SINKING FEELING
THORNBURY NEIGHBORS COMPLAIN ABOUT HOLES, BUT SUNOCO SAYS THEY AREN’T SINKHOLES
THORNBURY » Residents are concerned after what appears to be two new sinkholes recently developed directly above the Sunoco Mariner East 1 pipeline.
Much larger sinkholes had developed in East Whiteland Township and led to last month’s shutdown of the Mariner East 1 pipeline.
Similar holes recently developed in Edgmont, about a mile south of the Thornbury holes. The new holes are located at the Andover subdivision, at the intersection of routes 352 and 926. Sunoco spokeswoman Lisa Dillinger had said those Edgmont holes were created by rodents.
Dillinger denied the Thornbury depressions are sinkholes.
“The holes and fencing observed within our ROW in Thornbury Township are actually a routine part of safe pipeline construction called ‘potholing’ where holes are dug to identify the exact location and depth of our existing pipeline and other utility facilities. The orange fencing is for safety. The fact that these are intentionally excavated holes has been confirmed by our professional geologist and environmental inspection staff. Once construction is complete, these will be filled and restored to normal ROW grassy vegetation,” she said in a written statement.
Jennifer Berlinger’s home is about 100 feet away from the pipeline right-of-way. Construction has started there on the Sunoco Mariner East 2 pipeline in the same right-of-way as the 1930sera Mariner East 1 pipeline.
Berlinger pointed to where Sunoco had axed 180-year-old trees. Two big pines, a walnut tree and a gingko were all cut down on Andover subdivision homeowner’s association property.
“It’s scary,” Berlinger said. “I’m angry. They wanted something that wasn’t theirs and they just took it.”
Cloth noise buffers tower over Berlinger’s back yard.
Berlinger said she is “stuck” at her home.
“No one is going to buy my home — I’m stuck with the danger. Do I look a buyer in the eye and not tell them? This is not political. They can’t just take what they want. It’s hard to believe this can happen in America.”
George Alexander is a Media resident.
He referred to Mariner 2 pipeline as an “export” pipeline designed to ship materials overseas to make plastic.
He said there will be no benefit for local residents.
“There is no reason to consider it a public utility but (Sunoco) is acting like it is.”
Eric Friedman lives in the Andover subdivision and is a spokesman for the Middletown Coalition for Community Safety.
“Regardless of Sunoco’s excuse for these latest holes, it’s clear that the permitting of this project has been defective from the beginning,” Friedman wrote in a release. “Safety concerns associated with Sunoco’s troubled project continue to mount, given the dangers of hazardous, highly volatile liquids, Sunoco’s abysmal safety record, and our densely populated area.
“Gov. Wolf should get his thumb off the scale for Sunoco, and instead act on the bipartisan calls to assess the safety risks of this proposed export pipeline.”
Virginia Cain, community resources coordinator at the state Department of Environmental Protection, responded that the department was aware of the situation.
“DEP is conducting an investigation to ascertain whether sinkholes or subsidences have formed as a result of work on the ME 2 project in that area,” Cain said.
The now-under-construction Mariner East 2 pipeline would stretch 350 miles from Marcellus shale deposits in Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania to the former Sunoco Refinery in Marcus Hook.
State Sen. Tom Killion, R-9 of Middletown, and his staff are attempting to find out what happened in Thornbury.
“We have been in touch with DEP about this incident, and they indicated they will have inspectors reviewing these ground openings as soon as possible,” Killion said. “I am hopeful we will learn more shortly.
“Once DEP makes a determination about the cause of the openings, appropriate action will be taken immediately to address the issue if it’s related to drilling.”
State Sen. Andy Dinniman, D-19 of West Whiteland, has long fought pipeline construction and has written bills to regulate pipelines.
“Problems with the Mariner East pipeline project are not going away. Rather they only seem to be increasing and becoming more widespread,” Dinniman said. “More and more residents are expressing opposition and concern because more and more neighborhoods and communities in our region are facing impacts and potential threats.
“These sinkholes are only the latest example. And given Sunoco’s track record and DEP’s failure to rein in this project, serious questions about the integrity and effectiveness of the pipeline process in the commonwealth demand to be heard.”