A settlement between parties involved in a case before the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board (EHB) means construction activities will return to normal along the entire stretch of the 350-mile Mariner East 2 pipeline.
The EHB had halted drilling-related work on portions of the pipeline pending an Aug. 9 hearing. Days before that hearing, an EHB judge ruled Aug. 4 that directional drilling could resume at 16 spots. Following today’s settlement between parties, drilling can resume across the pipeline.
Although the drilling component is just a small part of the overall pipeline construction project, it had idled hundreds of workers.
The Pennsylvania Energy Infrastructure Alliance is a broad-based coalition of labor, agriculture, manufacturing and other business interests statewide that support private investment in pipeline and other energy infrastructure developments. In response to the settlement, PEIA issued the following statement, which you can attribute to me, Kurt Knaus, as spokesman:
“The importance of this pipeline to Pennsylvania is unmistakable, which is why there was consensus to resume construction and get these workers back on the job. The permits issued for this project are among the most stringent that the Department of Environmental Protection has ever issued for this type of construction activity. Independent analyses have made clear that Mariner East 2 meets and exceeds minimal pipeline safety regulations, with state-of-the-art technologies and round-the-clock monitoring that will ensure safe construction and long-term operation. The settlement is simply an extension of the permitted work being done to build this project in the safest manner and ensure we continue to reap the economic and jobs benefits that come with it.”
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Kurt Knaus, Spokesman
Pennsylvania Energy Infrastructure Alliance
P: 717-571-5687