Don’t Let Sunoco Keep Delaware County’s Air Polluted
Sunoco is proposing a significant new source of air pollution at the Marcus Hook Industrial Complex (MHIC) in Delaware County. The new pollution source is associated with the processing and export of Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) from the Mariner East pipelines. Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is reviewing the proposed application and recently cancelled an April 2nd public hearing in Marcus Hook due to COVID-19.
Public input on air quality concerns from impacted residents is essential. All decisions on this new major source of air pollution must be delayed until it is safe to hold in-person public hearings for Marcus Hook and Delaware County residents.
Sunoco’s proposal to expand the MHIC export facility has been riddled with issues for years. Clean Air Council appealed the original air pollution permit issued by DEP in 2016 because Sunoco attempted to break the project up into smaller parts to avoid the stricter regulations required for a large facility. In January 2019 the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board (EHB) concluded that DEP had mistakenly permitted several connected operations as if they were separate projects, which allowed Sunoco to avoid more stringent air pollution standards. Following the EHB’s ruling, Sunoco’s proposal is now considered a new single polluting project and DEP is proposing to issue a new consolidated permit.
Residents of Marcus Hook and Delaware County are already experiencing the impacts of significant air pollution from the Marcus Hook NGL export facility. The consolidated expansion proposal would create an additional 67.73 tons per year of nitrogen oxides and 177.02 tons per year of volatile organic compounds, which would far exceed the major source threshold for both of these pollutants in Delaware County. Nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds both lead to the formation of smog and are associated with increased respiratory issues and other health impacts. Sunoco’s proposal also includes significant greenhouse gas pollution from methane leakage.
