The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has suspended Mariner East 2 construction. Multiple Sunoco Pipeline violations, including some against Faherty Law Firm clients, have led the PA DEP to order a halt on construction.
DEP stops construction on Mariner East 2 pipeline after multiple violations
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has suspended all work on the Mariner East 2 pipeline after citing multiple violations.
The 24-page order suspends all construction permits until Sunoco Pipeline LP meets all requirements outlined in the order. Crews can still perform maintenance of erosion controls and limited maintenance of horizontal directional drilling equipment.
“Until Sunoco can demonstrate that the permit conditions can and will be followed, DEP has no alternative but to suspend the permits,” said DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell in a news release. “We are living up to our promise to hold this project accountable to the strong protections in the permits.”
Some of the terms Sunoco must adhere to include:
- Addressing all impacts to private water wells in Silver Spring Township, Cumberland County.
- Identifying all in-progress or upcoming construction activities and detail the specific Chapter 102 and Chapter 105 permit under which the activity is authorized.
- Submitting a detailed Operations Plan outlining additional measures and controls to minimize inadvertent returns.
Sunoco on Dec. 18 notified DEP that it received two complaints in three days from separate water well owners in Silver Spring Township, saying their water was cloudy.
A DEP inspection determined Sunoco had changed its construction method without first obtaining a permit modification.
The full order, which can be found here, lists a number of violations. Some include discharging industrial waste without a permit and horizontal directional drilling despite not receiving permits to do so.
Mariner East II is to run from Washington County across Pennsylvania to Marcus Hook in Delaware County to move propane and other natural gas liquids across the state.
Written by: Travis Kellar | PennLive
Graphic by: Sunoco Logistics
