PA Lawmakers Renew Plea To Halt Mariner East 2 Pipeline

HARRISBURG — Several state legislators are asking the commonwealth's top law enforcement officer to seek an emergency injunction halting the construction of the Mariner East 2 pipeline.

State. Sen. Katie Muth, D-44, and state Reps. Dianne Herrin and Danielle Friel Otten, both of Chester County, jointly crafted a letter to Pennsylvania's Democratic Attorney General, Josh Shapiro, asking him to invoke his authority under the state's Clean Streams Law to file an emergency injunction seeking to halt construction of the pipeline.

The lawmakers also asked Shapiro to initiate a nuisance lawsuit on behalf of the commonwealth and its citizens to "abate and prevent further violations by Sunoco/Energy Transfer (ET)."

"As you know, the construction of the Mariner East line has caused devastating pollution events all across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania racking up 126 Notices of Violation and 48 criminal charges, as well as contaminating both private drinking water and public waterways," the legislators wrote in their letter, which was dated Jan. 6. "However, none of the countless consent decrees or numerous settlements with state regulators have resulted in the prevention or abatement of this public nuisance, nor has it held this corporate polluter truly accountable for the damage that it has caused."

Back in October, Shapiro announced grand jury charges against the developer of the pipeline, with Energy Transfer, L.P., the corporate successor to Sunoco Pipeline, L.P. facing 48 counts of environmental crimes for their conduct during the pipeline's construction.

"There is a duty to protect our air and water, and when companies harm these vital resources through negligence - it is a crime," Shapiro stated at the time.

In last week's letter, the three legislators urging Shapiro to invoke the Clean Stream Act in seeking a court injunction stated that Energy Transfer's ongoing violations of state permits and regulations is "exactly what was anticipated by the Clean Stream Act's empowerment of the abatement of suits."

"With construction of this line needing to cut through yet another wetland, we are urging the Attorney General to take action that would halt further harms to our communities and believe that this is the kind of meaningful action that residents deserve," the letter states.

The letter can be seen in its entirety here.

Check out some previous Patch coverage on the pipeline issue here.