Pa. town ordered to release emails to Energy Transfer
Friday, October 22, 2021
Last week, a judge ordered the release of emails between officials in Middletown Township, Pa. and Energy Transfer, the owner of the Mariner East pipeline system, according to State Impact Pennsylvania.
Township officials have been refusing to produce the records for nearly a year, clinging to the claim that they were exempt from disclosure under the state’s open records law.
Energy Transfer, who has been charged with environmental crimes related to the construction of the multi-billion-dollar Mariner East pipeline project, also opposed the release of the emails.
However, a Delaware County judge ruled that the records are public, and ordered the township to turn them over to the owners of Glen Riddle Station Apartments, a 124-unit apartment complex along the pipeline route.
Energy Transfer seized private property at Glen Riddle Station Apartments as the pipeline’s route splits the apartment complex in half.
Learn more: State Impact Pennsylvania > Court: Two must turn over emails to gas pipeline builder
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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.