Sink holes continue on Mariner East Pipeline?

Essay by the Editors, Delaware County Times, April 25, 2019

You don’t have to remind the folks in the Andover development out in Thornbury that the pipeline people are back in town. All you have to do is stop at the red light at the intersection of Routes 926 and 352 and roll down the window.

Brace yourself. We’re not talking about noise here. This is more like a din. And it is right in their backyard. We’re not talking yards; we’re talking feet.

Construction on the massive Mariner East 2 project restarted a few weeks ago. While the majority of the 20-inch pipe that will carry hundreds of thousands of barrels of highly volatile liquid gas across the 350-mile width of Pennsylvania to a facility in Marcus Hook is nearly complete, several sections in this area remain to be completed.

The noise is ungodly, to say nothing of having your backyard turned into a construction site. It’s a safe guess that most of the people in this development never realized the easements on the property would result in what they have today, their bucolic community and landscapes scarred by pipeline construction.

They talk about the noise, and their homes literally shaking when drilling is taking place, glasses and dishes in cupboards literally rattling. Then there is their concerns about their property values, what would happen if they were to try to sell their expensive homes at some point in the future. Forget about trying to sell them now.

But all of that pales next to the fear of what will be moving through those pipelines, and what could happen in the event of a spill or other incident. The butane, ethane and propane being ferried from the Marcellus Shale regions is a far cry from the old petroleum materials that at one time coursed through the vast network of pipelines that crisscross the region.

Residents have questions about what might happen, first responders have questions, local officials have questions. What they don’t have are a lot of answers. Specifically, they don’t have a question to the one unspoken question that remains on everyone’s mind: What if?

The multi-billion dollar enterprise being built by Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners and their local affiliates, Sunoco Pipeline LP and Sunoco Logistics, has it boosters, including the chamber of commerce and labor unions who like the solid jobs it brings with them. They don’t have to live with it in their backyard.

This week residents’ concerns ticked up again with word that Mariner East 1, an older, smaller pipeline that was retrofitted to handle the liquid gases, was going back on line. It had been shut down for three months since sinkholes appeared in a West Whiteland neighborhood – for the second time.

State regulators signed off on the restart, but not before slapping several conditions on ETP, including closer monitoring of Mariner East 1 operations and more soil and ground testing in the area to determine the cause of the sinkholes.

The legions of pipeline foes are not thrilled at the aspect of the old pipeline – Mariner East 1 first went into service in 1931, handling these volatile materials at high pressure. Both state regulators and ETP officials stress the 8-inch pipeline is safe and has been adequately tested.

Mariner East 2, a 20-inch pipe that will greatly increase the amount of materials moving through the line, was put online the last week of December, but not in the form originally proposed. Because of a series of spills, runoffs and work shutdowns, the company had to resort to filling in the gaps with older, smaller pipes. The complete Mariner East 2 now is not expected to be completed until 2020. A third pipeline, Mariner East 2X, also is being constructed.

It’s just part of the problems that have plagued the project, something even ETP officials admit has been a problem in Pennsylvania, though they stop well short of what is being suggested by district attorneys in the region. Chester County D.A. Tom Hogan has initiated a criminal investigation of the construction of Mariner East and is impaneling an investigative grand jury to hear testimony and consider the possibility of charges. Delaware County D.A. Katayoun Copeland and state Attorney General Josh Shapiro are conducting a joint investigation of the project.

In the case of the now restarted Mariner East 1, ETP said it worked closely with state Public Utility Commission investigators, who confirmed the safety of the project. “The investigation also confirmed that at no time was Mariner East 1 ever destabilized in this area,” ETP said of the area affected by the sinkholes.

That in general seems to be the tenor of state oversight of this project. They are always getting involved after an incident. Residents are left to wonder who thought this was a good idea – pushing 675,000 barrels of volatile liquid gases through densely populated schools, right next to homes, schools and senior centers, was a good idea.

RW: If you don’t believe it, just ask the folks out in Andover!

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Sinkhole forms in Delaware County along pipeline route | delcotimes.com, April 25, 2019

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Range Resources hints at new East Coast liquids terminal for exports, Kallanish Energy News, April 24, 2019

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Mariner East transports Ethane to Delaware Bay for Export

From an Article by Michael P. Rellahan, Daily Local News, Chester County, PA, April 11, 2019

WEST CHESTER — Sunoco should not be permitted to construct its Mariner East pipeline through property owned by Chester County because the company improperly switched construction techniques after the county gave it access to the land through permanent easements, according to a lawsuit.

The suit filed in Chester County Common Pleas Court asks that a permanent injunction be issued against Sunoco, barring it from constructing the controversial Mariner East 2 pipeline on land at the Chester County Library in West Whiteland, as well as portions of the Chester Valley Trial that parallels Route 30 through that township, unless it uses a “bore drilling” method of constriction.

The suit, filed on behalf of the three county commissioners and the county itself, contends that Sunoco disregarded language in the agreements for supplemental permanent easements, specifically the company’s intent to undertake “open trench” construction for Mariner 2 on the Chester County Library property without county permission and in the absence of any temporary construction easement, according to a press release.

This legal action follows the county commissioners’ decision earlier this year to terminate two temporary easements though county property for pipeline construction, and the simultaneous decision to intervene in litigation filed by residents in Chester and Delaware counties before the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission against the company for its pipeline plans.

The lawsuit was spurred on Friday, when Sunoco informed the county that it would begin construction of the Mariner 2 pipelines on the Chester County Library property via traditional open trench method, rather than the bore method that had been included in agreements the county signed in 2017.

That decision drew an immediate reaction from the commissioners.

“At a site meeting last Friday between county staff and Sunoco representatives it became clear that Sunoco was going to proceed with the open trench method of installation at the Chester County Library property without providing written justification or county permission,” said commissioners’ Chairwoman Michelle Kichline in the release.

“This action violates the terms of the supplemental permanent easement.”

“Normally, when it comes to the installation of pipelines, municipal and county governments are restricted in our options to regulate. State regulators and legislators have essentially made us powerless to stop the process,” added Kichline. “But in this instance, the county as the landowner has the right to insist that Sunoco follows the terms of the supplemental permanent easement to the letter of the law.”

“By Sunoco not agreeing to follow those terms I have concerns that they may place our citizens at risk,” she said.

Commissioner’s Vice Chairwoman Kathi Cozzone further noted that the commissioners, “believe that Sunoco will be unable to construct the Mariner 2 pipeline on the county library property within the existing 50-foot right-of-way and in a manner which ensures public safety and welfare.

“By Sunoco’s unauthorized action to begin construction, we deemed it necessary to file this lawsuit to ensure that any construction across county property is done properly and does not adversely impact the surrounding neighborhoods,” Cozzone added.

Commissioner Terence Farrell added, “Now that Sunoco is crossing county property, we are able to formally petition the Court of Common Pleas and request the issuance of a permanent injunction prohibiting Sunoco from constructing the Mariner 2 pipeline in a manner that could place our citizens in jeopardy.”

All three commissioners are seeking re-election to the board in the May primary.

In February, the commissioners announced that they would file a motion to intervene in the PUC action that opposes the pipeline construction because of safety concerns.

They said that for more than two years the county Department of Emergency Services had been formally requesting crucial pipeline emergency safety information and procedures from Sunoco, either directly or through the PUC and Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, in order to prepare mass notification plans and neighborhood emergency practices in the event of a Mariner East pipeline disaster.

The commissioners contended those requests have gone unanswered. Thus, they said they had decided to join with the complainants in the case of Flynn vs. Sunoco because of shared interests. Other governmental entities, such as the West Chester Area School District, have also asked to intervene in opposition to the pipeline.

At that same time, the commissioners notified Sunoco that the county planned to terminate two temporary easements on the library property that were granted to the company in 2017 — a work space easement and an access road easement — for the new pipeline constriction.

Work on the property did not commence within the term of the temporary easements, the county contends, so the commissioners’ letter informs Sunoco that it no longer entitled to utilize the county’s library’s property. There were no terms for renewal of the temporary easements within the 2017 agreements.

In the news release issued Wednesday about the civil lawsuit, Kichline said, “Sunoco must understand that the County owns this property and we have the right to ensure as they cross County land that adjacent neighbors and our citizens are not adversely affected in any way.”

The suit was prepared on behalf of the county by the West Chester law firm of Buckley, Brion, McGuire & Morris. The case has been assigned to Judge Ann Marie Wheatcraft. No hearing date has been set.

Marcus Hook Refinery being modified to process hydrocarbons from natural gas

From an Article by Bill Rettew, Delaware County Times, January 10, 2019

PHILADELPHIA >> A state Environmental Hearing Board ruled the state Department of Environmental Protection unlawfully issued an air-quality permit for Sunoco at its Marcus Hook facility.

The Marcus Hook facility is the end point for Sunoco and Energy Transfer Partners Mariner East 2 pipeline project. The pipeline will deliver hundreds of thousands of barrels of liquid gases such as ethane, butane and propane to the facility every day. Once there, they will be stored and eventually shipped for the most part to overseas destinations.

On Wednesday, the environmental board ruled that DEP unlawfully issued an air-quality permit for natural gas liquids processing equipment at the Sunoco Partners Marketing & Terminals L.P. facility in Marcus Hook. The processing equipment is designed to handle liquids from the Mariner East pipelines, which run across Pennsylvania. The decision came in response to Clean Air Council’s appeal in April 2016, leading to a trial in May 2018.

Specifically, the board said that DEP was mistaken when it considered various portions of the plan as separate entities. Instead the board noted DEP should have reviewed the project as a whole.

Alex Bomstein, senior litigation attorney for Clean Air Council, hailed the ruling. “The board’s ruling really shows that no one – not even Sunoco – is above the law,” Bomstein said. “The industry’s practice of dividing up big projects into smaller pieces that sneak under pollution thresholds, what we call segmentation, has gone on for too long. This decision is a major step towards restoring the protections that help ensure we have clean air to breathe.”

Sunoco/ETP spokeswoman Lisa Dillinger took a different view of the ruling Thursday. “Today’s ruling has no impact on the construction and operation activities authorized under Plan Approval E while the PA DEP conducts an analysis of the permit, which we feel was permitted correctly,” Dillinger said. “We will work with the PA DEP to provide them with the appropriate information for their review, and we are pleased that the overriding outcome was the Environmental Hearing Board’s denial of the Clean Air Council’s request to revoke the permit.”

The board held that the project in question was really part of an overarching project to transform the former Marcus Hook refinery into a natural gas liquids processing facility. The larger project was unlawfully broken up into smaller projects for the sake of permitting. Where separate construction activities are really all part of the same project, the emissions from all of those projects must be aggregated to determine if more stringent requirements are triggered. Ultimately, the board sent the air permit back to DEP so that DEP can re-evaluate how the project should be permitted.

The board’s decision enhances existing law by providing detailed guidance on when multiple related projects should be considered one project in a review of an air permit application.

“The Environmental Hearing Board’s decision is not only a victory for Clean Air Council, it is a victory for public health and the neighboring communities,” said Joseph Otis Minott, executive director and chief counsel for Clean Air Council. “Too often, big industry players have avoided pollution controls by creating loopholes that jeopardize air quality protections. Sunoco/ETP has been one of the worst offenders in this regard, time and again circumventing the rules and putting the public at risk. The board decision has finally closed this loophole.”

Mariner East 2 is a multi-billion dollar project that will carry liquid gases from the state’s Marcellus Shale regions across the full 350-mile width of Pennsylvania, ending in Marcus Hook. Mariner East 2 is now online, utilizing a mix of different size pipes because of delays and shutdowns on the full, 20-inch pipeline.

The board’s opinion is available in full at: http://ehb.courtapps.com/efile/documentViewer.php?documentID=44482.

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Editorial: Is it Mariner East 2 Pipeline or ‘Frankenpipe’

From the Delaware County Daily Times, West Chester, PA, January 2, 2019

Sunoco and Energy Transfer Partners decided to ring in the new year with a little announcement.

On a Saturday of a holiday weekend, they announced that their controversial – and much-delayed – Mariner East 2 pipeline was now online and ready to move liquid gases from the state’s Marcellus Shale regions to Marcus Hook.

Don’t expect the fierce critics of this project to be popping any champagne corks at this news. In fact, they are not buying the fact that this is really Mariner East 2, at least the original version Sunoco proposed. And they have a point.

Back in November 2014, Sunoco announced it would build a new, 20-inch pipeline to ferry hundreds of thousands of barrels of liquid natural gases such as ethane, butane and propane the full width of Pennsylvania. The 350-mile trek would emanate from eastern Ohio, traverse the entire width of Pennsylvania, and deliver the goods to a facility at the former Sunoco refinery in Marcus Hook, where it would be stored and then shipped out, mostly to foreign destinations.

The line basically followed the path of Mariner East 1, which is the old, original Sunoco petroleum pipeline that was refitted and already moving these highly volatile gases to Marcus Hook.

When fully up and operational, Sunoco/Energy Transfer Partners said Mariner East 2 would move hundreds of thousands of barrels of product a day. But Mariner East 2 was billed as a new, state-of-the-art 20-inch pipeline. What went online Saturday was neither of those things.

Construction of Mariner East 2 was plagued from the outset by a series of spills and runoffs. It also was met with fierce community opposition, fueled by the fear of moving these kinds of materials through densely populated neighborhoods, in close proximity to elementary schools and senior centers.

Construction was halted several times by the state, including a major shutdown after sinkholes believed linked to drilling for Mariner East 2 popped up in a neighborhood in West Whiteland, Chester County, at one point actually exposing the old Mariner East 1 pipe.

Despite the delays, Sunoco and ETP remained consistent in their stance that they would have Mariner East 2 online by the end of the year. But in order to do that, they had to alter their plan. The full, 20-inch Mariner East 2 pipeline now is not expected to be completed until 2020. In order to put what the company is referring to as “Mariner East 2″ online, the company is filling in gaps where the 20-inch line has yet to be installed with something of a hybrid mish-mash of different pipelines.

Sunoco vows all the pipes, including one that was first installed eight decades ago, have been tested and deemed safe. It mimics what the company has been saying about construction in general, that they will build and operate Mariner East 2 to the highest standards in the industry.

Its legions of critics aren’t nearly that sure. They are referring to the hybrid line put into service over the weekend as “Frankenpipe.” Pipeline foes have for months now urged anyone who would listen to shut the project down.

A state Public Utility Commission administrative law judge continues to mull a request from residents in Delaware and Chester counties to shut the project down completely. This comes after rejecting an initial plea to halt work.

Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan announced last week that he was opening a criminal investigation into construction of Mariner East 2, in part stemming from the company’s announcement that it would be using several older pipelines in this hybrid mix to get product moving through the line. Hogan also made it clear he was taking the action in part to reassure residents that someone is looking into their concerns and safety, something he suggested state regulatory officials and Gov. Tom Wolf have failed to do.

Tom Casey is a grassroots organizer who has been fighting Sunoco’s plans now for years. He believes the company made the announcement Saturday in order to reassure investors.

“With the announcement of the 12-inch line coming online, Sunoco can now tell their investors that they have fulfilled their promise to have it online by the end of 2018,” Casey said. “But is the service safe and reliable?” It was a concern shared by many.

Fierce critic Mike Walsh did not try to hide his feelings. “With the latest announcement by ETP, the majority of what Sunoco is calling ME2 in Chester and Delaware Counties is not ME2,” Walsh stated. “It’s a cobbled together Frankenpipe composed of a 12-inch, 16-inch and 20-inch lines of which the 12-inch line was installed in the 1930s and has a long history of leaks.”

Two public officials also weighed in on the latest news from Sunoco.

State Sen. Andy Dinniman, D-19 of West Whiteland, perhaps the most vehement critic of Mariner East 2, vowed the fight to ensure citizen safety is not over. In fact, he believes it is just beginning. “Our concerns regarding the safety of Sunoco/ETP’s Mariner East project and the lack of adequate emergency planning and response information are now more real than ever.”

State Rep. Chris Quinn, R-168 of Middletown, who won re-election in November despite fierce opposition from those who cited his stance on the pipeline while still a member of the township commissioners, questioned the timing of the announcement. “Using old technology without proper vetting for a project that directly impacts public safety is dangerous and irresponsible,” Quinn said. “And to do it all under the cloak of darkness on a Saturday night raises the question: What is Sunoco hiding?”

Sunoco and Energy Transfer Partners have been successful in getting Mariner East 2 – or at least some version of it – online by their projected date, the start of the new year.

But they still have a long way to go to reassure critics that the project is being done safely, and will be operated in the same way.

Why should our valuable chemicals be exported enmass?

From an Article by Bill Rettew, Daily Local News, West Chester, PA, August 25, 2018

MIDDLETOWN >> The Battle of Mariner East 2 continues to heat up. Three “Mama Bears” – local moms who fiercely oppose Sunoco’s pipeline plan – were arrested and led to off to jail in handcuffs early Saturday while protesting the massive Sunoco project near Glenwood Elementary School.

More than two dozen fellow protesters supported the three Mama Bears – two of whom are senior citizens – who sat in the Sunoco right-of-way while holding a “bake sale” or “picnic” on a pleasant morning.

The Mama Bears waited for about an hour, just 300 yards from the school, which is located in what pipeline foes often refer to as the “blast zone.” They were surrounded by dozens of stuffed teddy bears and even handed out homemade cookies.

Police led Abbie Wysor and Barbara Montabana, both of Delaware County, and Ann Dixon, of Philadelphia, to jail after they were ordered by police to dismiss. The three women refused to leave. They were charged with a summary offense, defiant trespass, and released after less than two hours.

The Mama Bear’s lawyer, Tanner Rouse, said the protesters have “tremendous gratitude” for law enforcement. “The state police treated them with great respect,” Rouse said. “These are people who respect the law but the law has left them exposed – with a great risk to the elementary school.”

Protesters were segregated into three categories. They were either, red, yellow or green, depending on the level of risk taken. Almost all the protesters wrote the phone number of legal support, with Sharpie pens, on an arm. The black marks resembled homemade tattoos.

The demonstrators were told by group leaders to carry only basic information, ID, a phone number for an emergency contact, and to leave their cell phones behind and be prepared to list their medications if detained overnight.

The protesters were organized, in part, by Middletown Coalition for Community, the grassroots organization that has been leading the charge against Sunoco’s project, which will transport hundreds of thousands of barrels of volatile gases every day across central Chester County and western Delaware County to a facility in Marcus Hook.

They group said they are promoting safety and showing solidarity in fighting the jailing of grandmother and retired special education teacher Ellen Sue Gerhart, who is serving a two- to six-month sentence, with a $2,000 fine, for fighting pipeline construction on her own property.

The protesters held several signs and banners high. Sentiments displayed included: “We live here;” “Safe schools no pipeline;” “Mama Bear brigade protects our cubs;” and “Revoke the permits.” Several wore T-shirts reading, “Defend what you love.”

As the Mama Bears were led away, with heads bowed, the group sang. “Gonna keep on walkin’, keep on talkin’ and gonna shut this pipeline down,” the demonstrators sang.

Nancy Harkins, of Westtown, asked once again for Gov. Tom Wolf to stop the project. “I’m here because we really want to raise awareness about Ellen and others harmed by this project,” she said. “It’s too dangerous.”

Lora Snyder lives in Edgmont. “I’m here to stand up for our community and our children – at the school in the blast zone – where children would be 600 feet from an explosion is unacceptable,” she said. “We are unwilling guinea pigs in this experiment.”

Spokesperson Eric Friedman noted that there have been two Sunoco pipeline “accidents” near the elementary school, a leak in 1996 and a recent incident in which a work crew from the Aqua Pa. water company struck the non-functioning ME2 line this year. The crew was told the pipeline was buried at 9 feet but they struck the still offline pipeline at 6 feet.

“We realize that Sunoco may feel differently about the safety of children than we Pennsylvanians do,” Friedman said, “It’s disappointing that Gov. Wolf continues to disregard the risk to children and seniors, but the people, in partnership with five impacted municipalities will fill the gap left by his inaction.

A spokesperson for Sunoco Logistics, which is building the multi-billion dollar, 350-mile pipeline that will traverse the width of the state, from the Marcellus Shale regions to Delaware County, did not return a request for comment.

A pipeline risk assessment will be presented by Del Chesco United for Public Safety at Fugett Middle School in West Chester, on Tuesday August 28th, at 7 p.m.

“We look forward to the public presentation this Tuesday of the Citizen’s Risk Assessment that will quantify the size of the blast zone associated with Sunoco’s dangerous proposed export pipeline,” Friedman said.

Also Saturday, 40 protesters waved signs and motorists honked at the corner of Boot Road and Paoli Pike in Chester County.

Demonstrator Jerry McMullen has lived near the site of the Chester County Library and Exton Mall for 43 years. He too is worried about the proposed pipeline’s distance from 40 schools, including SS. Simon and Jude, at 194 feet, and SS. Peter and Paul, at just 7 feet. His bedroom is 32 feet from the 1930s era and already-operating Mariner East 1 pipeline.

Sunoco is either “inept or irresponsible,” McMullen said. “Gov. Wolf has turned a deaf ear and a blind eye to the safety of our communities and our children.”

Joan Herman also was protesting at Boot and Paoli Pike. “Our neighbors, our children, our safety is being put in danger with this pipeline project,” Herman said. “It’s not safe.

“Sunoco is cutting corners. If this project proceeds as Sunoco has planned, they have to be accountable and safe.”

Southeast PA & Mason-Dixon Line (circular arc) to Delaware River

From an Article by Jon Hurdle, NPR StateImpact Penna., April 17, 2018

In March, residents of Chester County’s West Whiteland Township pressed pipeline regulators for answers on Sunoco’s Mariner East construction after it produced sink holes behind some local homes.
Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection will hold a public hearing on plans by Sunoco Pipeline to modify its construction of the controversial Mariner East pipelines at two sites in Chester County’s West Whiteland Township.

The DEP said Monday that Sunoco proposes to change its construction method for the pipelines from horizontal directional drilling (HDD) to a conventional bore at one site and from HDD to a combination of conventional bore, open trench and HDD at the other sit

The changes would mean “major modifications” to the company’s permits under the DEP’s Chapter 105 water obstruction and Chapter 102 erosion control regulations, and so require DEP approval after a public hearing, the department said in a statement.

The meeting will be held on April 30 from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm at the EN Peirce Middle School in West Chester. The DEP also extended a public-comment period from April 21 until May 11.

The statement said one of the affected sites is on East Swedesford Road, where the local water utility, Aqua America, has raised concerns about a well at Hillside Drive. The other location is along North Pottstown Pike, where the new work plan has been prompted by hydrogeological analysis and seismic testing, DEP said. Sunoco submitted both plans last October.

The sites are among about 60 along the cross-state pipeline route that have been subject to a court-ordered “re-evaluation” of local geology after a string of drilling-fluid spills.

Sunoco sought the change “to ensure Aqua America’s water supply would not be impacted,” spokesperson Lisa Dillinger wrote in an email. The change would allow construction to continue “in the most efficient manner possible while keeping safety as our first priority.”

In early March, the Public Utility Commission shut down operation of the parallel Mariner East 1 pipeline at Lisa Drive in the township because of concerns that building Mariner East 2 and 2X pipelines through limestone geology might compromise the safety of the existing line. The PUC’s action was triggered by the appearance of sinkholes near two suburban developments.

In August 2017, a state court temporarily halted drilling at nearby Valleyview Drive after HDD punctured an aquifer, causing some private water wells to turn cloudy and leading Sunoco to pay for affected homeowners to be connected to public water.

David Mano, a resident of Valleyview Drive whose well water was affected, said he has no more confidence in the company’s new plans than in the previous construction because both proposals have been made by the same contractor, Tetra Tech.

“They still don’t know what they’re doing,” Mano said, referring to Sunoco. “They are going by Tetra Tech which is the company that did the first evaluation for this area, and they said, ‘It’s OK go ahead and drill.’ You saw what happened with that.

“Now, the same company is saying, ‘You can drill but not so deep,’” he said. “How can we trust them?”

The Middletown Coalition for Community Safety, an anti-pipeline group in neighboring Delaware County, said DEP staff and some 30,000 public commenters had recognized the risks to public safety from a pipeline carrying highly volatile liquids through some of Philadelphia’s densely populated western suburbs when Sunoco’s original plan was approved.

The group said in a statement that it “trusts that this time around, Gov. Wolf and his Department of Environmental Protection will fully consider the public and school safety risks and economic downsides of Sunoco’s ‘major modification’ proposal for the Exton area.”

Tetra Tech said in a letter published on the DEP’s website that the new construction would avoid problematic geology. By using the new installation methods, it said, “SPLP is able to avoid geology which would make a HDD installation difficult while maintaining the avoidance of impacts to resources and sensitive areas.”

The DEP set a three-minute limit for individual speakers at the April 30 hearing, and imposed a limit of one speaker per organization. Speakers were also asked to submit their comments in writing.

Mariner East 2, which has been under construction since February 2017, is scheduled to begin operation by the end of June. Dillinger said the change in construction method, if approved, would not affect that timeline.

When complete, the line will carry ethane, butane and propane some 350 miles from western Pennsylvania to a terminal at Marcus Hook near Philadelphia where most of it will be exported.

Is construction of Mariner East 2 causing the sinkholes on Mariner East 1?

From an Article by Jon Hurdle, NPR StateImpact PA, March 9, 2018

Sunoco scrambled to inspect an ageing pipeline on Friday in the backyards of Chester County homes where drilling for two new pipelines has caused several sinkholes to open up.

Yellow backhoes dug holes in several places among homes along Lisa Drive and Lynetree Drive in West Whiteland Township after the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission ordered Sunoco to temporarily halt operations of the Mariner East 1 pipeline. The PUC cited the risk of what it called “catastrophic results” if the pipeline leaks any of its natural gas liquids.

The risk to the older pipeline stemmed from the sinkholes that have appeared during the construction of the Mariner East 2 and 2X pipelines, the PUC said. The first holes appeared in late 2017 and have multiplied over the last week, prompting the regulator’s order that Sunoco stop operating the line while it ensures its integrity for a mile on either side of the sinkholes.

The PUC, in its order on Wednesday, said the sinkholes developed because of unstable geology in the area.

Lisa Drive resident T.J. Allen’s backyard is dominated by a fenced enclosure which he says contains two sinkholes. About 10 feet from his house, another hole surrounded by orange fencing had been filled with concrete by Sunoco in an attempt to protect Mariner East 1 from the sinkholes a few feet away, Allen said.

The combination of sinkholes and a pipeline from the 1930s, which is when Mariner East 1 was built, makes Allen fear for his safety and that of his 72-year-old mother, who lives with him. “They put us all in danger, didn’t evacuate us, didn’t even tell me, didn’t knock on our door,” said Allen, 46, an independent construction contractor. “It’s crazy, man.”

Allen said he’s ready to leave at a moment’s notice. “It feels as though at any minute I might have to run out my house and get my valuables together,” he said. “I have a go bag in there with my medication, my mom’s medication, my deed, everything.”

Sunoco spokesman Jeff Shields said there are only three holes, all of which have been grouted and secured. Shields rejected complaints from some residents who say that people are asked to leave the area where Sunoco and its contractors are working.

The suspension of Mariner East 1 operations for an estimated 10-14 days will allow Sunoco to show that the pipeline is safe, as it has been since it was built, Shields said.

“This period should allow us to share what our professional geologist has established to date – that the Mariner East 1 pipeline is stable, is located in suitably safe geology, and will continue to operate safely as it has done for decades,” Shields said in a statement.

He said the company has no reports of structural damage to homes on Lisa Drive. But Andrew Neuwirth, an attorney for Allen’s next-door neighbor, Russell March, said there is damage to drywall, a chimney and a fireplace in his client’s home that has coincided with the appearance of the sink holes.

“All these homes have lost a tremendous amount of value as a result of this,” Neuwirth said in an interview on Lisa Drive. He said he is in touch with Sunoco’s lawyers but will be taking “further action.”

John Mattia, whose home also backs on to the sinkhole site, says he doubts he could sell his house if he wanted to. “I’m not sure selling is a realistic possibility at this point,” said Mattia, 48, who has lived in the house for 17 years and raised his children there. “I am not sure what action we are going to take at this point. The whole thing is very depressing.”

Mattia said he had agreed to Sunoco’s compensation for taking an easement on his land, but said the sum was lower than he wanted and that the company had threatened to take the land by eminent domain if he did not accept the offer.

The sinkholes and the remedial work on the older line are taking place about 200 yards from a rail line carrying Amtrak and Septa passenger trains. The new pipelines are due to run underneath the rail line.

The PUC said it identified three sinkholes and an unspecified number of additional holes that on March 5 were “developing” on the south side of Lisa Drive. Shields said the additional holes were identified before construction started and so are not related to the drilling.

In response, the water utility Aqua sent a crew to Lisa Drive on Friday to prepare its water main there to be shut off in the event that it was compromised by a sink hole. “Aqua is taking precautionary steps to reduce to the impact to our infrastructure and the surrounding community should the Mariner sink holes cause a failure of our infrastructure,” said Aqua spokeswoman Donna Alston.

Sunoco resumed construction on the new Mariner East lines in February after a month-long shutdown ordered by the PA Department of Environmental Protection in response to multiple violations.

Mariner East 2, carrying propane, ethane and butane across southern Pennsylvania, is due for completion by the end of the second quarter of this year.

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THE GRANDDAUGHTER OF A LEBANON COUNTY FARMER WASN’T PREPARED FOR THE TROUBLE THE ATLANTIC SUNRISE PIPELINE CAUSED.

“Devastation”: Atlantic Sunrise pipeline construction impacts Quittapahilla Creek and family farm

Sunoco Mariner East 2 Pipeline appears “high risk” for residents

Editorial of the Delaware County Daily Times, Swarthmore (Pa), January 25, 2018

A community group has asked Delaware County Council to do a risk assessment on the Mariner East 2 pipeline project, seen in the photo during construction. Council has agreed to the request.

Don’t look now, but those who for months have opposed Sunoco’s massive $2.5 billion Mariner East 2 pipeline project have just scored a couple of significant victories.

First, the PA state Department of Environmental Protection halted all construction on the pipeline project across the state. The PA-DEP cited “egregious” problems that have plagued work on the pipeline now for months, including several discharges and spills. In at least one instance, private water wells in Chester County were disturbed.

The state also noted that Sunoco Pipeline LP, the offshoot of Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners, which is planning to move hundreds of thousands of barrels of volatile gases across the state, from the Marcellus Shale region to Marcus Hook, had done some work for which it was not permitted. Mostly, it involved a controversial drilling technique called Horizontal Directional Drilling, which the company utilizes in tricky areas and which they say is actually less destructive to the environment.

But they got caught doing it out near Harrisburg in an area where they were not permitted to do so. So the PA-DEP finally shut down all work until Sunoco can come in with a report telling them how they plan to avoid any more mishaps and adhere to all PA-DEP regulations. Sunoco says it plans to do just that.

Then this week a group of citizens opposed to the pipeline appeared before Delaware County Council asking them to support their push for a full risk assessment study of the project and its effects on the county.

Council, which was one of the early supporters of the pipeline plan and the economic boost it held for the county, agreed.

Council Chairman John McBlain and new Democratic Councilman Brian Zidek will set up the parameters for the study, then council will put the project out for bid for outside consultants.

It’s one of the persistent cries of those who have watched in horror as Mariner East 2 has cut an ugly path through the county. Sunoco, having been granted the crucial public utility status by the courts years ago, went about acquiring property as close as possible to an existing pipeline, Mariner East 1. That line, which used to ferry oil to the refinery at Marcus Hook, already is up and running delivering the kind of ethane, butane and propane that for the most part will be stored at the Marcus Hook Industrial Complex before being shipped to markets overseas.

Look, putting in a pipeline is not pretty. And one look at the neighborhoods where Mariner East 2 has come in – 11 miles across western Delaware County and another 25 miles across Chester County – can easily attest to that. Eventually, Sunoco insists, the landscape will be restored and no one will know the pipeline is there. After all, pipelines are not exactly a new idea in this area of the state. There are hundreds of miles of pipeline criss-crossing all kinds of neighborhoods.

But none will carry the kind – or the amount – of materials that Mariner East 2 will ferry across Delaware County. Through densely populated neighborhoods. A few hundred feet from elementary schools such as Glenwood Elementary in Middletown.

Those who stand against the pipeline don’t buy all the hype about the economic benefits of this project. They are leery of almost anything Sunoco says, and they have the scars to prove it.

But while they grudgingly admit there is an economic benefit to the pipeline, they continue to question why that necessarily overrules their safety concerns, their hardships during construction, their property values, and their worries about problems once the pipeline is up and running.

And they question why no risk assessment was done before the project was approved.

In fact, several state legislators, including state Rep. Chris Quinn, R-168 of Middletown, and Chester County Sen. Andy Dinniman, D-19 of West Whiteland, have fired off letters to Gov. Tom Wolf asking for exactly that.

“There is no example of a pipeline of that size with this sort of material running through a built-up area like our county,” George Alexander of Media told County Council.

Eve Miari, a member of the Middletown Coalition for Community Safety, one of the most vocal critics of Mariner East 2, said no governing body in the state has stepped up to answer questions or at least delve into the potential for a problem.

“We have a huge regulatory gap where no one at the federal or state level is looking out for the safety of the residents and you have an out-of-state corporation basically putting their pipeline through the regulatory hole,” Miari told council.

For their part, Sunoco and their backers among labor unions and the oil and natural gas industry, insist that they are following all state regulations in construction of Mariner East 2, and that it is being installed and will be operated to the highest industry standards.

Sunoco spokesman Jeff Shields responded to the move by County Council by saying the project has been “thoroughly vetted” by federal, state and local agencies. He pointed out that pipelines have been used to move natural gas and other materials safely across Pennsylvania for nearly 100 years, including in many areas across Delaware County, and in close proximity to schools, hospitals, senior living facilities and homes.

“We have been living with these pipelines safely for decades, and we know that pipelines are the safest way to transport petroleum products,” Shields said. Opponents remain unconvinced. And the tide just might be turning in their direction. It’s late in the game, but their questions are not going to go away. It might be the only way to resolve their concerns. Bring on the risk assessment.

Mariner East 2 parallels Mariner East from OH & WV to the Delaware River

From an Article by Bill Rettew, Daily Local News, West Chester, PA, January 2, 2018

SILVER SPRING TOWNSHIP >> Sunoco is again feeling the heat after the PA Department of Environmental Protection accused the pipeline builder of drilling without authorization. The 350-mile Sunoco Mariner East 2 pipeline is now under construction.

The PA-DEP alleges that Sunoco impacted two fresh water wells on December 18, about 10 miles west of Harrisburg, when utilizing horizontal directional drilling, without authorization. The PA-DEP maintains that the approved method of pipeline installation at that location was by open trench.

The PA-DEP also alleges that a November 17 inspection in Berks County also revealed unauthorized drilling.

Sediment first showed up in a West Whiteland Township couple’s well water in July. Sunoco later agreed to hook up about 30 residents to public water and pay each homeowner $60,000.

Sunoco was also rebuked for likely causing a six-foot backyard sinkhole in West Whiteland and not reporting it in a timely fashion.

Kathryn Urbanowicz, staff attorney with Clean Air Council, fired off a letter to associates. “For this secret, unauthorized drilling to happen even once is outrageous,” she wrote. “For it to happen twice – that we are aware of — makes an utter mockery of PA-DEP and all the calls of the public for increased safety and transparency.” Also: “It is painfully clear the PA-DEP’s enforcement efforts are not consequential enough for Sunoco to deem it worthwhile to follow the law.”

The PA-DEP alleges that the permittee (Sunoco) was not authorized to use horizontal directional drilling at the central Pennsylvania site.

The December 22 notice of violation reads: “A request to modify the permit must be submitted by the permittee and approved by PA-DEP before the permittee may commence any construction or earth disturbance activities that are not included in the information submitted in support of the application.”

Plans call for the Sunoco Mariner East 2 pipeline to stretch from Marcellus Shale deposits in West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio, to the former Sunoco Refinery in Marcus Hook, Delaware County.

Jeff Shields, Sunoco Pipeline Communication Manager, released the following statement Tuesday:

“The Clean Air Council is making statements that are simply false. We have made every effort in the construction of this more than 300-mile project to respect and follow the stringent conditions of our environmental permits.

“In instances where a different construction method was used other than what was outlined in the permit, the method chosen had a lesser environmental impact. We are working with the PA-DEP to address any construction issues and to ensure that any changes to permitted activities are approved in advance.

“Regarding the Clean Air Council’s water claims, there have been no wells impacted in Cumberland County in the way they suggest. We did have some residents complain of a drop in water levels, which we are investigating. Finally, nothing we do in building this important infrastructure project is ‘secret.’

“All our construction is subject to extensive and unprecedented agency oversight and reporting requirements, which are published by the PA-DEP, making Mariner East 2 not only the largest construction project to date in Pennsylvania, but also the most transparent.”

Urbanowicz said during a Tuesday phone interview that the violations were not accidents. “It seems like Sunoco is making a decision to go against the environmental protections in place,” she said. “They’re undermining the whole process and the public’s ability to protect itself.”

The PA-DEP required Sunoco to submit daily construction logs, including logs, covering the time when drilling started. Those logs should document each day of activity, start and stop times for drilling, stage of drilling process, approximate progress, drill pressure, depth of cover, and any loss of pressure or drilling fluids.

Sunoco was also reminded that it had to offer well water users located within 450 feet of all horizontal directional drilling sites free water sampling, before, during and after the start of drilling.

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State halts Mariner East II pipeline construction over environmental violations

Article by Jacob Tierney, Pittsburgh Tribune Review, January 3, 2017

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has ordered Sunoco Logistics LP to stop work on the 306-mile, $2.5 billion Mariner East II pipeline.

Sunoco violated its permits, using unauthorized drilling methods that leaked nontoxic drilling fluid into trout streams and water wells across the state, according to the DEP.

The state discovered Sunoco was using unauthorized drilling methods after learning of a drilling fluid leak into a Berks County creek in November, according to the DEP order.

Over the next few weeks, the state discovered numerous other sites in Berks, Blair, Cumberland, Dauphin, Huntingdon, Perry and Washington counties where unauthorized drilling methods were being used, often resulting in drill fluid leaking into nearby bodies of water, several of which were designated trout streams, according to the DEP.

Sunoco’s permits for the affected areas called for digging a trench to install the pipeline. Instead the company used horizontal directional drilling — which takes place almost entirely underground.

“They are bound by the permit conditions, and in this case they violated them by using different techniques,” said DEP spokesman Neil Shader. “Our inspectors have to be aware of what is going where when they go out to do spot checks and other inspections.”

The DEP has recorded more than 100 “inadvertent returns” — leaks of drilling fluid and other liquids — related to the construction of the pipeline since May. These range from tiny spills of less than a pint to 160,000 gallons leaked into a Cumberland County wetland. There were 20 spills in Westmoreland County, mostly around Loyalhanna Lake.

Under the DEP order, Sunoco must immediately stop all work previously authorized by state DEP permits, which cover all 17 of the Pennsylvania counties spanned by the pipeline, until a slew of conditions are met.

According to the order, Sunoco has 30 days to submit a full report of any trout streams crossed by the pipeline, along with a report of any other sites that use unpermitted drilling techniques, a list of all drilling contractors and subcontractors associated with the project, an explanation of how and why the permits were violated and a plan to prevent further violations.

Sunoco must also replace or restore private wells in Silver Spring Township, Cumberland County, where property owners reported cloudy water as a result of unauthorized drilling, according to the DEP.

“This project remains critically important for our commonwealth. Sunoco and DEP should work expeditiously to resolve this matter so safe construction can resume and this vital project can get back on track,” Kurt Knaus, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Energy Infrastructure Alliance, said in a statement.

Municipal leaders in Westmoreland County said as far as they know local drilling for the pipeline is already done, or nearly so.

“What I see through the township here is they’ve got some dressing up to do, but they’re pretty much done,” said Salem Township Supervisor Robert Zundel.

A December newsletter from Sunoco said work on the project was 91 percent done, with work in Washington, Allegheny and Westmoreland counties 84 percent complete.

A judge previously halted work on the project in July when Sunoco was accused of violating a 2015 settlement with West Goshen Township, but work resumed the next month when a settlement was reached.

The 20- and 16-inch pipelines will be able to carry 275,000 barrels of liquid natural gas a day and cross 270 properties over 36 miles in Westmoreland County. The new pipelines will run parallel to the existing Mariner East I line.

More hearings ordered for Sunoco pipeline regards pumping and valve stations

From an Article by Marc Levy, Associated Press (Washington County, PA) October 2, 2014

HARRISBURG – More hearings were ordered on whether to exempt the construction of buildings around pump and valve-control stations from local zoning ordinances along a 300-mile pipeline to ship natural gas liquids from Marcellus Shale wells across southern Pennsylvania.
 
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission voted 4-1 in favor of the hearings to help decide whether the zoning exemptions sought by Sunoco Logistics are crucial to its Mariner East pipeline service. In doing so, the commissioners rejected a July recommendation by two administrative law judges that went against Sunoco Logistics.
 
The two judges had recommended that the commission deny Sunoco Logistics’ request to exempt buildings to shelter 18 pump stations and 17 valve control stations from local zoning ordinances in 31 locations, each in a different municipality, along the planned ethane and propane pipeline.
 
The judges had said the buildings cannot be exempt because the pipeline does not constitute public utility service. But the commissioners said the pipeline already had been certified as a utility service. The propane service is to begin later this year, while the ethane service is to begin next year.
 
Objections had been filed by the Clean Air Council, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, the Concerned Citizens of West Goshen Township and the Mountain Watershed Association.
 
The pipeline is to originate in Houston in Washington County amid the area’s Marcellus Shale drilling fields and end at the company’s distribution facilities in southeastern Pennsylvania’s Delaware County. The ethane and propane would be piped together and separated at the facilities before being distributed to domestic, regional and international markets.
 
Much of the 300-mile pipeline had already existed, previously pumping diesel west to Pittsburgh. About 50 new miles are being added across Washington and Westmoreland counties to Delmont to convert the pipeline and carry natural gas liquids from the booming Marcellus Shale fields east to the revamped Sunoco Logistics facilities. Southpointe-based Range Resources is among the drillers who will ship its products on the pipeline to Delaware.
 
A second phase will add a new, larger 16-inch pipeline to parallel the existing pipeline from Houston, in Washington County, to the Marcus Hook Industrial Complex, as well as a new 15-mile extension from Houston to the Ohio-Pennsylvania line, the commission said.
 
The pipeline construction has produced lawsuits in Washington County Court involving property owners who object to the path. The project also resulted in a large leak last month of boring mud that reached Mingo Creek near Finleyville and prompted the state Department of Environmental Protection to consider fining the company over the problem.