Fewer than two dozen residents staged a photo shoot this morning in front of subsidence in Middletown Township, Delaware County, using it as a backdrop to call once again for the shutdown of the legally permitted, highly scrutinized Mariner East 2 pipeline project. It’s important to note that there has been no definitive report to conclusively determine cause or show that work on Mariner East caused this subsidence along U.S. Route 1, where no portion of the pipeline was exposed.
The reality is that subsidence events happen often in this region and throughout the commonwealth, without impacting any number of infrastructure projects. There are rules for building infrastructure here and there are no risks when issues are remedied immediately. As added protection, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has standards to ensure pipelines are made of high-strength steel so they do not have to rely on the ground holding them in the unlikely event of subsidence.
If you are writing about this event, please feel free to attribute the following statement to me, Kurt Knaus, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Energy Infrastructure Alliance.
“The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission has proven itself to be an effective watchdog that relies on science and engineering before rendering decisions. There has been no definitive report to conclusively determine cause in this area, and there is risk. No portion of the pipeline was exposed.”
For nearly four years, the Pennsylvania Energy Infrastructure Alliance has advocated for the safe, responsible development of critical infrastructure and boosts in economic activity.
For more information:
Online: www.paallianceforenergy.com
Twitter: @PAllies4Energy
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PAllies4Energy—
Kurt Knaus, Spokesman
Pennsylvania Energy Infrastructure Alliance
P: 717-571-5687
Harrisburg, Pa.
PEIA 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.