Energy Transfer pleads no contest to criminal charges related to pollution from Mariner East Pipeline
Tuesday, August 9, 2022
Energy Transfer Operating pleaded no contest Friday to criminal charges that it polluted waterways and residential water wells across hundreds of miles along the Mariner East Pipeline route in Pennsylvania, according to NBC Philadelphia.
Energy transfer has agreed to independent testing of homeowners’ wells and promised to remediate contamination in a settlement of two separate criminal cases brought by the Pennsylvania attorney general. The company will also pay $10 million under a plea deal to restore watersheds and streams along the route of its Mariner East pipeline network.
The Mariner East 1, Mariner East 2 and Mariner East 2X pipelines carry propane, ethane and butane from the Marcellus and Utica shale gas fields to a refinery processing center and export terminal in Marcus Hook. Collectively, it has been one of the most penalized projects in state history.
Learn more: NBC Philadelphia > Mariner East Pipeline Developer Pleads No Contest in Pollution Cases
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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.