There were 32 violation notices filed against the Mariner 2 Pipeline in 2017.
It’s those violations that prompted the Pennsylvania DEP to suspend Sunoco Pipeline, LP’s construction permits until it complies with their guidelines.
In the DEP’s decision, the department’s secretary Patrick McDonnell said, “Until Sunoco can demonstrate that the permit conditions can and will be followed, DEP has no alternative but to suspend the permits.”
He continued, “We are living up to our promise to hold this project accountable to the strong protections in the permits.”
The pipeline stretches across the state of Pennsylvania including Blair and Huntingdon counties.
One of the major factors leading to this decision came from several complaints of cloudy water from private water wells in Silver Spring Township, Cumberland County. It’s stipulated that Sunoco must address that issue before their permits are restored.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Sunoco said, “We received an order this morning from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection that instructed us to suspend construction activities in Pennsylvania with respect to Mariner East 2 until reauthorized by the Pennsylvania DEP. The order requires us to submit various reports related to current and future construction activities. We intend to expeditiously submit these reports and we are confident that we will be reauthorized to commence work on this project promptly. We also reiterate our commitment to the highest levels of construction expertise and our dedication to preserving and protecting the environment in which we conduct our work.”
Back in December, the DEP handed down a violation for drilling fluids leaking into Raystown Lake in Huntingdon County.
The violation claims they received a written report from Sunoco saying there was an inadvertent return of drilling fluids that leaked into Raystown Lake: an estimated 25 to 30 gallons of fluids.
The violation required Sunoco to recover the fluids from the lake and prove any preventative measures taken to avoid something like this from happening again.
According to the DEP, the leak has stopped and was repaired. The clean-up process is underway.