Clean Air Council Files Intent To Sue Sunoco Over Mariner East II Pipeline Construction Permits

On October 6, the Clean Air Council, through counsel, filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue Sunoco Pipeline L.P. (Sunoco) for violations of its Erosion and Sedimentation Control permits related to the Mariner East II pipelines.  

Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services of Pittsburgh, PA, which is representing Clean Air  Council in this matter, filed the notice outlining an alleged pattern and practice of preventing professional geologists (PGs) working on the pipelines from properly inspecting and investigating environmental conditions, including subsidence, near the pipelines. 

The Notice of  Intent to Sue contends that:  

-- Sunoco prevented the PGs from talking with drillers, depriving them of required information. 

-- Sunoco prevented PGs from reporting potentially dangerous subsidence outside of an arbitrarily determined boundary.  

-- Sunoco failed to adequately monitor subsidence incidents that were reported. 

-- Sunoco required the PGs’ reports to be editable and altered those reports before submission to regulatory agencies.  

-- Sunoco required the PGs to conform their findings with those of the Utility Inspectors,  regardless of their actual findings. 

Given the limitations placed on PGs and the potential alteration of their reports, CAC contends that Sunoco has violated their Erosion and Sedimentation permits. 

The permits require Sunoco to submit true and accurate reports to the Department of Environmental  Protection to ensure compliance with the Clean Streams Law.  

“Sunoco is so scared of what its scientists will find in investigating its pipeline construction that it’s muzzled them and doctored their reports,” said Joseph Minott, Executive Director and Chief  Counsel of Clean Air Council. “Building pipelines based on fake science is dangerous and  fraudulent.” 

Click Here for a copy of the Notice of Intent to Sue.

Related Articles This Week:

--28 Environmental Organizations Demand DEP Revoke Mariner East Pipeline Permit For Lebanon County Spills

-- DEP: Columbia Gas Will Pay $156,000 Penalty For Pipeline Construction Violations In Greene County

Related Articles:

-- Clean Air Council: Another Spill From Construction Of Sunoco's Mariner East II Pipeline In Chester County

-- Mariner East Pipeline Drilling Stopped Indefinitely At Site Of Leak Into Marsh Creek State Park Lake, Chester County; Pipeline Company Will Be Held Accountable

-- Mariner East Pipeline Can Resume Construction In Chester County Under Temporary Supercedeas Granted By Environmental Hearing Board

-- DEP Orders Sunoco To Reroute 1+ Mile Of Mariner East Pipeline, Investigate Chester County Marsh Creek Lake Spill, Restore Impacted Resources

-- DEP OKs Permit Changes For Mariner East 2 Pipeline In Delaware, Chester Counties

-- DEP Assesses $355,000 Penalty On Sunoco For 2018, 2019 Mariner East 2 Pipeline Construction Violations

-- PUC: Pipeline Safety Investigation Underway Involving Sunoco Pipeline Under Construction In West Whiteland Twp., Chester County

[Posted: October 7, 2020]  PA Environment Digest