PA DEP Caves to Big Green Pressure, Stops All Work on ME2 Pipeline
We suppose it was bound to happen sooner or later. The Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) has caved to intense pressure from a cabal of Big Green groups and has told Sunoco Logistics Partners to suspend all work on the $2.5 billion Mariner East 2 (ME2) NGL pipline–from one side of the state to the other. Just yesterday MDN told you about the mounting pressure on the DEP to halt ME2 work, particularly work on underground horizontal directional drilling (see Big Green Says ME2 Pipe Violating Settlement; DEP Turns Up Heat). The shrill voices of Democrat Gov. Tom Wolf’s left flank were so shrill he couldn’t ignore them any longer, hence this action. The DEP in its order said construction will be halted, “until Sunoco can demonstrate that the permit conditions can and will be followed.” So there’s no particular time frame for when Sunoco can resume work–it will be up to the arbitrary gut feeling of the DEP. However, DEP does offer some criteria for when construction may be able to resume. Work can resume IF Sunoco satisfies the terms outlined in DEP’s order, including, but not limited to: (1) Address all impacts to private water wells in Silver Spring Township, Cumberland County; (2) Identify all in-progress or upcoming construction activities and detail the specific Chapter 102 and Chapter 105 permit under which the activity is authorized; (3) Submit a detailed Operations Plan outlining additional measures and controls to minimize inadvertent returns. In essence, the DEP is saying Sunoco has willfully violated the permits (and previous settlement) in constructing ME2, and they (DEP) have had enough. The DEP’s action immediately throws thousands of pipeline workers out of jobs across the state–thank you Tom Wolf and DEP. Big Green groups, including the odious Clean Air Council of Philadelphia, pounced on the DEP announcement, saying the agency should not just suspend construction, but CANCEL it. That has been their aim all along. These pressure groups want to stop the ME2 project cold. End it. Kill it. Finish it off. The DEP isn’t ready to grant that particular wish–yet. However, the suspension is certainly not good news for the project nor for thousand of families who will now have to make do with unemployment checks…
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Yesterday the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection suspended all work on the Mariner East 2 NGL Pipeline project (see today’s lead story, PA DEP Caves to Big Green Pressure, Stops All Work on ME2 Pipeline). The project has been vigorously opposed by antis in the greater Philadelphia area from the beginning. Their opposition stems from a deeper philosophical preference to end the use of fossil fuels. Last September, MDN editor Jim Willis had the pleasure of meeting and talking with Garland Thompson at the Shale Insight event in Pittsburgh. Garland, who lives in Philly, has written for the Career Communications Group of publications, including US Black Engineer & Information Technology, Hispanic Engineer & IT, and their siblings Woman of Color and Science Spectrum, for many years. He’s covered the shale revolution for those publications since 2008–before MDN began writing about it! Jim had an interesting conversation with Garland, about the need to educate folks, particularly the folks in the greater Philly area, about the benefits of pipelines. Springboarding on yesterday’s news, Garland has written a great opinion piece pointing out that opposition to the Mariner East pipelines (plural) is misguided and shortsighted. Garland builds a case for why everyone in the Philly region should want to see these important projects get built…
In November MDN brought you details about a 100% FREE training program for those interested in a career building pipelines in the Marcellus/Utica region (see 
In November Williams filed an application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to upgrade certain facilities in New Jersey along Williams’ mighty Transco Pipeline (see 
In September a group of 57 gentry landowners in Virginia and West Virginia, backed by an out-of-state Big Green group, sued the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in an attempt to gut the 80-year old Natural Gas Act that gives FERC the right to grant eminent domain for pipeline projects (see 
As we pointed out earlier this week, New England now has the dubious distinction of paying the highest prices for natural gas–in the world (see 
In mid-December MDN told you that the Leach XPress project–some ~160 miles of new natural gas pipeline and compression facilities in southeastern Ohio and West Virginia’s northern panhandle which will flow 1.5 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of gas all the way to Leach, Kentucky (hence the name)–would go online January 1st (see 
Sunoco Logistics Partners continues to feel the heat over their construction of the Mariner East 2 (ME2) natural gas liquids (NGL) pipeline project. Most of the heat comes from underground horizontal directional drilling (HDD)–drilling holes to install pipelines under structures like roads and streams, in places where you can’t just dig a trench. The problem is that sometimes the mud used to cool the drill bit for HDD work “leaks” or disappears into cracks and crevices, and sometimes the drilling mud ends up coming back to the surface. It’s called an “inadvertent return.” Bear in mind that drilling mud is otherwise known as bentonite–a nontoxic clay mixture. Bentonite is the same chemical compound used to make kitty litter, toothpaste and all sorts of cosmetics. It’s totally safe for the environment–unless you spill a lot of it and smother little critters like salamanders and fishies. Several Big Green groups sued to stop ME2’s HDD work last year. In August, Sunoco “settled” that lawsuit. The terms of the “settlement” called for Sunoco to reevaluate and resubmit plans for HDD drilling at 47 locations for review by the Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP). Since that time more spills have occurred, and keep occurring (see 
Dominion recently received an important approval from Murrysville, PA (Westmoreland County) Council to expand the existing JB Tonkin compressor station. The expansion is part of Dominion’s Supply Header Project, a $500 million project of approximately 38 miles of natural gas pipeline and modified existing compression facilities in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. The project will provide natural gas supplies to various customers, including (most importantly) the $5 billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) Dominion plans to begin building this year. Some residents resisted the approval voicing concerns about noise. As part of the approval, Dominion agreed to conduct a post-construction noise survey, even though technically they don’t have to. Here’s an update on the Murrysville approval of this important piece of what ultimately will feed ACP…
Baby it’s cold outside! This was predictable (and indeed, MDN did predict it). With the arrival of an extended cold period, because of a lack of natural gas pipeline capacity in New England, recent spot prices for natgas near Boston have spiked to more than $35 per thousand cubic feet (Mcf). It gives New England the dubious distinction of paying the highest average price for natural gas in the entire WORLD. The price for the same gas about 250 miles away in the Marcellus? Between $1-$2/Mcf. And yet the dunderheads in New England, like U.S. Sen. Elizabeth “Pocahontas” Warren, continue to block new pipelines in the region. “Stupid is as stupid does,” as Forrest Gump said. We hope our friends in New England enjoy paying through the nose and every other orifice they possess over the next few weeks, until the arctic blast subsides…
Dominion’s $5 billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) project recently asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for permission to begin clearing trees along the path of the pipeline in all three states where the pipeline will run: West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina. FERC approved the project in October (see 
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 
A group of six radical Democrats who oppose the Mariner East 2 pipeline through southeast Pennsylvania met yesterday with Democrat Gov. Tom Wolf to gripe and moan–and to ask Wolf to illegally shut down construction of the pipeline (a pipeline which is now 91% done). Wolf politely listened–and then did nothing. Which is good. The radicals hold out hope that Wolf will change his mind and use his executive authority under Title 35 (dealing with health and safety) as an excuse to shut down all ME2 construction. Good luck with that. A statement issued later in the day by a Wolf spokesman seems to indicate the governor is punting any decisions about shutting down construction over to the Public Utility Commission. Yesterday the PUC vote to allow already-shut-down ME2 construction in one SE PA town to resume (see today’s story, PA PUC Votes to Let ME2 Pipeline Restart Construction in West Goshen). All of which says to us that Wolf won’t do a thing to stop completion of ME2, which angers the radicals all the more…
Yesterday the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) held its first public meeting with Kevin McIntyre as its new chairman. Delivering on a promise McIntyre made during his Senate confirmation hearing, the new chairman announced that FERC will conduct a top-to-bottom review of its 1999 policy statement that governs how the commission conducts reviews of pipeline projects. The news lit up the swamp (inside the Beltway of Washington, D.C.), with Big Green groups becoming positively giddy at the thought that FERC may “get serious” about considering the hoax of man-made global warming in its decisions on whether or not to authorize new pipelines. At this point, the review and what it may result in, is all speculation. The statement released by FERC following yesterday’s meeting (see it below) says, in essence, “stay tuned” and offers no details about this top-to-bottom review. The greenies are speculating, so why can’t we? We speculate that following this review, FERC will figure out a way to cut down on the frivolous lawsuits filed by Big Green groups that delay pipeline projects for years. And we speculate that FERC will figure out how to handle rogue states, like New York, who refuse to obey federal law. What if that’s the end result of this review? Don’t forget, four of the five members sitting on the Commission are Trump appointees–and three of those four are Republicans. You really think this commission is going to introduce man-made global warming flummery as part of the criteria they use in evaluating a new pipeline project? If you think that, we want some of what you’re smoking…
Randolph County, WV is about to see some big changes in the coming months. Why? In “early spring” somewhere around 400-1,200 workers will descend on Randolph as work begins to build the mighty $5 billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) being built by Dominion Energy. Members of the Rotary Club of Elkins heard a presentation earlier this week about what to expect when the pipeliners come a callin’. Some of those impacts include: higher traffic levels, more business for restaurants and convenience stores, an uptick in business at local laundromats, and higher occupancy for hotels and apartment buildings. According to Denise Campbell, community liaison for the ACP, “There’s a lot of opportunity.” Here’s a recap of Campbell’s comments to the Rotarians…