Pipeline developer charged with environmental crimes
The West Virginia-based company ETC Northeast Pipeline is being charged with nine counts of environmental crimes as a result of a 2018 explosion of a pipeline that connects to a Washington County gas processing plant.
The explosion occurred in Beaver County, and while no one was injured or killed in the incident, one home was destroyed, along with several vehicles, two garages and a barn. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro alleged Wednesday that the explosion occurred “because of Energy Transfer’s negligence as they built the Revolution Pipeline.”
The 42-mile pipeline starts in Butler County, and winds through Beaver and Allegheny counties before ending in Washington County. The Sept. 10, 2018, explosion in Beaver County’s Center Township is believed to have been caused by a landslide that caused a section of the pipeline that had not been sufficiently embedded in the site’s bedrock to come loose. Gas escaped from the pipeline and led to the explosion. A statewide investigating grand jury found the company ignored environmental protocols and measures that could have prevented the landslide.
Along with the property damage sustained by nearby residents, six high-voltage transmission towers collapsed and two acres of trees burned.
ETC Northeast Pipeline is a subsidiary of Texas-based Energy Transfer. Alexis Daniel, a spokeswoman for the company, said, “This comes as no surprise to us, as these are not new or additional claims. We have been aware of these for some time, and we have been involved in discussions regarding these issues with the attorney general’s office.”
Daniel added, “We will continue to work with them and look forward to getting these issues resolved.”