Pipeline neighbors addressing worries on telephone town hall
A Tuesday night telephone town hall answered questions posed by residents living, working and sending their children to school in areas adjacent to the Sunoco Pipeline L.P. Mariner East 2 project.
Coordinated by state Sen. Tom Killion, R-9 of Middletown and state Rep. Chris Quinn, R-168 of Edgmont, both of whom represent constituents along the pipeline route, the event was scheduled in response to requests from local municipal officials. Approximately 60 residents registered in advance and calls were placed to the 60,000 households in Killion’s district, resulting in several thousand individuals on the line.
The town hall, which lasted slightly more than an hour, offered the opportunity to pose questions to a panel responsible for oversight and regulation of pipeline projects in Pennsylvania, including representatives of the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, state Public Utility Commission, Department of Environmental Protection, Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, Delaware County and Chester County Emergency Management and Sunoco.
“These are people I could never get into one room all at once,” said Killion. “There is a great need for public information and this is a chance to get answers from technical experts.”
Spanning Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio, Mariner 2 is a 350-mile pipeline which would bring natural gas liquids such as propane, ethane and butane to the Marcus Hook Industrial Complex. The last 11.4 miles of the system traverse Delaware County ending at the facility.
The panel members reviewed their agencies’ areas of responsibility – PHMSA (safety regulation over construction operation and maintenance), PUC (inspection and enforcing federal and state regulations), DEP (permitting and monitoring), PEMA (support and coordination with counties and municipalities) and county emergency management (coordinating with local first responders and providing situational awareness with necessary tools and information).
Callers registered to pose questions and six queries from residents of both counties were addressed live. Others were encouraged to remain on the line at the end to leave voice messages which will be answered. Individuals were also directed to each agency’s website, Sunoco’s marinerpipelinefacts.com and the company’s 24-hour hotline, 855-430-4491.
As expected, the questions centered on safety, such as the products being transported, routing, measures in place and inspections. Listeners learned Sunoco coats the pipeline to prevent corrosion and inspects 100 percent of the welded pipes. Once installed, the company conducts weekly inspections and regulates the pressure, temperature and flow of the contents at a 24/7 monitoring center in Berks County.
The pipeline route was determined by Sunoco, as Pennsylvania does not have state or federal authority over siting of underground utilities, said PUC pipeline safety division chief Paul Metro.
“Pipelines are the safest method of transport – safer than rail or other types of vehicles,” he added. “It would take 750 trucks or 75 rail cars to transport what pipelines can move in a day.”
The open trench lines will be installed at a depth of 48 inches and several speakers noted one of the greatest risks is third-party damage. They stressed the importance of contractors dialing PA One Call before they start digging.
The project has created 200 direct hires at the Marcus Hook facility, said Sunoco senior manager of public affairs Joe McGinn. The project required hundreds of engineers, surveyors and specialists in the planning stages and 50 percent of the contractors completing the field work are local, he added.
The major benefit of the town hall was the opportunity to provide educational information, said PHMSA pipeline safety community liaison Ian Woods. The agency website, www. phmsa.dot.gov, has maps for residents to view the existing pipelines in their neighborhoods.
“I often say to people, ‘Are you aware of the 50 other pipelines in your area?’” he said. “Educating the public is key and their fear goes away.”
A caller from Aston, a member of Steamfitters Local 420, invited those on the line to visit the union training facility to view firsthand the skill of the workers installing the pipeline. He also highlighted the positive impact the project has had on the union.
“It has created two million man hours of work paying $160 million in wages and benefits,” he said. “It has given us an economic boost that was needed and well deserved.” often