DEP plans public hearings for Sunoco's Mariner 2 pipeline

Marie Cusick

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Marie Cusick was the Harrisburg reporter for StateImpact Pennsylvania.

July 8, 2016 | 11:29 AM

The Mariner East 1 line (blue) is already shipping natural gas liquids. State regulators will hold meetings on the proposed Mariner East 2 pipeline (dotted red line).

The Mariner East 1 line (in blue) is already shipping natural gas liquids across Pennsylvania State regulators will hold meetings on the proposed Mariner East 2 pipeline (dotted red line). Sunoco Logistics

State environmental regulators will hold a series of public hearings in August to get public feedback on pending permit applications for a major natural gas liquids pipeline project.
The so-called Mariner 2 line, would run parallel to its predecessor (the Mariner East 1) through 17 counties in Pennsylvania’s southern tier. But unlike that project, which involved reversing the flow of an existing line, this pipeline needs to be built from scratch. The Mariner 2 aims to transport natural gas liquids from eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania’s Marcellus and Utica Shales 350 miles to the company’s terminal near Philadelphia.
The project is regulated at the federal level by the Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration which is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, but it also requires state-level permits from the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for certain activities near waterways.
Due to the complexity of the project, DEP Acting Secretary Patrick McDonnell says the department will extend its public comment period from 30 to 60 days and hold a series of hearings.
“As an open and transparent agency, we take public comment and input very seriously”, McDonnell said in a statement. “We want to provide the public with several opportunities to review permit applications and provide thoughtful, critical, and constructive feedback to aide in our technical review.”
Here are the dates and times of the hearings:

Blair County: Monday, August 8, 2016 – 6:30 P.M – 9:30 P.M. – Blair County Convention Center, One Convention Center Drive, Altoona, PA 16602
Lebanon County: Tuesday, August 9, 2016 – 6:30 P.M – 9:30 P.M. – Lebanon Valley Exposition Center, 80 Rocherty Road, Lebanon, PA 17042
Chester County: Wednesday August 10, 2016 – 6:30 P.M – 9:30 P.M. – Sykes Student Union at West Chester University, 110 W. Rosedale Avenue, West Chester, PA 19382
Dauphin County: Tuesday, August 16, 2016 – 6:30 P.M – 9:30 P.M. – PA Farm Show Complex, Keystone Conference Center, 2300 N Cameron Street, Harrisburg, PA 17110
Westmoreland County: Thursday, August 18, 2016 – 6:30 P.M – 9:30 P.M. – Founder’s Hall Amphitheatre, Westmoreland County Community College, 145 Pavilion Lane, Youngwood, PA 15697