Pennsylvania’s environmental regulator is levying an $85,666 penalty against Sunoco for issues with its Mariner East project in four counties last year.
The agreement between Sunoco and the Department of Environmental Protection covers 13 drilling fluid spills in Blair, Cumberland, Juniata, and Lebanon counties.
The spills released a total of 412 gallons of industrial waste into wetlands and streams between February and August 2020. The sites include a wetland in Blair County, Letort Spring Run and wetlands in Cumberland County, a wetland and Tuscarora Creek in Juniata County, and Snitz Creek in Lebanon County.
DEP says all the spills were cleaned up in line with a 2018 revised construction plan.
Most of the penalty money, $84,500, will go to the state’s Clean Water Fund.
The Fish and Boat Commission will get $12,424. County conservation districts that helped with the investigations will get $1,166.
Sunoco has already paid half a million dollars in fines for spills in Lebanon County last year. Snitz Creek has seen dozens of problems since the Mariner East II project started.
Sunoco did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
This story is produced in partnership with StateImpact Pennsylvania, a collaboration among The Allegheny Front, WPSU, WITF and WHYY to cover the commonwealth's energy economy.
