Work on major pipeline halts

Pennsylvania regulators have ordered construction crews to stop work on a major pipeline after recording numerous environmental violations in the building process, including spills and well contamination.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) accused Sunoco Pipeline of, “egregious and willful violations” of environmental rules in building the Mariner East 2 pipeline.

The agency ordered the company to halt all work except some maintenance activities on the pipeline until it can demonstrate that it is abiding by all requirements from the permits the state granted.

“Until Sunoco can demonstrate that the permit conditions can and will be followed, DEP has no alternative but to suspend the permits,” DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell said in a statement. “We are living up to our promise to hold this project accountable to the strong protections in the permits.”

Sunoco is a subsidiary of Energy Transfer Partners, the Dallas-based company that developed and operates the contentious Dakota Access pipeline in the Great Plains.

The pipeline, costing more than $2.5 billion, is designed to carry propane, ethane, and butane approximately 350 miles from southwest Pennsylvania to an export terminal at Marcus Hook near Philadelphia.