Pipeline developer Energy Transfer LP faces 48 criminal charges in Pennsylvania for repeatedly allowing thousands of gallons of drilling fluid to escape during construction of the $2.5-billion Mariner East natural gas liquids pipeline system across the state from the western Marcellus Shale region to a Philadelphia area export terminal.
Energy Transfer failed to report the fluid losses to the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP), and at multiple locations along the 350-mile route of the project's twin 16-in. and 20-in. pipes, the company used fluid that contained unapproved additives which spilled into groundwater, Attorney General Josh Shapiro said on Oct. 5 in announcing a state grand jury’s findings. “There is a duty to protect our air and water, and when companies harm these vital resources through negligence—it is a crime,” he said in a statement.