners in 2013, McDermitt said, and consulted with Native American tribes, government officials and other interested parties. The company asked landowners for permission to conduct surveys and to assess environmental and geological factors.

“Their concerns were assessed, and every precaution was taken to ensure the survey work did not cause any damage or disruption,” McDermitt said.

Closing the course

The project has had a substantial effect on at least one local business. Oakwood Golf Club, located just off Capps Road, shut down as construction began. A recorded greeting on the club’s main phone line says the business is closed “due to pipeline construction.”

The greeting says the club is expected to open in October or November. McDermitt said the temporary closing of the golf club until construction and restoration are finished is part of a negotiated settlement.

Shannan Mackail, the club’s general manager, declined to comment.

A federal law, the Natural Gas Act, authorizes companies building interstate gas pipelines to file in federal court to acquire rights to easements. Courts then determine fair compensation to landowners. The Southeast Connection qualifies because it receives gas from the Sabal Trail pipeline, McDermitt said.

NextEra used its eminent domain authority in one case in Polk County, McDermitt said. He wouldn't name the landowner. The federal law allowed construction to proceed even as the two sides remain in litigation.

A few miles east of Lake Wales, the pipeline crosses the front yard of the Hyatt family, who live on S.R. 60 near Nalcrest. The route continues across adjacent property used by Keith Hyatt for his agriculture-services company.

Amy Hyatt, Keith’s wife, said the family first received notice by mail about the proposed pipeline.

“They sent letters out, and then we started getting all these letters from attorneys who said they would represent us,” Hyatt said.

The family and some of their neighbors decided to use the same lawyer in negotiating, Hyatt said. She declined to say how much the family received.

On a recent afternoon, several trucks from Rockford Corp., the company leading the construction, were parked on the Hyatt company property near the family’s home. An exposed section of pipeline in a trench disappeared into the ground beneath the home’s driveway.

Amy Hyatt said crews burrowed under the driveway. That’s a technique construction teams have used in many places, McDermitt said, using a “jack and bore” method deploying a rotating auger.

The pipeline’s meandering course crosses under S.R. 60 at several points east of Lake Wales. The structure also goes under a wetland area near the south end of Lake Kissimmee.

Hyatt pointed to the front of the yard, where she said crews had removed several oak trees, one of them a large specimen. The terms of the settlement say the family should avoid planting any trees on or near the pipeline route that could develop deep roots and possibly damage the pipe, she said.

Hyatt also noted cracks in the driveway caused by construction equipment, which she said was not supposed to drive past the right of way.

McDermitt said NextEra has pledged to inspect all the affected properties after construction and restore the land to its original state as much as possible. That might mean planting sod or trees, he said.

“We walk the area with the landowner and work with them to ensure they’re pleased with the outcome,” McDermitt said.

Business stays open

A few miles to the east, the pipeline crosses in front of Lake Haven Live Bait at S.R. 60 and Story Road. Rocky Pamee, who has owned the shop for about 10 years, said the project had not disrupted his business.

Pamee said his family didn’t hire a lawyer and negotiated directly with NextEra. He said the process had gone smoothly.

“To me, big companies do a lot of good for other people,” he said. “As long as they’re not ripping me off, I’m OK with it. … When we asked for something they just — ‘Yes.’ ”

The pipeline crosses about 200 yards of land north of S.R. 60 owned by Hunt Brothers Inc., a citrus company based in Lake Wales. The construction required removal of some scrub oaks and about 25 Valencia orange trees, Hunt Brothers President Ellis Hunt Jr. said.

Hunt said he consulted with a lawyer but handled the negotiations with NextEra himself.

“They presented an appraisal for what they thought the value was, and of course I think it was more, so we negotiated and agreed upon a number that I thought was reasonable,” Hunt said. “I did not want to stop progress. So everything’s good. I was happy with the process, and they were professional, and everything’s turned out fine.”

The Ledger received no response from several other property owners along the pipeline route, a mix of residents and businesses, contacted for comment.

County Commissioner Todd Dantzler said he hasn’t heard from any constituents about the construction process.

“It’s just a transmission line,” Dantzler said. “I don’t see any issues with it at all.”

Environmental guidance

Long before digging began, NextEra got in touch with Ryan, of the Sierra Club’s Ancient Islands Group. Ryan, a Winter Haven resident, had previously conferred with other energy companies on major projects to reduce potential environmental damage.

Ryan said he spent about six months in discussions with FP&L representatives in 2014, scrutinizing “every inch of where that pipeline was going.”

“Often when we’re dealing with these linear facilities, if we have that discussion very early where they haven’t made any contractual decisions, they haven’t made any agreement to do anything yet … then there’s not a whole lot of pushback because they don’t have a lot of sweat in the game yet,” Ryan said. “Whether they go to the left or the right at that point is not that important, so it gives us a more equitable discussion.”

Ryan said he successfully lobbied for a pipeline route that avoided any major impact to wetland areas. He also convinced the company to alter the route northeast of Haines City to bypass areas that provide habitat for rare and endemic plants, such as dicerandra, a plant in the mint family with potential medical benefits.

In general, Ryan said, he encouraged FP&L to follow the existing right of way for utility lines as much as possible, “co-locating” the pipeline with other buried infrastructure.

“It never got controversial,” Ryan said. “If they work with us, they have a whole lot less heartburn in the long run.”

—Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on Twitter @garywhite13.

Here are some details about the Florida Southeast Connection pipeline:

Rockford Corporation is doing the construction work under supervision of NextEra Energy, the pipeline’s owner and the parent company of Florida Power & Light.

The pipeline will traverse 126 miles, with 53 miles of that in Polk County.

The steel pipes used for the Southeast Connection pipeline are 30 to 36 inches in diameter and come in segments 70 to 80 feet long. The sections are welded together before being buried.

The pipes are placed in trenches 7 to 8 feet below deep. They are buried with the top at least 30 inches below the ground, NextEra Energy spokesman David McDermitt said.

Construction crews use weighted bags to stabilize the pipe, a crucial factor in areas where the water table is high. Following installation, the trenches are filled with dirt and the line is tested using high-pressure water.

NextEra Energy estimates the project will have an economic impact of up to $101 million in Polk County and will generate $126.4 million in property tax revenue over 60 years.

— Gary White

Facts about Southeast Connection pipeline