The Battle of Mariner East 2

Much of the country was riveted to their TV sets last night, watching history unfold.

Not in Middletown Township.

They were making some headlines of their own.

More than 150 people packed the township council chambers to hear the board vote on whether to grant a series of easements to Sunoco Logistics for their Mariner East 2 pipeline plan.

Those two pipelines are slated to ferry ethane, butane and propane - as much as 450,000 barrels a day - to the former Sunoco refinery in Marcus Hook.

To get there those pipelines have to traverse 11 miles of western Delaware County, through Middletown, Aston and Upper Chichester.

Residents opposed to the plan, who have galvanized into the grassroots organization Middletown Coalition for Safety, actually went to court Monday afternoon seeking an injunction blocking the vote. The effort failed.

After hearing from residents and Sunoco - including the company's statement that if they did not get the OK to traverse the public parcels they simply would re-route the path around them - the board voted to approve the deal.

I said Monday this is the most important story in Delaware County.

Nothing that happened last night changed my mind.

This fight is not over. Not by a long shot.

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