Middletown Coalition
for Community Safety
December 2018
MCCS in the News
Friday, December 28, 2018
WEST CHESTER—Probably never before have so many demonstrators raised their voices and held protest signs high as did during 2018 at the historic courthouse...
Friday, December 28, 2018
BERKS CO., Pa. - Concerned Berks County residents are asking Berks District Attorney John Adams to investigate the Mariner East Pipeline.
“Sunoco/Energy Transfer’s recidivist behavior in Pennsylvania extends far beyond Chester County,” said Karen Feridun, founder of Berks Gas Truth. “No amount of regulatory wrist-slapping by Governor Wolf and the Department of Environmental Protection will address the damage being done, nor will it cause the company to change." - Berks Gas Truth
Thursday, December 20, 2018
The Chester County District Attorney’s Office will examine both past and future construction of the three pipelines that, collectively, span three states, including several local counties. Potential charges could include causing or risking a catastrophe, criminal mischief, environmental crimes and corrupt organizations, Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan said in a statement.
“In the last two years, we have seen these pipelines rip through the heart of Chester County,” he said. “We have seen sinkholes created by the pipeline drilling, contaminated well water and some subtle, and not-so-subtle, bullying of Chester County citizens by big corporate interests.”
ME2 in the News
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
Potential charges could include causing or risking a catastrophe, criminal mischief, environmental crimes and corrupt organizations, according to Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan.
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
In the wake of sinkholes and other problems that have dogged the construction of natural gas pipelines in Chester County, the DA’s Office says it is stepping in to ensure residents’ safety.
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
HARRISBURG, PA. A county prosecutor in Pennsylvania said Wednesday that he has opened a criminal investigation into construction on three natural gas liquids pipelines that have drawn blame for causing sinkholes and polluting drinking water and waterways across southern Pennsylvania.
Tom Hogan, Chester County's district attorney, sent the company that owns the Mariner East pipelines a five-page letter demanding it hand over and preserve a list of documents and electronic records.
In a statement, he said he will demand that "every aspect of these pipelines be conducted safely, or we will bring into play all of the tools of the criminal justice system."
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS/AP) — A county prosecutor in Pennsylvania is opening a criminal investigation into construction on three natural gas liquids pipelines that have drawn blame for causing sinkholes and polluting drinking water and waterways...
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
Breaking: Sunoco is now under investigation in Chester County for potential crimes in the construction of the Mariner East pipelines.
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
WEST CHESTER — Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan announced Wednesday that his office has opened a criminal investigation into construction of the Sunoco Mariner East pipelines being constructed through Chester and Delaware counties.
“Two things recently happened that drew the attention of the District Attorney’s Office,” District Attorney Hogan added. “First, the explosion in Beaver County changed speculation into tangible danger and destruction. Second, over Thanksgiving, some of the residents of Lisa Drive in West Whiteland were kind enough to take me onto their property and show me the damage caused by the pipelines. The concerns and fears of those citizens were both disturbing and heart wrenching.
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
WEST CHESTER—Chester County Commissioners are looking for answers. How safe are pipelines is the question...
“Throughout the many stages leading up to, and during construction of the Mariner East pipeline, Sunoco has not been responsive to requests for information regarding potential hazards and risk assessments related to the product that will be transported through the pipeline,” wrote the commissioners...
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
MEDIA — Representatives of the firm that completed a risk assessment study of an accidental leak in the areas near gas transmission pipelines in Delaware County spoke directly to the public Monday evening to provide an overview of the risks associated with living in these controversial areas...
The report, as noted by G2-IS General Manager John Kill, was limited in its requested scope and did not take into account associated pipeline equipment or societal fatality risk.
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
Fracking has been a disaster for the communities impacted by rampant air and water pollution, which has been linked to a range of serious health consequences. And, so much of this fracking boom has happened against the wishes of neighbors and landowners who have learned the hard way that state officials have placed the profits of giant corporations ahead of the health and safety of residents.
Projects like the Mariner East 2 pipeline and the Shell cracker plant in Potter Township will only deepen the misery, and all for the sake of manufacturing more cheap plastic goods.
What’s needed now more than ever is a bold clean energy plan that will create thousands of good jobs and eliminate our reliance on climate-destroying fossil fuels. On a local level, municipalities must enact strong zoning ordinances protecting their communities from the harms associated with fracking.
Monday, December 17, 2018
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission’s Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement has filed a formal complaint (PDF) against Energy Transfer Partners (aka Sunoco Pipeline) for an April 2017 leak of the Mariner East 1 pipeline in Morgantown, Berks County, about forty miles from Lebanon. The complaint indicates that Sunoco’s own records showed inadequate cathodic protection which caused the Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement to allege that “there is a statewide concern with SPLP’s corrosion control program and the soundness of SPLP’s engineering practices with respect to cathodic protection.”
Friday, December 14, 2018
HARRISBURG — While having success in court, it’s been a rough week in the field for Pennsylvania pipeline companies, with six injuries and recommended fines.
Six pipeline employees were injured, in two separate accidents, and the PUC’s Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement recommended that Sunoco pay a $225,000 fine.
Monday, December 10, 2018
Two pipeline workers were injured in a construction accident on Sunoco Logistics’Mariner East 2 pipeline about 35 miles east of Pittsburgh late Sunday.