Chesco Government Aims At Pipeline Emergency Response Preparation

WEST CHESTER, PA — Twelve Chester County municipalities have pipelines running through their terrain and into situations potentially hazardous to residents, and in response, Chester County is beginning the process of forming an emergency response plan.

At the request of the Chester County Commissioners, the Chester County Department of Emergency Services has prepared a Request for Proposal (RFP) to specialist contractors, for the development of a natural gas liquids (NGL) pipeline hazard-specific addition to the Chester County Emergency Operations Plan.

The RFP also calls for the development of tools to better prepare the public for a potential emergency arising from either the Energy Transfer Mariner East Pipeline or the Enterprise Products TEPPCO Pipeline, the Commissioners' Office said on Monday.

The pipeline hazard-specific section, which will be of particular value to schools and other vulnerable population facilities, will also be developed and added to the emergency operations plans of the 12 Chester County municipalities in which the Energy Transfer and TEPPCO pipelines traverse.

The 12 Chester County municipalities carrying Mariner East and TEPPCO pipelines are the Borough of Elverson, East and West Nantmeal Townships, Wallace Township, Warwick Township, Upper Uwchlan and Uwchlan Townships, West Whiteland Township, West Goshen and East Goshen townships, Westtown Township, and Thornbury Township.

"Chester County’s Emergency Services leadership and staff, along with the thousands of police, fire, and emergency medical service personnel throughout the county, have comprehensive emergency operations plans that allow them to quickly respond to disasters, be they natural or man-made," said Chester County Commissioners' Chair Marian Moskowitz.

"But the product being carried through the Mariner East and TEPPCO pipelines present us with complex and unusual challenges, should there be a leak, or worse. That is why we are seeking a specialist perspective for this addition to our emergency plans," Moskowitz said.

The County's Request for Proposal asks respondents to follow the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) planning process for the recommended emergency management actions necessary in the event of an incident along the Mainer East or TEPPCO pipelines. The RFP also recommends that consideration be given to using the best practices of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's public emergency planning and preparedness for nuclear power plants, the Commissioners' Office explained.

Commissioner Josh Maxwell said, "Sunoco, a private sector company, has created a serious threat to our community, therefore we believe plans like this one being developed should become a requirement of the pipeline industry, and especially for Mariner East and TEPPCO."

Maxwell added, "We expect the pipeline hazard annex that is developed for our emergency operation plans to include the best possible practices so that we can provide assurance to families, schools, care facilities, community centers, places of worship, and companies along the pipeline routes that they will be notified of an incident immediately."

In addition to the development of the pipeline hazard-specific annex, the successful contractor will provide a training program for emergency management staff and volunteers, elected officials, and emergency responders. Preparedness tools and workshops are also to be included to assist the public in being prepared in the event of a pipeline emergency, the Commissioners' news statement said.

"Having the best possible pipeline emergency plan in place for our first responder community is essential, but so too are procedures for our public to follow," said Commissioner Michelle Kichline. "Immediate notification is the first step. The second is to know what to do, what to prepare, and to practice for every eventuality, whether at home, in school, at work, or running errands at the time of an incident."

The successful RFP respondent will develop the annexes and public tools within four months of the contract start date, according to the Commissioners' Office.

Energy Transfer operates the Mariner East 2 project to expand existing Mariner East pipeline service to deliver natural gas liquids from the Marcellus and Utica Shale regions for distribution to domestic and international markets via a 20-inch pipeline, according to the Chester County Planning Commission.

The County's initiative follows a string of incidents across Chester County where Mariner East crews are working and ongoing outcry from residents who live near pipeline installation sites. The move by the Commissioners comes one year after Sunoco spilled more than 8,000 gallons of drilling fluid into Marsh Creek Lake in Uwchlan Township.

The action by the County also comes alongside an ongoing situation at Valley Creek, behind Chester County Library in Exton, where the DEP confirmed sinkholes are being filled with grout after Sunoco was issued a Notice of Violation for discharging water with excessive "suspended solids" into Valley Creek.

In June, the Boot Road pumping station in West Goshen Township saw a release of hydrocarbons inside the pump station facility. At the time, Energy Transfer Partners told the County the alarm they received indicated a small leak of hydrocarbons inside the pump station facility with no hydrocarbons detected on the outside of the pump station building.

Ginny Marcille-Kerslake, of West Whiteland Residents for Pipeline Safety and Eastern PA Organizer for Food and Water Watch, responded to the County's action. "For almost seven years now, Mariner East has been operating without a credible emergency plan. At long last, our Chester County Commissioners and Department of Emergency Services is acknowledging what residents have been saying for years now."

"However, until and unless we have a credible way to warn and protect the public when Mariner East leaks, its operation must be halted. Every day that our county commissioners delay in taking real action on this, our families and communities continue to rely on luck," Marcille-Kerslakeadded.

Read a recent story on the series of sinkholes that have developed along the Mariner East 2 pipeline, here.

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