As reported in the Daily Local News, a judge has ruled that construction of the Mariner East Pipeline can resume despite objections of residents, local activists, environmentalists, and county government officials.
County officials, in a statement from the commissioners office, said they were “disappointed with the Commonwealth Court’s ruling and are currently reviewing our remaining legal options regarding the construction of the ME2 pipeline by Sunoco Pipeline LP on county property.”
This highly controversial project continues to generate nothing but bad news. This past Tuesday, Sunoco crews damaged a PECO gas line, causing concern in the community as residents were not notified of the gas leaks and potential problems.
According to the Daily Local News article, “the county said news that Sunoco had kept quiet about the leak did not come as a shock. It has complained for some time that the company had no viable plans for emergency notification at the constriction sites for the pipeline.”
“We are incredibly frustrated but not at all surprised by Sunoco’s lack of notification and lack of communication immediately after striking the PECO gas line to the Chester County Library yesterday,” county Chief Administrator Bobby Kagel said in a statement.
“We are thankful that residents quickly recognized the situation and called first responders, and we are thankful that the line struck wasn’t an active (natural gas liquids) pipeline,” said Kagel, the former head of the county’s Department of Emergency Services. “We are also grateful for the dedication of the first responders who were placed in this untenable situation and who are repeatedly subjected to the risk of unnecessary harm and danger because of Sunoco’s careless practices.”
The pipelines run past houses, parks and schools in southeastern Pennsylvania, and have been met with protests by alarmed neighbors worried that one leak could ignite a deadly explosion. Sinkholes along the pipelines’ route have opened on lawns and construction has contaminated streams and private water wells.
