ANOTHER SHUTDOWN
DEP halts work again at Middletown site after 4 different spills of mud and clay
MIDDLETOWN » Four recent inadvertent returns of drilling fluid near Tunbridge Apartments, at 274 Glen Riddle Road, precipitated the state Department of Environmental Protection to temporarily shut down Sunoco Pipeline’s Mariner East 2 horizontal directional drilling.
The inadvertent returns took place April 18, 19, 20 and 23.
The April 23 return is under investigation, according to Neil Shader, DEP press secretary.
After the first three discharges of about 8,170 gallons to an upland containment area were cleaned up and the site was inspected by the DEP, Sunoco was allowed to restart operations, Shader said.
Shader said work was stopped on Monday until DEP approves a required restart plan, which, as of Monday, Sunoco had not submitted.
On behalf of the Middletown Coalition for Public Safety, Eric Friedman released the following statement: “This area in Middletown Township is the site of repeated Sunoco spills of drilling fluid, an industrial waste, so this latest series of frac-outs was completely predictable. Despite this string of problems, Gov. Tom Wolf’s Department of Environmental Protection keeps on approving drilling restarts, so it appears they are simply unwilling to act to protect residents from Sunoco – a company that reported three leaks of hazardous, highly volatile liquids from its Mariner East 1 export pipeline in less than a year. Also predictable: the next leak of these dangerous materials in our densely populated area could have very serious public safety consequences.”
State Sen. Andy Dinniman, D-19 of West Whiteland, has been a vocal pipeline critic.
“Another day, another series of problems with Mariner East 2 drilling,” Dinniman said. “Since the project began there have been dozens of spills reported in our region and more than 100 across the commonwealth.
“The longer this project goes on and the more Sunoco rushes to try to appease its investors, the more potential danger and threats local residents are experiencing to their health, safety, environment, and property.”
State Sen. Tom Killion, R-9 of Middletown, said he will continue to monitor the pipeline closely.
“DEP did the right thing by following shutdown protocols for this incident. They need to ensure that the environment has not been impacted in any way,” Killion said.
Sunoco Piprline spokeswoman Lida Dillinger released this statement:
“As part of Mariner East 2, Sunoco Pipeline identified ways to minimize environmental impacts to wetlands, waterways, wildlife habitats and other sensitive areas, and horizontal directional drilling offered the best construction method to do this. HDD also allows the pipeline to bypass culturally sensitive areas and avoid traffic disruption, and it further protects the pipeline from third-party damage.
“At the same time, horizontal drilling is sometimes accompanied by inadvertent returns of drilling mud, which is made of drinking water and non-toxic bentonite clay. Any ingredients in the drilling fluid must be approved by the DEP and meet safe drinking water standards, and that is specifically in case the fluid escapes through a seem in the geology and into the environment. As part of our permits with the DEP, we have plans to monitor for inadvertent returns, contain any bentonite and water, and recover it.
“While we have experienced inadvertent returns in a number of drills, this is not unexpected as the permit applications submitted and approved by the DEP include, among other requirements, compliance with an Inadvertent Return Contingency Plan, which we have followed by responding and containing those returns to avoid any long-term impacts and reporting them to the DEP. We have worked in coordination with the DEP to ensure that the environment is protected and will continue to do so.”
Meanwhile, three bills introduced by Dinniman to improve pipeline safety and protect local property rights were overwhelmingly approved by the Senate Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee on Wednesday.
“This is an important step forward in our work to pass common-sense legislation to better protect residents, families, and property rights from the growing network of highly volatile natural gas pipelines crisscrossing our region,” Dinniman said. “If Pennsylvania is to fully realize the benefits of Marcellus Shale drilling, then citizens who are impacted by the potential threats of pipelines deserve to know that key protections are in place to ensure that their health, safety, well-being, and property rights are accounted for.
“It was a pleasure to work with State Sen. John Rafferty, R-44 of Lower Providence, in both drafting these bills and working
to get them through the committee process. This is an important issue in southeastern Pennsylvania and I appreciate his ongoing partnership.”
Rafferty, who also represents areas impacted by Sunoco’s Mariner East 2 pipeline in Chester County, served as a co-sponsor and supporter of the bills.
“I am pleased that we were able to move all three measures to ensure the pipeline industry advances safer standards and interacts more effectively with our communities,” said Rafferty, a member of the Senate Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee. “I look forward to working with Sen. Dinniman to advance these bills and other pipeline legislation.
“We must send a strong message, on behalf of our constituents, that the pipeline industry must improve their management practices for the betterment of this commonwealth.”
“We took an important step to protect families from the effects of hazardous pipeline leaks if they occur,” said Killion, who supported the bills. “I am proud to be a co-sponsor of these common-sense bills and to have helped move them out of committee. I ask the full Senate to consider this legislation and other proposals that enhance pipeline safety across the state,” he added
The vote comes after a joint hearing of the Senate Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure and Environmental Resources and Energy Committees earlier this spring that highlighted the need for stronger pipeline safety laws in Pennsylvania.