In July, West Goshen Township, in the Philadelphia suburb of Chester County, won a temporary victory in their efforts to stop Sunoco Logistics’ Mariner East 2 (ME2) NGL pipeline in their community (see Judge Temporarily Stops ME2 Valve Station in West Goshen). West Goshen objected to Sunoco building a new valve station. West Goshen wanted the valve station built next to an existing Mariner East 1 valve station, but Sunoco wanted to build the new station across the street from that location, citing safety concerns. West Goshen appealed a decision by the state Public Utility Commission (PUC) allowing Sunoco to build the valve station where they wanted to build it. In July an administrative law judge agreed with West Goshen, stopping not only construction of the valve station, but also construction of the ME2 pipeline itself through the township. Fast forward to today. Sunoco has given up the fight to build the West Goshen valve station, so yesterday the PUC voted 3-2 to allow Sunoco to restart construction of the pipeline in West Goshen. Of course the antis who run West Goshen like a private fiefdom are objecting because Sunoco hasn’t said what their alternative to building the valve station (a safety feature) will be. Hey, West Goshen’s “leaders” were the ones who didn’t want the valve station in the first place! West Goshen’s “leaders” are the ones who have made the pipeline through their community “less safe” because they didn’t want the valve station. Now they need to live with their bone-headed actions–and answer to their voting constituents…
