On December 11, Public Utility Commission Administrative Law Judge Elizabeth Barnes denied a petition by residents of Chester and Delaware counties to prevent the operation of a interim “workaround” that would start the shipment of natural gas liquids through the 1930s era Mariner East 1 and other pipelines until the Mariner East 2 Pipeline is finished.
The Mariner East 1 Pipeline route parallels the Mariner East 2 and 2x Pipelines across the state.
The petition for an interim emergency shutdown order was denied because the petitioners failed to demonstrate they met the requirements for an emergency order, among other requirements--
-- The situation did not constitute an “emergency” presenting a clear and present danger to life or property;
-- Whether the need for relief is immediate; and
-- Whether injury would be irreparable if relief is not granted.
The Mariner pipelines run from the natural gas fields of Western Pennsylvania to the Philadelphia area where refineries use natural gas liquids as a raw material to make other products.
Click Here for a copy of the decision.
The decision by Judge Barnes was forwarded to the full Commission for consideration. The next meeting of the Commission is December 20.
Mariner East 1 Penalty
On December 13, the PUC’s Bureau of Investigations and Enforcement proposed a $225,000 penalty for violations of federal pipeline safety regulations resulting from an April 1, 2017 leak of 840 gallons of ethane and propane from Sunoco’s Mariner East 1 Pipeline near Morgantown in Berks County.
Local residents reported the leak after they found product from the 1930’s era, high pressure pipeline bubbling up out of the ground.
Investigators from the Bureau later found the pipeline leak was caused by corrosion requiring the replacement of 83 feet of the 12-inch Mariner East 1 Pipeline.
Resource Link:
Hurdle: Residents Urge PUC To Halt Mariner East Pipeline Operation, Hold Hearing On Emergency Plans
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