Free water tests for Pa. homes affected by Mariner East 2 Pipeline
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) — Pennsylvanians who may have been affected by the construction of the Mariner East 2 Pipeline can get their home's water tested for free, officials said Friday.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced three geology firms were selected for water evaluations of Pennsylvania homes affected by the construction of the Mariner East 2 Pipeline.
Earlier this year, an investigation led to the criminal conviction of pipeline builder Energy Transfer, which owns Sunoco. Energy Transfer was charged criminally at the end of last year after a grand jury concluded that it flouted Pennsylvania environmental laws and fouled waterways and residential water supplies across hundreds of miles.
The affected counties run from Southwestern to Southeastern Pennsylvania, including our region. While residents in the area should have already received a letter to claim assistance, the attorney general also provided a link to the grievance program application.
"Pennsylvanians have a constitutional right to clean air and pure water," Shapiro said in a statement. "My office fought hard for residents to have the opportunity to get their water tested, after being pushed aside by big companies and ignored by the institutions that were supposed to help them. Today we take the next step to bring justice to those harmed by Energy Transfer's crimes and to secure Pennsylvanian's right to safe, reliable and clean drinking water."
Mariner East 2 is a multi-billion-dollar pipeline system that takes natural gas liquids from the Marcellus Shale gas field to an export terminal near Philadelphia.
In addition to the water evaluations, Energy Transfer has paid the Office of the Attorney General $10 million to fund projects that improve water sources' health and safety along the pipelines' routes.
These resources are intended to make the water sources most damaged by the pipeline construction cleaner and safer.
Shapiro said three professional geology firms were selected to begin independent evaluations of water quality for residents affected by the pipeline's construction: GeoServices, Ltd., Meiser & Earl, Inc., and David Miller Associates, Inc.
Residents who have requested a water evaluation should expect to be contacted by one of the professional geologists shortly to begin the review.