AG Shapiro: Free Water Evaluations Begin For Homeowners Affected By Construction Of Mariner East 2 Natural Gas Liquids Pipeline

On December 16, Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced three professional geology firms, GeoServices, Ltd., Meiser & Earl, Inc., and David Miller Associates, Inc., were selected to begin independent evaluations of water quality for residents affected by the construction of the Mariner East 2 Pipeline.

“Pennsylvanians have a constitutional right to clean air and pure water,” said AG Shapiro. “My office fought hard for residents to have the opportunity to get their water tested, after being pushed aside by big companies and ignored by the institutions that were supposed to help them.  Today we take the next step to bring justice to those harmed by Energy Transfer’s crimes and to secure Pennsylvanian’s right to safe, reliable and clean drinking water.”

Earlier this year, following an investigation by the Office of Attorney General Environmental Crimes Section, Sunoco Pipeline L.P., and ETC Northeast Pipeline LLC (ETC), both subsidiaries of Energy Transfer, L.P. (Energy Transfer), were convicted of criminal charges related to their conduct during the construction of two major pipelines in Pennsylvania.  [Read more here.]

Mariner East 2 Pipeline, which crosses 17 counties in the southern tier of Pennsylvania, and Revolution Pipeline, a 42.5 mile pipeline that starts in Butler County, and is routed through Beaver and Allegheny counties, and connects to a gas processing plant in Washington County.

As part of the agreement, Energy Transfer agreed to pay for independent evaluations of potential water quality impacts for homeowners from the construction of the Mariner East 2 Pipeline and offer approved mechanisms for restoring or replacing the impacted private water supplies.

Six independent professional geologists will review water testing and advise on water quality and impact: Douglas Cwienk, P.G. and Timothy Higgins, P.G., hydrogeologists at David Miller Associates, Inc.; Peter Robelen, P.G., president and founder of GeoServices, Ltd.; Jennifer Reese, P.G., hydrogeologist at GeoServices, Ltd.; Jay Lynch, P.G., president and hydrogeologist at Meiser & Earl, Inc.; and Richard Henry, P.G., hydrogeologist at Meiser & Earl, Inc..

These geologists are experts in the field and have years of experience evaluating and protecting Pennsylvania’s water supply, including, in some cases, offering water and environmental resources related to natural gas extraction in the Marcellus Shale.

Residents who have requested a water evaluation should expect to be contacted by one of the professional geologists in the near future to begin the review.

In addition to the water evaluations, Energy Transfer has paid the Office of Attorney General $10 million to fund projects that improve the health and safety of water sources along the routes of the pipelines.

This funding is being distributed through existing Commonwealth grant programs, to ensure high-impact projects are selected in the impacted communities and that proper oversight is provided.

Grant programs include those operated by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Department of Environmental Protections.

The first round of projects will be announced in the coming weeks.

These resources are intended to make the water sources most damaged by Energy Transfer’s crimes cleaner and safer.

Click Here for a fact sheet detailing the plea agreement.

Related NewsClips:

-- WJAC: Cambria County Couple Files Lawsuit Against Sunoco Over Mariner East Pipeline Construction They Said Made Their Property Nearly Uninhabitable By Eliminating Their Water Supply, Bulldozing Their Barn, Causing Sinkholes

-- Altoona Mirror: Cambria County Couple Sue Sunoco Over Mariner Pipeline Damage; Raw Sewage Coming Into Kitchen Sink

Related Article - Energy Transfer/Sunoco Conviction:

-- AG Shapiro: Energy Transfer/Sunoco Convicted Of Criminal Charges Related To Construction Of Mariner East 2 & Revolution Natural Gas/Liquids Pipelines In PA [PaEN]

DEP Public Notice Dashboards:

-- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard -  Dec. 10 to 16  [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment [PaEN] 

-- DEP Posted 69 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In The Dec. 17 PA Bulletin  [PaEN] 

Related Articles This Week:

-- Better Path Coalition: 65 Organizations, Businesses, 2,700+ Individuals Petition Gov.-Elect Shapiro To Ban Road Dumping Of Conventional Oil & Gas Wastewater  [PaEN]

-- Citizen Complaints Result In DEP Issuing PA General Energy More Violations At Loyalsock Creek Gas Pipeline/Water Withdrawal Construction Site In Lycoming County  [PaEN]

-- DEP Consent Agreement Allowing Shale Gas Drilling To Resume Under Dimock, Susquehanna County Sets New Drilling, Water Supply Protection Standards, Imposes $444,000 Penalty  [PaEN]

-- Republican Herald/Scranton Times Editorial: DEP Professes Unwarranted Faith In Shale Gas Drillers  [PaEN]

-- DEP Assesses $600,000 Penalty For Illegal Disposal Of Over 1,800 Truck Loads Of Oil & Gas Waste Drill Cuttings In Fayette County  [PaEN]

-- DEP Issues Notice Of Violation To Shell Petrochemical Plant In Beaver County For Air Quality Violations In Sept. - Oct.  [PaEN]

-- AG Shapiro: Free Water Evaluations Begin For Homeowners Affected By Construction Of Mariner East 2 Natural Gas Liquids Pipeline  [PaEN]

-- Pittsburgh Union Progress - Laura Legere: Decaying Allegheny County Conventional Oil & Gas Wells To Be Plugged With Federal Funding Boost

-- Bloomberg: A Massive Natural Gas Leak In Pennsylvania Is Adding To Climate Scrutiny

-- Presentations Now Available From Shale Gas & Public Health Conference In Nov. Hosted By PA League Of Women Voters & University Of Pittsburgh Graduate School Of Public Health  [PaEN]

-- PA Capital-Star Guest Essay: It’s Time Pennsylvania Residents, Regulators Demand Health Risks From Shale Gas Fracking Be Addressed - By Clean Air Council

-- EPA Accepts Final DEP Oil/Gas Facility VOC/Methane Emission Limits Regulation For Review, Stops Imposition Of Federal Highway Funding, Other Sanctions  [PaEN]

-- Ohio River Valley Institute Decarbonization Pathway Relies On Zero Emissions Resources, Energy Efficiency, Increased Electrification Is Less Costly Than Natural Gas, Carbon Capture Options  [PaEN]

-- CNX Unveils Appalachia-Focused Vision For The Future, Promoting New Natural Gas Development, Use - ‘Produce It Here. Use  It Here - First’  [PaEN]

NewsClips This Week:

-- StateImpactPA - Susan Phillips: ‘Gasland’ Driller Will Pay Millions For New Water System In Dimock

-- Capital & Main - Audrey Carleton: PA Lets Polluter Resume Shale Gas Drilling In Dimock Protected Zone, Outraging Residents At Fracking’s ‘Ground Zero’ 

-- AP: Pennsylvania Lifts Ban On Shale Gas Drilling In Polluted Dimock, Susquehanna County

-- The Allegheny Front - Reid Frazier: Western PA Contractor Fined $600,000 For Illegal Dumping Over 1,800 Truck Loads Of Oil & Gas Waste 

-- StateImpactPA - Rachel McDevitt: Natural Gas Stoves Can Hurt Indoor Air Quality, Consumer Advocates Say

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Shell’s Flaring At Beaver County Ethane Plant Pushed Company Over Air Permit Limits, Data Shows

-- Beaver Times: Regulators Say Shell Exceeded Emissions Cap During Cracker Plant Startup

-- New Castle News: DEP: Opening Of Shell’s Western PA ‘Cracker’ Plant Caused Pollutants To Spike

-- The Allegheny Front - Reid Frazier: Shell Air Pollution Soars During Startup Of Beaver County Ethane Plant

-- TribLive: Shell Issued Violation Notice For Exceeding Air Pollution Limits During Startup Of Beaver County Ethane Plant 

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: Petrochemical Plants Are An Environmental And Economic Dead End For Southwestern PA - By Breathe Collaborative

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: Shell Petrochemical Plant Represents Western PA’s Economic Future - By Pittsburgh Works Together

-- Scranton Times Editorial: Tie State Taxpayer Subsidies Of Petrochemical Plants To Environmental Compliance

-- Inside Climate News - Jon Hurdle: Decarbonization Program Would Eliminate Most Emissions In SW PA By 2050, New Study Finds

-- Environmental Health News: Western PA Can Meet Its Climate Goals, If The Region Stops Subsidizing Natural Gas

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: CNX Resources Lays Out Appalachia First Vision For Economic Growth

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: CNX’s Nick DeIuliis Speaks About Why Appalachia First Is Best Approach For Pittsburgh, Appalachia

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Industrial Energy Consumers Of America Write Gov. Wolf, Others Urging Building More Natural Gas Pipelines

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Industrial Energy Consumers Of America Write Gov. Wolf, Others Urging Building More Natural Gas Pipelines

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Rice Acquisition Of NET Power A Bet On Carbon Capture And Storage And Natural Gas Transition

-- PennLive: Residents Evacuated Just Before Natural Gas Explosion Flattened Their Home In Dauphin County

-- PennLive: 92-Year-Old Man Survived Massive Natural Gas Explosion That Pulverized Neighbor’s Home 30 Feet Away In Dauphin County

-- MCall - Ford Turner: Special Report: More Than 125 Natural Gas Odor Reports In Pottstown, Montgomery County In The 29 Months Before Deadly Home Explosion

-- Observer-Reporter Guest Essay: Natural Gas Powering Our County And Beyond - By Chair Of Washington County Commissioners  [IFO: Natural Gas Price Increased 95% Over Last Year ]

-- Marcellus Shale Coalition: 12 Days Of Marcellus - ‘On The First Day Of Marcellus, Natural Gas Gave To Me’

-- Bob Donnan Blog: The 12 Days Of Christmas And Other  Christmas Carols About The Real Impact Of Natural Gas Industry In Pennsylvania

-- Bob Donnan Blog: Real Shale Gas History: Spying & Psychological Operations On PA Citizens 2010-14

-- Bob Donnan Blog: Real Shale Gas History: 12 Articles On Shale Gas Development In PA As Told By The Families and Communities That Experienced It

-- Inside Climate News: Q/A With Eliza Griswold Pulitzer Winning Author Of Deep Dive Into Fracking In PA, How Extractive Industries ‘Gut’ Communities

-- StateImpactPA - Rachel McDevitt: PA Natural Gas Prices Rise [94.7%] As Production Falls, Report Says

[Posted: December 16, 2022]


12/19/2022

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