Marathon completes Cornerstone Pipeline to close September
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
Marathon completed the second phase of its Cornerstone Pipeline to close out September with a bang.
Over the last two years, Marathon has been using tanker trucks to ship condensate — a mixture of light hydrocarbon liquids, which have been separated from hydrocarbon gases, produced from the Utica and Marcellus shale regions — to Canton from a processing plant operated by MarkWest Energy Partners in Cadiz, Ohio. However, that 120-mile round trip is ending with the completion of this pipeline.
According to Farm and Dairy, the first 42 miles from Canton to Cadiz is composed of 16-inch diameter epoxy-coated steel pipe and the second section, running from East Sparta to Canton is eight miles lone and built with eight-inch pipe. The pipeline runs 4 feet underground and 40 feet under major rivers and major highways.
Marathon spent an estimated $250 million with 550 workers on the pipeline, but the total price tag will be close to half a billion dollars once all of the pipeline -related projects are completed as well.
Learn more: Farm and Dairy > Marathon finishes Cornerstone Pipeline
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Shale FAQ
What is fracking?
Fracking is a slang term for hydraulic fracturing. Fracturing is a process by which highly pressurized fluid is pumped thousands of feet into the ground to fracture rock formations. The goal is to release the natural gas that’s locked inside the rock.
Is it safe?
What most concerns people about fracturing is ground water contamination. The worry is that fractures underground, caused by the process, will extending upwards and into aquifers, releasing gas and chemicals into the ground water supply. There’s been no confirmed reports of such a thing happening. Though surface spills and drill site blowouts can lead to localized environmental concerns.
Will my water catch on fire?
Flammable water is caused by the release of methane gas into a drinking water supply. Methane gas occurs naturally and can be released by any kind of drilling, including water wells. In Pennsylvania officials fined Chesapeake Energy $1 million for contaminating ground water with methane. It was determined that the company had not properly cemented it’s boreholes and gas migrated up the well, between rock and into aquifers.