As the Alliance frequently emphasizes, natural gas feedstock provides incredible benefits for our state and country’s economies for decades to come. By nature, and of equal importance is the safe, reliable transportation of this crucial resource. Despite what many claim, pipelines are unequivocally the safest means of transportation for energy resources.
According to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, the pipeline natural gas delivery system is the safest form of energy delivery in the nation. More than 77,000 miles of new pipelines have been built in the last decade and incidents and spills have decreased by approximately 50 percent.
Additionally, Sunoco Logistics has been safely operating pipelines in the Commonwealth for decades. In fact, a report by Richard Kuprewicz, a nationally recognized expert in gas and liquid pipeline investigation, risk management, operations, maintenance, emergency response, and safety, issued a report which found that Sunoco Logistics meets and exceeds federal pipeline safety regulations. Sunoco was found to utilize additional integrity management approaches, prudent pump station design, mainline valve placement and actuation, pipeline monitoring, as well as control room procedures, automatic release detection safety systems, emergency notification, and complies with the latest PHMSA Advisory Bulletin concerning pipeline reversals.
Sunoco Logistics has been working on this project since 2012, meeting with landowners, residents, and community leaders along the proposed route and Mariner East 2 received unprecedented regulatory review with tens of thousands of public comments and five public comment hearings.. While some still may have reservations, the facts remain, an expansion of pipeline infrastructure is necessary for Pennsylvania.