Problems Persist for Rover and Mariner East 2 Pipelines During Construction

By Meredith Abercrombie

The Rover and the Mariner East 2 natural gas pipelines are facing multiple setbacks, as state governments halt construction because of permit violations and harm to surrounding ecosystems.

The Rover Pipeline is set to run through West Virginia, Ohio and Michigan, while the Mariner East 2 would run through Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio.

On July 17, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection gave Energy Transfer Partners LP, the group constructing the Rover Pipeline, a cease-and-desist order in response to reports of sediment runoff into nearby streams along the pipeline route that violate state water quality standards.

This is not the first issue that the Rover Pipeline has faced. On July 7, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency released orders concerning waste that contained diesel fuel released from construction sites. Additionally, thousands of gallons of drill sludge have been released in wetlands and near waterways in Ohio.

Work on the Mariner East 2 pipeline in Pennsylvania has also been postponed, as a state judge ordered a two-week hold on construction due to multiple instances of water contamination. This pipeline is overseen by Sunoco Pipeline, which recently merged with ETP.

Most recently, two legislators wrote the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission asking that they take a deeper look into ETP and their pipelines, including the Rover and Mariner East 2.