I’m happy to report back from a rally held in Chester County on Saturday to demand the complete shutdown of the troubled Mariner East pipeline. Parents, teachers, veterans, residents, and elected officials were among the roughly 300 people calling on Governor Tom Wolf as well as the Public Utilities Commission to uphold the shutdown of the pipeline, which has consistently posed a threat to public health and the environment.
Several weeks ago, a judge ruled to suspend construction of the Mariner East 2 and 2X lines in West Whiteland Township, as well as to halt operation of the existing Mariner East 1 pipeline in the same location, because of chronic sinkholes and water contamination resulting from construction efforts on the pipeline. The Mariner East pipelines would transport fracked gas liquids from southwestern Pennsylvania shale fields to an export facility at Marcus Hook, in the southeastern part of the state.
Ellen Sue Gerhart, who has resisted the Mariner East 2 pipeline on her property at Camp White Pine in Huntingdon, spoke of her experience, including the ongoing threat to her of physical harm and incarceration for entering the easement granted to Sunoco in crossing her property. State Senator Andy Dinniman, who requested the shutdown of the Mariner East from the PUC, also spoke of a recent event that has called the entirety of the pipeline’s construction into question.
Last month, a contractor working on a water pipe struck the Mariner East pipeline with an excavator while digging 6 feet underground. Sunoco had told the contractor that the pipe was 9 feet underground. Thankfully, the pipeline was not in service, because there was an elementary school full of children within the likely blast zone. This has justifiably terrified people along the entire length of the pipeline, and has again called into question the entire method of permitting and monitoring pipelines in the state.
Rest assured we will use this fortunate avoidance of a potentially terrible outcome to advocate for a complete moratorium of pipeline development in Pennsylvania.
Shoutout to our partners leading the fight against Mariner East and Energy Transfer Partners in the state: Clean Air Council, Mountain Watershed Association, Middletown Coalition for Community Safety, Camp White Pine, Del-Chesco United for Pipeline Safety, Earthworks and many others.
Many thanks to Jim Wylie, Robin Mann, Bernie Greenberg, and the dozens of Sierra Club volunteers who have worked on this issue. Thanks to Casey Francis for driving turnout for the rally with a text alert. Shoutout to Joanne Kilgour, Tom Torres, Veronica Coptis, Tom Au, Kelly Martin, Diana Csank and everyone else leading this fight for Sierra Club in PA.
Media Hits:
NPR StateImpact: As PUC decision nears, Mariner East foes rally to call for total shut
WGAL: Protesters in Chester County call for pipeline shutdown
WSKG: As Public Utility Commission Decision Nears, Foes Push PA To Shutdown Mariner East Pipeline
DelCo Times: Home News 300 protesters call for end to Sunoco pipelines
Mercury News: 300 protesters call for end to Sunoco pipelines
Patrick Grenter's work includes addressing impacts to water quality stemming from natural gas pipeline infrastructure. He enjoys spending time outside with his family, reading, and Chicago Bears football. To learn more about the Mariner East 2 Pipeline, please check out our Southeastern Group's website.