Energy Transfer Convicted of Environmental Crimes

Dauphin County, PA (August 5, 2022) On Friday morning, Dauphin County Judge Edward Marsico presided over a plea agreement between Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro and Sunoco / Energy Transfer, settling more than 40 criminal charges related to construction of the Mariner East pipelines.  Energy Transfer did not contest charges related to criminal destruction of the environment and water resources of the Commonwealth as a result of construction of its Mariner East project, a pipeline project running the length of Southern Pennsylvania to transport gas byproducts to an export terminal on the Delaware River.  In the more than five years of its ongoing construction, Energy Transfer has damaged and destroyed scores of water wells and other private and public resources across the state. 

Clean Air Council has partnered with residents for years to resist Mariner East through education, advocacy and multiple legal actions. These efforts have resulted in increased scrutiny of Sunoco’s flawed science and stronger environmental protection policies.  

Today’s plea bargain settles the case against Energy Transfer/ Sunoco for $10 million, a significantly larger sum than what could have been levied had the case gone to trial, given Pennsylvania’s weak environmental enforcement laws. The fine will be used to establish a statewide fund for improving the water in watersheds most impacted by the Mariner East project, and for compensating landowners along the pipeline that have sustained damage to their private wells. Impacted residents can have their water tested by emailing watertesting@attorneygeneral.gov prior to the August 19th deadline.

Joseph Otis Minott, Esq., Clean Air Council Executive Director and Chief Counsel, issued the following statement:

“After many years of deceiving the public, Energy Transfer is finally being brought to justice for criminal conduct. A pipeline that has had so many criminal violations of the law should not even be allowed to operate.  And while today’s settlement cannot address all of the many harms of this pipeline, it offers a meaningful remedy for polluted well water and damaged watersheds. It is imperative that neighbors with  impacted wells reach out to the Attorney General’s office right away to get their water tested.”