On Monday, PUC Spokesman David Hixson announced that review of Mariner East’s August 5 backfire took place, was completed and the matter is CLOSED.
On August 5th, some West Goshen residents reported a loud “boom” to local police. The sound they heard however was only the reaction to getting the pipeline back online after routine maintenance. Mariner East released the following statement regarding the backfire and apologized for the disruptive sound.
“During routine maintenance at our Boot Station in West Goshen Twp., there was a backfire on a flare at approximately 8 pm as the station was brought back online. This resulted in a loud noise, similar to a car backfiring. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.”
The safety protocols in place helped determine the event was a noise disturbance and local police were dispatched to the site. Even though the backfire posed no threat to the surrounding community, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) investigated the matter. The investigation does not appear to confirm the conspiracies suggested by anti-pipeline activists, like Tom Casey. The review was conducted by the Safety Division of the Independent Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement.