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Comitta quoted the old adage, “If anything can go wrong it will.”

Uwchlan Safety Coalition member Rebecca Britton has tenaciously fought pipeline constriction.

“Just before Christmas the public was gifted a small and seemingly unnoticed ‘gift’ that will play big into the pipeline battle in 2020. In an initial decision issued by Judge Elizabeth Barnes in the Pennsylvania Public Utility Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement (I E) case regarding the Morgantown leak of April 1, 2017,” Britton said, “Barnes confirms a major problem, Sunoco has been over broadly applying Confidential Security Information; thus, making it impossible for schools and townships to perform their statutory responsibilities under 35 Pa. C.S. § 7101 to protect life and property with actual emergency plans and preparation that reflect NGL gases.

“This is a bombshell on the powers that be who have had their head in the sand since 2014 when the gases first started flowing. Call it a massive failure on the part of every level of government and it exposes Sunoco for who they are; abhorrent obfuscators who do not care about Pennsylvanians and their school children.”

Activist Carrie Gross commented about Sunoco’s failure to meet a Dec. 31, 2019, deadline for completion of the project.

“As predicted, this missed deadline was yet another bold-faced lie to both impacted residents and investors by Sunoco/Energy Transfer. My neighbors in Exton have been held hostage by this egregious operator for over 2.5 years now, with no end in sight. There are multiple locations with neither of the 2 pipelines in the ground, held up by lawsuits, DEP permit halts, etc. Sunoco is currently seeking to renew their temporary constructions easements for up to an additional 24 months, so even they don’t believe they will finish anytime soon. This dangerous project needs to be halted immediately.”

When completed, the multi-billion dollar Mariner East project will carry hundreds of thousands of volatile liquid gases such as ethane, butane and propane across the full width of Pennsylvania, from the Marcellus Shale region of the state to a facility at the former refinery in Marcus Hook. It has sparked heated opposition in the community, with residents objecting to the routing next to elementary schools and senior centers, and the lack of communication by the company, especially when it comes to emergency response plans in the event of a major leak or accident. 

Mariner East weaves its way 21 miles through the heart of central Chester County, and another 11 miles through western Delaware County.

It has been boosted by labor groups, the Chamber of Commerce and some elected officials. 

Pipeline builder Sunoco/Energy Transfer’s Lisa Coleman commented via email:

“On our most recent earnings call we said that ME2X is expected to be completed in mid-2020. Even with the delayed in service date, we will still be able to meet our contractual commitments."

East Goshen Township mother Melisa DiBernardino’s children attend school in the so-called blast zone.

“2020 will be the year that we will find out exactly who is going to stand up to the ever powerful oil and gas industry and their lobbyist friends; the upcoming July Expert Witness Hearing before the Pa. PUC will be interesting,” she said. “Every day that we go forward without emergency plans with high consequence risks, no early warning and no early detection system we risk a catastrophe. Cheers to a safe, healthy and happy new year.”

The pipeline goes through West Goshen resident Tom Casey’s property.

“I predict much of the same as we have seen over the last six years with one small exception,” Casey said. “Sunoco will continue to spread their lies and half-truths, they will promise completion but probably not deliver, investors will lose money, public officials will continue to promise to do something for us, the environment will pay the price, aquifers will be negatively impacted, landowner rights will be ignored, and low level employees will become the industry's scapegoats and go to jail. The exception will be that the public will see all of this and finally realize that we weren't so wrong after all, that this industry is not to benefit us all but only a few at the top of the pyramid."

Resident of Uwchlan Township, and member of the Mama Bear opposition group Connor Young voiced his opinion: “This year a safety advocate like myself can only dream of meaningful action from those who have let us down. The House and Senate must be acting with meaningful legislation. The governor could exercise his powers under Title 35, our health and safety statue. Lt Gov. Fetterman should convene an Emergency Management Council. AG Shapiro can shut down operations and construction under Title 18 crimes for risking a catastrophe. The Public Utility Commission can reject the clearly erroneous claim that this dangerous plastics pipeline serves as a utility. Finally, the schools, townships and counties that this risk disproportionately affects must be taking immediate action. Legislators and decision makers must constantly act in good faith with our constitution to preserve and protect our clean water, air, and land.”

Dragon Pipe Diary blogger George Alexander is a vocal critic of the ME2 pipeline. He doubts the project will be completed when the company claims. 

"Sunoco is telling its investors it will complete the Mariner East system in 2020. In my opinion, that is not likely," Alexander said. "In fact, 2020 will be a very tough year for Mariner East on several fronts."

Alexander listed what he believes will be several major sticking points:

Regulatory issues: "The 'Safety 7' case (and related cases) before the PUC will be wrapped up in the fall. If the PUC finds that Sunoco has failed to provide a workable emergency response plan, the pipeline could get shut down. The “BI E” case before the PUC will also play out in 2020. If the PUC determines that Sunoco failed to provide the proper anti-corrosion measures and inspections for ME1, that pipeline could require major work, taking it out of commission for extended periods. Meanwhile, the DEP’s “permit bar” remains in effect. That is the policy under which Sunoco will not get any new environmental permits for Mariner East until it cleans up the mess it made in constructing the ill-fated Revolution pipeline in western PA. Until that bar is lifted, no work can be done on Mariner East at several locations."

Legal fights: "There are many court cases in the works, and some of them could have important consequences for Sunoco in 2020. These include the violation of air pollution regulations at Marcus Hook, the illegally-constructed pumping station in Lebanon County, the lawsuit filed by Chester County to stop construction alongside the county library, the illegal use of state constables for security (and potential follow-on cases from the county DA’s office), the FBI and AG investigations of irregular issuance of pipeline permits by the DEP, and the investigation of periodic odors emanating from the area of the Marcus Hook refinery, among others."

Financial problems: "Sunoco’s revenue depends on shipments of so-called “natural gas liquids” from the fracking fields of western Pennsylvania. Because of the market glut for both natural gas and natural gas liquids, many of the minor players have gone bankrupt, and some of Sunoco’s major customers have had financial problems. If Sunoco loses a major customer to bankruptcy (or is forced to reduce its fees substantially to avoid that outcome), the economic justification for Mariner East will be dramatically undermined."

Public opposition: "Public pressure has been ratcheting up. Newly-elected officials at the county and municipal levels are being sworn in, and they will be far less friendly to Sunoco than those they replace. Wide-spread public opposition will make it harder for the Sunoco allies who remain in office to be supportive of the pipelines. And pipeline opposition is sure to be an important issue going into the November 2020 elections."

Alexander believes that at the end of 2020, Mariner East will still be incomplete, and it's possible it will never really be completed.