Despite being one of the most controversial projects in Pennsylvania history, many emergency managers and others along the route cannot confidently answer one pressing question: Are we prepared?
Thousands of gallons of drilling mud from construction of the Mariner East pipeline contaminated a state park lake. Protestors are calling for its shutdown.
The pipeline company said the waivers are necessary to prevent "potential adverse impacts to human health or the environment.” Critics say they are trying to skirt the rules.
In 2017, Sunoco spilled more than 200,000 gallons of drilling mud into the lake while building the Mariner East pipeline beneath it. Sunoco didn’t immediately report the spills, which coated 8-acres of the lakebed.
FBI agents have interviewed current or former state employees in recent weeks about the Mariner East project, which has a long track record of drilling mud spills, fines and regulatory shutdowns.