Dec 22, 2021 3 min read

In a victory for consumers and businesses, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has approved a permit modification that will allow Energy Transfer to complete the final section of the Mariner East 2 pipeline project. The approved change in construction relates to a site in Chester County and will reduce the potential for negative environmental impacts. The modification will also alter the pipeline’s route slightly on this section, adhering to the local geology and maximizing public safety. The pipeline system transports propane, ethane and butane from the energy-rich Marcellus Shale and Utica Shale gas fields in Western Pennsylvania to a processing and storage facility in Marcus Hook, Delaware County. The imminent completion of the Mariner East pipeline system and growing capacity to transport the products we depend on is welcome news for Pennsylvanians.

The construction of the Mariner East pipelines has produced an estimated $9.1 billion in tax revenue and economic impact to the state of Pennsylvania. In addition, the project supports 9,500 construction jobs for each year of construction. These are family- sustaining jobs that will have added nearly $3 billion dollars in earnings to the Pennsylvania economy over the construction period. Beyond this initial economic boost during construction, this pipeline is projected to produce between $140 million to $210 million in ongoing annual economic impacts and support up to 530 jobs in the commonwealth.

Washington County can also attest to the tremendous economic benefits Mariner East continues to provide. Beyond creating needed tax revenues in our communities, the pipeline system supplies most of our region’s propane demand as a vital fuel and heating source – energy derived from Washington County. While much of the Mariner East 2 and 2X pipelines are already in service, the full completion of the project will benefit consumers at a time when home heating costs for residents are higher than they have been in more than two decades.

Additionally, many of the household items we use every day are derived from the natural gas liquids (NGLs) transported through Mariner East pipelines. This includes everything from our laptops and smartphones to the clothes we wear, our children’s toys and even the personal protection equipment used to fight COVID-19. Without pipelines to safely transport natural gas and NGLs from our region, we have no means of efficiently getting our energy to market to create jobs, manufacture the goods we use every day, or support the services we rely on for our high quality of life.

It is also important to note that the environmental benefits of this project are just as meaningful as the economic benefits. Pipelines have been proven to be the safest and most efficient way to transport energy, replacing more carbon-intensive modes of transportation like trucks and trains and limiting greenhouse gas emissions. It also opens the door for additional opportunities to increase Pennsylvania’s access to other types of fuel. The new Pennsylvania Access Initiative, which will utilize part of the Mariner East system, will begin transporting refined products like gasoline and diesel this winter from the Midwest into Pennsylvania.

The completion of this important infrastructure project and its positive developments – ranging from economic to environmental – will benefit communities across the Keystone State and bringing Mariner East fully online will allow the region to realize the project’s maximum potential as a pipeline to opportunity.

Jeff Kotula is president of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce.