On January 24, the Public Utility Commission Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement announced the operation of the entire length of the Mariner East 1 Pipeline has now been shut down by Sunoco Pipeline LP and will not be allowed to resume operations until the Bureau approves.
Pipeline safety engineers from the Bureau continue to monitor all work at the Lisa Drive site and remain in constant contact with SPLP regarding their activities involving Mariner East 1.
The PUC also continues to use the ARM Group Inc., a leading consulting firm specializing in geotechnical engineering and geophysics, to monitor geological testing of the Lisa Drive site and analyze the results for PUC investigators.
Other steps have been taken to deal with the sinkhole on Lisa Drive in West Whiteland Township in Chester County--
-- Temporary stabilization work around a “sinkhole” that developed this past weekend (January 20) along Lisa Drive, in West Whiteland Township, Chester County – using flowable fill material and sand to secure an exposed section of the Mariner East 1 pipeline – was completed by Sunoco on Wednesday, Jan. 23;
-- In order to fully isolate the Lisa Drive location for testing, Sunoco is purging a 44-mile section of the pipeline, from Beckersville, Berks County, to Marcus Hook, Delaware County; work to purge the final 3.8-mile segment of that line, from Twin Oaks, in Delaware County, to Marcus Hook, is expected to be completed this evening.
-- Per agreement between the Bureau and Sunoco, this section of line will remain purged during the duration of the Bureau investigation into this incident; and,
-- Discussions are underway regarding the geophysical testing that Sunoco is required to conduct in the area around the Lisa Drive incident.
All testing will be shared with Bureau’s pipeline safety engineers and the Bureau's geophysical consultants for independent analysis and review. Following analysis of these testing results, the Bureau will determine whether a plan for remediation of the Lisa Drive site, along with any other work that the Bureau believes is necessary, can be developed.
The Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement’s investigation of this incident is active and ongoing.
As the independent investigation and enforcement bureau of the PUC, the Bureau has the authority to bring enforcement action, seek emergency orders from the Commission or take other steps to ensure public safety, should circumstances change or based on the finding of the investigation.
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