Marine East Pipeline

[troutbert]

HeavyWater wrote:
Not sure if everyone knows this. So maybe a pointless post. But generally speaking drilling and pipelines are two different things. The drilling refers to hydrolic fracturing. Or Fracking.

There is drilling done for gas and oil well construction, obviously.

But what is being discussed here is the drilling done to run pipelines under rivers and streams.

The first link I posted explains it.

 

[HeavyWater]

Fact. But once you allow for extraction you have to transport the gas to refining facilities. So they build pipelines. I read the link. I think there is more environmental risk from fracking than from pipelines. I guess if you can stop the pipelines than there is no reason to frack because you can't get the gas to end users.

I guess that was my point.

The pipelines have less environmental risk than the actually fracking. You have to take the bad with the bad. I guess.

Hopefully they run the pipes with 0% failure rate. But I doubt that happens. Buts it's prob safer than trucks and trains. I know you can move oil that way. But not sure about gas and NGL's.

Haven't seen pcray on the forum in a while. But somehow I think he knows this inside and out.

Sorry for the rant. Good luck monitoring the construction of the pipelines. There will be some degradation. But like Dakota Access pipeline, DAPL, It will get done.

Thanks again for you vigilance. And good luck.

 

[vern]

Every pipeline crossing a stream poses two immediate threats: pipeline failure at stream crossings; and constant sedimentation pollution source.

Pipeline failure at a stream crossing will quickly contaminate water supplies. Pipeline failure can be anticipated to occur during earthquakes, high erosion flooding, stream bed failure (sinkhole), and other land-moving activities that go awry.

The path of the pipeline must be kept such that it be easy for digging. This leaves sedimentation to be an anticipated and expected condition at these sites.

 

[tomitrout]

All drilling operations have been suspended until early August along the pipeline:

https://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2017/07/25/judge-halts-all-drilling-on-mariner-east-2-construction/

 

[HeavyWater]

Thanks. Good post. It's important to know that these companies have no obligation to the commonwealth or anyone. The management/CEO is accountable to the equity holders and in the Energy business there's a bunch of shady characters.

I assume this is in the Federal courts and not state courts given that the EPA is involved.

Good they stopped it for now. Sunoco doesn't give a sh*t about the environmental degradation. Look up their managemt and shareholders. They will stay just inside the lines. And spill. Good for the justice system here. But it's not over.

The pipelines and drilling will get done. But the nonprofits who stopped them here did good work. Hopefully keep them inside the lines

But like I said. Fracking is dirty. And if you frack you need a pipeline. And it won't stop.

Good post. Let's see what happens next.

 

[Berks]

I've been watching the pipeline going in around my area in southern Berks County for the past few months. It's amazing to me at the amount of land disturbance that's involved to install a 20" diameter pipe a few feet below grade. This is going to get interesting when they hit the denser populated areas of Chester and Delaware Counties.

 

[franklin]

riverwhy wrote:
I did always wonder thinking they did some kind of ditching but obviously that would be totally impractical on the larger water bodies. Also, when I heard the chemicals I just thought gas drilling because that is what it is what I always associated it with.

I feel pretty dumb about posting that but you can only imagine the average person's confusion. None of the articles I read explained why drilling was done or why chemicals were used.

I guess they use these chemicals when they drill wells? If so what prevents them from contaminating the aquifers?

They typically use a type of clay slurry for these drills. Not the same lubricants used in fracking. Causes some short term silt but nothing considered toxic.

 

[riverwhy]

From what I can see Bentonite is used in many applications both for as a drilling lubricant and as a sealant. It appears it is used in both oil/gas wells and water wells.
Used in beer and winemaking and ironically as a "healthy" detox agent!
Even as a topical to prevent poison ivy!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bentonite

 

[Mike]

Heavy water,
I did not see any mention of the EPA in the article. What was mentioned was the EHB, which is the ( Pennsylvania State) Environmental Hearing Board, with no ties to the Feds.

 

[Fredrick]

Here's what has been going on in my neck of the woods
https://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2017/05/15/sunocos-pipeline-construction-releases-drilling-mud-into-delco-creek/

 

[Swattie87]

Several spills in Lebanon County's Quittapahilla watershed over the last 60 days...in relation to Mariner East.

Two into Snitz Creek, a natural reproduction list ATW. No mention of any fish kill fortunately.

One into Bachman Run. ATW with a small hatchery on it. Approximately 70 Trout dead in the hatchery as a result of sediment influx.

 

[salmonoid]

DEP suspends construction of the Mariner East 2 pipeline (for a bit). Glad to see this gas is staying local...

 

[bikerfish]

Good for the DEP to be on top of this. Of course, the feds will likely overrule the state laws and the project will move forward regardless.
and yeah, did anyone actually believe that the citizens of PA, or even the US, would be benefiting from the gas? I do remember saying it was always about the profit, and that the gas produced was never intended for our use.
oil and gas independence my ***.
Next they will tell us we NEED the gold in the bristol bay watershed, then let a foreign country mine it.
makes me sick.

 

[afishinado]

The pipeline has had problems going through the part of Chester County where I live. Residents around here are up-in-arms, and with good reason, IMO.

A long time ago, when the Marcellus Shale thing just got started, I knew stuff like this was bound to happen. Most folks, in other parts of the state away from the drilling paid little attention. If they drill and actually extract gas from the wells in northern PA....what do you think they were going to do with it??....drill pipelines over mountains, under streams and rivers and through neighborhoods, and at times exercise eminent domain laws, too.

While I'm not totally against the whole thing, it's really got to be monitored and controlled.

https://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2017/07/07/chesco-homes-hit-with-water-problems-near-pipeline-construction-site/

https://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2017/07/14/sunoco-halts-drilling-in-chester-county-where-pipeline-construction-damaged-drinking-water-wells/

http://www.dailylocal.com/article/DL/20170701/NEWS/170709997

 

[melvinp]

Living up on the Wyoming, Susquehanna County line i can say you had better get use to it and hope for the best.It looks like a jig saw puzzle here now.