Delco Council discusses pipeline issues

Politicians say they are pushing Sunoco for safety measures

As the Mariner East project unfolds in this portion of the state, members of Delaware County say safety is – and should remain – at the forefront.

“We want the Mariner East project to be built in the safest way,” Councilman Dave White said. “We want to make sure as it moves forward, it is taken into consideration of all of our residents throughout every municipality that it’s going through ... We need to be assured and make sure that this is being built in a safe and environmentally friendly way.”

The Mariner East 2 pipeline is being constructed by Sunoco Pipeline LP and extends 350 miles from the Marcellus Shale region in the western parts of the state to the Marcus Hook Industrial Complex. It will move natural gas liquids such as ethane, butane and propane to the facility for storage, processing and distribution to local, national and international markets.

About 11.4 miles of the pipeline stretches through Delaware County, including portions of

Thornbury, Edgmont, Middletown, Aston and Chester Township, before connecting with the Mariner 1 pipeline in Upper Chichester, which goes to Marcus Hook.

Another 23 miles traverses the heart of Chester County.

In July, about 1,500 gallons of bentonite, a nontoxic lubricant used in horizontal directional drilling, leaked into a tributary of Chester Creek off Glen Riddle Road in Middletown. In May, almost 580 gallons of bentonite seeped into the creek in three separate instances along Chester Creek Road in Brookhaven.

The Middletown Coalition for Community Safety called for a moratorium on construction and for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to revoke the company’s permits. The coalition was formed in August 2016 to inform residents about potential pipeline risks and to ensure emergency plans were in place.

Earlier this month, the state Environmental Hearing Board approved a settlement between Sunoco Pipeline LP and the Clean Air Council, Mountain Watershed Association and Delaware Riverkeeper Network. This came a day before the board was to hold a hearing on a request to halt drilling operations.

The groups had gone to court after horizontal directional drilling disturbed several private wells in West Whiteland, Chester County.

Under the terms of the agreement, Sunoco will reevaluate 47 selected drilling sites where inadvertent return has occurred or will occur. It also includes requirements on notifying residents about when drilling resumes and offering homeowners with private wells the option of having their water tested.

Supporters of the project point to its economic benefits. According to an Econsult Solutions study completed in 2015, the Mariner East projects in total are anticipated to add $4.2 billion to Pennsylvania’s economy and result in more than 30,000 construction jobs and 300 to 400 permanent jobs.

Pipeline officials said they have a history of addressing concerns here.

“We have worked successfully with Delaware County since the inception of Mariner East to address all of their questions regarding our project, from the many layers of safety in our construction, maintenance and operations to the enormous economic impact of the pipeline, which includes thousands of construction jobs in Delaware County and the rebuilding of the permanent manufacturing job base in Delaware County,” said Jeff Shields, spokesman for Energy Transfer Partners, the parent company of the pipeline.

County Council Chairman Mario Civera said oversight of the pipeline is done at the state level as the permits for the project were issued by state Department of Environmental Protection and Gov. Tom Wolf.

“When certain incidents happened ... weeks ago, sure we were worried,” Civera said. “We were very concerned.”

White conceded the authority rests with the state.

“We cannot stop this process,” he said. “This is a state approval, this is a state process.”

White added, “We’re not happy with everything that has been occurring with the Mariner East process. We’re not happy with what has occurred with the drinking water.”

In June, the drilling process damaged an underground water supply feeding an aquifer in West Whiteland Township, Chester County. Sunoco supplied bottled water to nearly a dozen residences that experienced cloudy water or loss of supply from their private wells. Some families had to spend one or two nights in other locations.

State senators and representatives have been calling for creating a state board responsible for timely communication of pipeline activities. They also want to introduce legislation outlining more clarity for homeowners whose properties are in the pipeline’s rightof-way.

County Councilman John McBlain said everyone’s issues should be heard and it should be safe.

He added that his understanding was that Sunoco is doing that.

“Authorities with oversight should make sure that it is safe,” McBlain said. “We certainly expect the Department of Environmental Protection is making sure that it is being done that way.”

He said the county has involved its Emergency Services Department to make sure there is a plan in place in the event of emergencies.

“That is the type of exercise and planning we have done for this project,” McBlain said, comparing it to the preparations that were given to be ready for when the trains carrying the Bakken crude oil were arriving.

That said, he noted, pipelines are a safer mechanism for moving ethane, butane and propane than via rail or trucks.

Civera said he talks to Timothy Boyce, director of the county’s Emergency Services Department, daily, as Boyce has been involved with Middletown residents and others who have raised questions about the pipeline project.

“As you proceed with this, you’ve got to proceed with the idea of ‘Is the community safe?’ and ‘What all measures are being taken?’” Civera said, adding that Boyce confirmed that these questions are being suitably answered.

County Council Chairwoman Colleen Morrone stressed the importance of having the pipeline built and maintained safely.

“We’re concerned about the safety of our residents,” she said, adding that other areas of the project are outside the realm of the county.

Delaware County Councilman Michael Culp also said safety is of top concern.