On August 22, Rep. Carolyn Comitta (D-Chester) and Rep. Kristine Howard (D-Chester) toured a Mariner East 1 pipeline site in Chester County with Gov. Tom Wolf and Department of Environmental Protection Executive Deputy Secretary Ramez Ziadeh.

A high-consequence area, Chester County is affected by over 600 miles of pipelines crisscrossing the county, including the 80-year-old Mariner East 1 pipeline.

Constituents are concerned with safety and transparency.

Reps. Comitta and Howard are committed to improving lines of communication among elected officials, regulatory agencies, and operators to ensure proper oversight.

“Public health and safety must always be our number one priority,” said Rep. Comitta. “Our families deserve to be and feel safe in their homes, schools and places of work. It is the job of elected officials to do all we can to protect the people we serve.

“We appreciate very much that Gov. Wolf is here in our community listening to the serious concerns of residents who live along the Mariner East pipeline. We will continue to work closely with the governor to keep public safety our top priority.”

“Nowhere else in the Commonwealth do pipelines zig-zag through so many high-density residential areas as here in our own backyard,” said Rep. Howard. “We let Gov. Wolf know that Chester County will not be kept in the dark. My constituents – and my family – deserve safety and peace of mind.”

“We also want to express our appreciation to all those residents living along the pipeline for their persistent and thoughtful efforts to protect public safety,” Rep. Comitta added.

Rep. Comitta, whose district covers the sites toured, has been working with the Governor and DEP since she was first elected in 2016 to improve pipeline safety and transparency, including hosting townhalls, and facilitating meetings with Energy Transfer Partners [Sunoco], the operator of the Mariner East pipelines.

Related Articles - Mariner East 1 Pipeline:

Sunoco/Energy Transfer Partners Gives PUC Notice It Will Restart Mariner East 1 Pipeline Monday [April]

$200,000 Penalty Proposed In PUC Settlement Of 2017 Mariner East 1 Pipeline Leak Case [April]

Attorney General, Delaware County DA Conducting Joint Investigation Into Mariner East Pipelines

14 Senate, House Members Ask Gov. Wolf To Halt Mariner East Pipeline Operations Until Safety Protocols Are In Place [March]

PUC Investigation Of Mariner East 1 Pipeline Sinkhole In Chester County Shifts To Geological Testing [January]

Related Articles This Week:

House Committee Hears Call For More State Authority To Approve Pipeline Routes In Hearing On Bipartisan Pipeline Safety Legislation

DEP Terminates Some Permit Review, Inspection Authority Delegated To Beaver Conservation District

Environmental Groups Praise DEP For Revoking Beaver Conservation District's Authority Over Pipeline Permits, Call For More Action

NewsClips:

Wolf Tells Pipeline Activists He Won’t Shut Down Mariner East Pipelines

Wolf Visits Mariner East Pipeline Construction Site In Chester County

Caruso: Lawmakers Want To Create Pipeline Safety Board, Regulators Have Concerns About Record Privacy

Proposed Bill To Enact Pipeline Safety & Communication Board

Pipeline Board Plan Running Into Resistance

PUC Closes Probe Into Mariner East 2 Pipeline Backfire Incident

Litvak: Beaver County Conservation District Did Poor Job Overseeing Major Pipeline Projects

[Posted: August 22, 2019]

8/26/2019