State Sen. Andy Dinniman is hoping COVID-19 will finally achieve what he has been unable to do: halt the construction of the legally permitted Mariner East pipeline network. He made the pitch in a letter sent to Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission Chair Gladys Brown.
If you are writing about the senator’s efforts to halt construction, please attribute the following statement to Kurt Knaus, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Energy Infrastructure Alliance.
“Time and time again, courts have overruled objections and found Mariner East to be a public utility, essential to meeting the energy needs of Pennsylvania and the United States. Because the pipeline network is essential, work must continue to ensure safe and responsible development and operations.
“Outside construction work like this undoubtedly can be done in a manner that abides by the proper notions of social distancing, and the pipeline builder has made clear that employees and contractors are following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration on all possible precautions to protect personal and public health and safety.
“The governor also has declared that ‘(e)ssential services and sectors include but are not limited to … construction,’ underscoring how important this work is. Bringing operations to a standstill would cause job losses for essential high-skilled laborers and employees that would compound the deep economic concerns our state is facing.”
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For more than four years, the Pennsylvania Energy Infrastructure Alliance has advocated for the safe, responsible development of critical infrastructure. For more information:
Online: www.paallianceforenergy.com
Twitter: @PAllies4Energy
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PAllies4Energy
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—
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.