There's a new twist in the ongoing battle over the Mariner East 2 pipeline project.
A group of environmental organizations went into court yesterday to challenge the deal Sunoco Pipeline cut with the state Department of Environmental Protection and hoping to once again halt construction on the project.
The DEP announced last week that the company would pay $12 million in fines to settle a slew of "egregious" complaints tied to ongoing problems involving spills, runoff and other issues during construction of the 350-mile pipeline that will bring hundreds of thousands of barrels of ethane, butane and propane across the full width of Pennsylvania from the Marcellus Shale regions to the former refinery at Marcus Hook. In exchange Sunoco Pipeline was given the green light to resume construction.
Yesterday the Clean Air Council, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, and Mountain Watershed Association filed an appeal of that ruling. They also went into Commonwealth Court seeking an injunction to halt construction again.
You can get all the details here.
In the meantime, on our editorial page, we note the somewhat surprising news that came from Sunoco Pipeline that, despite the delays and work stoppages, they still plan to have Mariner East 2 up and running by the end of June.
That's just four months away.
It seems like nothing can stop this project. Delaware County Council has given the approval for an independent risk assessment on the pipeline project. But is it too late?
Read our editorial here.
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