Dinniman accuses Sunoco of botching pipeline work

WEST CHESTER >> State and federal authorities did not properly examine a potential leak during a recent test on Sunoco’s Mariner East pipeline project in West Whiteland Township, state Sen. Andy Dinniman said.

“Just when you think it can’t get any worse, we have another textbook example of the bumbling failure of government oversight on something as vitally important as potential leaks in a hazardous materials pipeline,” Dinniman, D-19, who serves on the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, said. “Keep in mind, this comes right around the same time as a pipeline explosion in Beaver County.

“And by the way, we’re still waiting on the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission for straight answers and the results of an investigation into that disaster.”

Following hydrostatic testing of Sunoco’s 12inch pipeline last month, a homeowner on Shoen Road notified both Sunoco and the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) of the presence of a “fluorescent green-yellow” coloring in groundwater on her property,” Dinniman said.

A hydrostatic test is a way to test pipelines for strength and leaks. It involves filling the pipe system with a liquid, usually water, which is dyed to aid in visual leak detection, and pressurization of the vessel to the specified test pressure.

In this case, the homeowner noticed an apparent brightly-colored substance – indicating a potential leak in the pipe – in groundwater emerging on her property and immediately notified authorities,” Dinniman said.

Sunoco spokesperson Lisa Dillinger disagreed with Dinniman.

“Senator Dinniman is incorrect,” Dillinger said. “We

did conduct a hydrotest on the 12 in line which confirmed the line’s integrity.

“You can confirm this with the PUC.”

Dillinger said Sunoco investigateg the area reported by the resident.

“Our team, which included an environmental specialist, confirmed that anything else going on at her location is not related to our pipeline or our operations,” she said.

Dinniman noted: “However, from there, things – like the water that appeared in her yard – get murky. According to email correspondence:

• Sunoco representatives insist that the hydrostatic test determined no leaks and initially try to chalk up the “green-yellow” coloring to algae.

• However, a federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) liaison confirms that Sunoco was, in fact, using fluorescent green-yellow dye in the hydrostatic testing of the 12-inch line.

• Still, Sunoco insists the test determined no leaks.

• Then PHMSA and PUC officials are, at first, led to believe the groundwater in question was tested and produced a negative result for dye/tracer contamination.

• Yet, later, after persistent questioning, PHMSA confirmed that the groundwater itself was not tested to determine if the coloration was due to potential leak. According to an email from a PHMS liaison, ‘No sample was taken.’”

Dinniman said the situation was the same one that has played out time and time again on the Mariner East Pipeline project.

“Literally, every time problems have occurred on Mariner East it seems like residents are the ones who detect them and notify our government agencies,” Dinniman said. “They’re the real watchdogs.

“And the initial response of our government agencies is almost always to blindly take Sunoco’s word and make a vague declaration that ‘all is well.’ But when we press for clarity, documentation, and evidence, the truth comes out one way or another. Usually, it leads to a reversal in the original assessment and a revelation that nothing has been done despite the very real potential of a catastrophic risk to public safety.”

In response, Dinniman requested that the PUC require Sunoco to:

1. Again conduct hydrostatic testing of the 12-inch pipeline in Chester and Delaware Counties.

2. Notify property owners, school districts, libraries, and businesses along

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