Sen. Muth Blasts Pennsylvania DEP After AG Filed Charges Related To Pipeline Construction

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA — A local state lawmaker who is passionate about environmental legislation and issues has come out and addressed criminal charges recently filed by the office of Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro against builders of the Mariner East 2 pipeline project, saying while the charges are a positive step, she's dismayed that the state DEP has not been held accountable.

State Sen. Katie Muth, D-44, released a statement this week addressing the grand jury presentment of environmental crimes charges against Energy Transfer and subsidiary Sunoco Pipeline, L.P. relating to alleged illegal behavior by the defendants involving the construction of the pipeline project, calling the crimes "one of the worst kept secrets in Pennsylvania."

"Impacted residents in communities across this state have known of and experienced the harm caused by Energy Transfer," Muth said in her statement. "Corporate polluters have been given hundreds of permits to operate in our state despite destroying our environment, contaminating our drinking water, and ruining the property and health of Pennsylvania families."

Energy Transfer and Sunoco Pipeline have been charged with spilling hundreds of thousands of gallons of drilling fluid into important wetlands and other parts of the state. Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who announced the charges this week, says that an investigation found evidence that the company also illegally released industrial waste at 11 sites across the commonwealth.

Muth, who represents parts of Montgomery, Chester and Berks Counties, said that while the charges were welcome, she is extremely disappointed that the state Department of Environmental Protection has not yet been held accountable for what she calls "systemic failures."

"DEP's reluctance to revoke permits from corporate polluters charged with felony crimes against our environment is egregious," Muth said in her statement. "The DEP continues to permit environmentally harmful projects across the Commonwealth with no regard for public health or safe drinking water — all the while knowing they do not have enough staff to provide the necessary oversight and accountability to ensure the projects are abiding by all regulations and allow industry to break the law."

Muth claims that the Mariner East 2 pipeline project came with many technical deficiencies in the permit application process from the very beginning, many of which were never corrected, and she said the state DEP still "rubber stamped their approval."

"Hundreds of violations later, public and private water supplies have been decimated and many not restored," Muth stated. "DEP has given Energy Transfer a pass, allowing contamination of drinking water, failing to enforce regulations, and failing to ensure accountability."

Muth said she hopes the criminal charges against the company "forces the hand of the DEP and that they finally make good on their promise of environmental protection."

Read Patch's coverage of the criminal charges announced earlier this week.