For just over a month construction has been halted along the Mariner East 2 line. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued an administrative order to Sunoco Pipeline suspending construction activities related to DEP-permitted operations on January 3, 2018, and today that order was lifted.
In a statement released this morning, the DEP that it:
“Has issued a $12.6 million civil penalty to Sunoco Pipeline, LLP (Sunoco) for permit violations related to the construction of the Mariner East 2 pipeline project. DEP and Sunoco have entered into a Consent Order and Agreement (COA) memorializing the penalty. As a result of the strict Consent Order and Agreement, which includes a historic civil penalty and a stringent compliance review, DEP has lifted the order suspending DEP-permitted operations.”
Sunoco Pipeline submitted a revised Operations Plan, as well as additional measures and controls that will minimize inadvertent returns and water supply incidents. This marks a positive step in the right direction for Pennsylvania’s infrastructure, energy, and workers, and allows a project that will bring more than $9.1 billion to the state while employing thousands of workers get back on track.
And those thousands of Pennsylvanians were put out of work when the halt was issued, harming families and communities across the state. The Mariner East 2 Pipeline has consistently shown to help Pennsylvanian workers, and boost Pennsylvania’s economy, and our country as whole. With construction expected to resume in the next few weeks, we can leave this hiccup behind us and get back to work bolstering our infrastructure and improving our state.
PEIA Spokesman Kurt Knaus released the following statement in response to the DEP’s order,
“The restart of this project is good news for the workers who were idled and hoping for a speedy resolution after construction was halted, and good news for commonwealth residents who are eager to realize the benefits of one of the state’s largest energy infrastructure projects. DEP’s action proves that regulators are being an effective watchdog to ensure safe, responsible development. With the stop-work order lifted, this project can get back on track and Pennsylvania’s skilled laborers can get back to work.”
You can read the full statement here.