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Susan Phillips
Energy Transfer, a pipeline builder, announced that it had completed the Mariner East natural gaz liquids project, 350 miles long, five-years after construction began. It was also two years after the initial completion date. The announcement came several months after the Texas state Attorney General filed 48 criminal charges against Energy Transfer. The majority of the product will go to Scotland for use in making plastics.
Pennsylvanias Department of Environmental Protection issuednew permitsin December allowing construction on the section of the pipe that had been halted since August 2020, after the companyspilledbetween 21,000 and 28,000 gallons of drilling mud fluid into Marsh Creek Lake. The Chester County section was the last to be completed.
The end of pipeline construction means that the focus will shift to shipping more Marcellus Shale gas overseas. This is something that building trades look forward to, but is feared by those who live with an existing pipeline.
This is bad news according to Ginny Marille-Kerslake a Chester County resident and organizer at Food and Water Watch. The Mariner East 2 pipeline is now in operation, which increases the risk of a devastating explosion in densely populated areas in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Kerslake stated that there is no good plan for emergency response in the event a leak occurs. The pipes contain natural gases liquids (NGL), including propane, butane and ethane. They are heavier than air and do not smell. They sink when there is a leak and can ignite and explode easily. She stated that families are at unacceptable risk because this out-of state corporation is making a profit by shipping contaminated ethane abroad for more plastic junk. Relying on luck alone is not enough.
Energy Transfer announced in its fourth-quarter earnings call that it will increase its overseas exports by commissioning the Mariner Eastern lines. Natural gas liquids via the Mariner East lines increased by 10% in 2021, compared to the previous years. Overall, NGL exports from the company increased by two-thirds over the past two years.
Jim Snell is the Steamfitters Local 420 business manager.
Snell said that this is the news our members have waited for. They have worked for years on the pipeline because they know that the Marcus Hook Industrial Complex will offer even more opportunities once everything is in place. This project has proven to be a great economic investment. But the economic promise is even greater.
After initial permit applications to Department of Environmental Protection were deemed inadequate and challenged by environmental groups, the Mariner East project was faced with roadblocks from the beginning.
The construction was delayed almost immediately after it began. The project has led to numerous drilling mud leakages into wetlands, waterways, and other areas throughout the state. It also caused dangerous sinkholes in Chester County and polluted drinking water supplies along the entire length. After its work had caused damage to the aquifer, and created sinkholes in it, the company purchased at most five Chester County homes.
More than 120 DEP notices have been issued regarding violations of Energy Transfer. The DEP has fined and assessed more than $20M since February 2017, when construction began. The operation of the Mariner East 1 pipeline was temporarily stopped by the state Public Utility Commission in 2018 due to safety concerns.
Residents and environmental groups believe that the company didn’t stop it continuing to damage ecosystems, and put neighbors at danger.
Joe Minott, Clean Air Council executive director, stated that the company was able to benefit from a DEP who was only willing and able to fine them. ME pipeline should have had all its permits revoked. They should not have been granted any new permits. It is impossible to force rich corporations to comply with such regulations. It is a very sad day in Pennsylvania.
Even the last leg was blocked by opposition. Local residents and politicians demanded that construction be stopped until Marsh Creek Lake was cleaned up.
Mariner East consists of three pipelines that carry highly volatile ethane and propane. These are the Mariner East 1 line, Mariner East 2 line, and the Mariner East 2x line. The lines transport Marcellus Shale gas from Pennsylvania to the 800-acre terminal in Marcus Hook (Delaware County), where the bulk of the product is shipped for plastics manufacturing to Scotland.
The company plans to convert a portion of Mariner East 1 into refined products like jet fuel, diesel and heating oil. ThePennsylvania AccessLine would connect Midwest refineries with central Pennsylvania, the Lehigh Valley and upstate New York.
Muth has called Energy Transfer “one of the most reckless drillers in the nation” andpointed to theexplosion of the company’s natural gas liquids Revolution pipeline in 2018 in rural Beaver County. After only being in service for a week, the pipeline burst during a landslide. It engulfed a hillside in flames, forcing evacuations. The explosion released 3,000,000 cubic feet of gas, sending flames 150 feet high. Although no one was hurt in the blast, several pets died and vehicles were damaged. Six high-voltage transmission towers and an electric line were destroyed.
Energy Transfer spokesperson said that the company operates its Mariner East pipes safely.
Spokesperson Lisa Coleman stated that there are no safety concerns about the ongoing operation of our active pipelines in this region, which have been safely operating for many years.
Coleman said that natural gas liquids are essential to our supply chain. They are the building blocks of the products we use every single day.
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