Pipeline opponents continue to rely on Hail Mary attempts in hopes to halt the natural gas industry in Pennsylvania.
A recent letter to Governor Wolf signed by 14 local elected officials, including the usual suspects of Sen. Dinniman, Rep. Friel Otten and Rep. Comitta, asks for a COMPLETE “moratorium” on Mariner East operations and construction.
The 14 signees are playing a ridiculous game.
By refusing to acknowledge the permitting, safety training and round the clock monitoring Energy Transfer has conducted and continues to maintain, the pipeline opponents continue making meritless arguments in hopes to move the goalpost further and further away.
The economic boom provided by the steel and coal industries in Pennsylvania are long gone. Pennsylvania has an opportunity here for natural gas to provide lasting economic benefits for the state. Asking for intervention by Governor Wolf to the Nth degree will kill an important economic lifeline for the state of Pennsylvania that facilitates thousands of jobs and millions in tax revenue for the state. Some elected officials clearly don’t understand basic economics.
A couple of facts that should be acknowledged are:
- Energy Transfer has gone to great lengths in each stage of construction and operation, including training some 2,300 emergency responders, meeting with over 40 local school districts and freely sharing emergency response plans with local communities.
- Pipeline opponents have relied on the annals of regulator language to continually push for an end to Mariner East. These tactics are disingenuous and should be abandoned. Allow those placed in charge – like the DEP and PUC – to make the proper determinations (which they have since the project started).