Controversy and opposition to the Mariner East 2 pipeline has wrongly politicized the project and encouraged action from both ends of the political spectrum in Pennsylvania. In the process, ideology has been prioritized over fact, clouding the judgement of many. What has been lost are the undeniable benefits this project provides.
Politicizing Mariner East 2 is counterproductive on a number of levels. Pipeline opponents have relied on spreading fear and misinformation in hopes to halt the project. Opponents doubled down on flawed risk assessment studies to increase the false information being disseminated in hopes to bolster their ideology.
These tactics are used for political gain in hopes of casting a shadow over the undeniable positive benefits that Mariner East 2 will provide Pennsylvania.
These benefits include:
- An estimated injection of $3 billion to Pennsylvania’s economy in construction costs alone;
- 30,000 construction jobs creating $100 million statewide economic impact and roughly $23 million in annual income tax revenue for the state;
- Decades-long access to reliable energy that will facilitate additional critical infrastructure spending;
- Efficient transportation network, ensuring the safest means to deliver critical energy resources to Pennsylvania consumers; and
- Jobs along the pipeline and at facilities like Marcus Hook and Competitive Power Ventures Fairviews will help to reintroduce jobs critical to a strong economy like manufacturing
Pennsylvania is fortunate to have the opportunity to realize its energy abundance and Mariner East 2 is a critical step towards that goal. Politicizing the pipeline has hindered and slowed Pennsylvania’s prosperity.