By Dave Fidlin |
The Center Square
Jan, 2020
ETC Northeast Pipeline has been issued a $30.6 million fine for an explosion and fire that occurred nearly 16 months ago and resulted in widespread damage and contamination in Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection announced that it was issuing the civic penalty as part of an agreement with ETC that will give the operator the ability to resume work and correct unlawful conduct.
The fine, described by state DEP officials as “historic” because of its sizable monetary amount, is linked to an incident that occurred Sept. 10, 2018, in Center Township in Beaver County. A landslide along ETC’s Revolution Pipeline resulted in portions of the pipeline separating, which caused gas to escape the infrastructure.
On the day of the incident, the gas ultimately ignited, which resulted in a fire that burned multiple acres of forested areas.
A single-family home, a barn and numerous vehicles within the impacted area were destroyed. Six high-voltage electric transmission towers also collapsed. There were no injuries or deaths reported from the incident.
In a statement, Patrick McDonnell, secretary of the state DEP, said the amount of the fine was reflective of ETC’s failure to comply with the agency’s regulations and lack of adequately monitoring the Revolution Pipeline while it was under construction.
“DEP is committed to holding permittees accountable for permit compliance and will continue to provide active and stringent oversight over the construction of their projects,” McDonnell said in the statement. “Permittees are obligated to ensure that their projects are constructed without incident and in full compliance with permits. If a permittee fails to do so, they will be held accountable.”
The state agency’s recent news release also revealed a subsequent investigation conducted after the pipeline fire and explosion revealed ETC had not stabilized the Revolution Pipeline in multiple areas during construction and “illegally impacted” streams and wetlands in its vicinity because of inadequate stormwater runoff.
ETC, an affiliate of Energy Transfer Partners, has agreed to a number of conditions moving forward, according to state environment officials, including a provision $28.6 million of the fine go toward funds devoted to clean water and a designated oil and gas program.
The earmarked funds, according to the DEP, will help fortify some of the state’s natural areas.
Officials with ETC have not issued a formal statement on the DEP’s ruling, and an attempt to reach Energy Transfer Partners for comment this week was unsuccessful.
Moving forward, DEP officials said they will be stringently monitoring ETC’s pipeline work to ensure terms and conditions in the agreement are satisfied.
“The conditions imposed by this agreement seek to ensure that ETC will get this right,” McDonell said in the statement. “Anything less is unacceptable.”
At least one organization, the Better Path Coalition, has gone on record in opposition to the DEP’s decision. The environmental advocacy group took aim at the ETC’s track record of monitoring compliance across the state.
“Pennsylvanians jaded by the Department of Environmental Protection’s poor track record for holding polluters to account will be unmoved by the agency’s historic fine on ETC,” according to the statement from Better Path Coalition. “Instead, they will shudder at the thought that the company will be able once again to get permits for its projects.”
published here with permission of The Center Squarei