Sunoco Pipeline agreed to pay $497,000 to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for spilling drilling fluids into a Lebanon County creek.
The DEP announced the consent order and agreement Feb. 25 for the violations that happened in connection with the Mariner East 2 pipeline project.
Sunoco’s infractions include spills of drilling fluids into Snitz Creek and failure to notify DEP of multiple losses of circulation, according to a DEP release. Losses of circulation are when drilling fluids escape and do not return to the surface.
Sunoco didn’t notify the DEP of 32 losses of circulation between May 21, 2020 and Aug. 13, 2020, the department said in a statement.
The company also reported a dozen spills between Sept. 17, 2020 and Oct. 19, 2020. A spill on October 19 put fluids in Snitz Creek in 20 different places.
Sunoco satisfied its payment agreement Feb. 16. In addition to the $497,000 fee, Sunoco must submit a cleanup and restoration plan with a proposed implementation schedule for Snitz Creek.
This is not the first time the Mariner East 2 pipeline has run into problems. The DEP issued a nearly $2 million civil penalty to Sunoco last January for spilling drilling fluids in a central Pennsylvania lake.
The Mariner East 2 pipeline is an expansion of the Mariner East pipeline that was converted from a gasoline line to move natural gas liquids from Ohio and the Pittsburgh area to a processor near Philadelphia.
It runs more than 300 miles across the southern portion of the state, crossing through 17 counties.
