West Chester School District Intervening In Sunoco Complaint

WEST CHESTER, PA — The West Chester Area School district said that a "lack of safety measures" implemented by Sunoco for its Mariner East 2 pipeline has led the district to join several other local schools in intervening in a lawsuit against the oil giant.

The lawsuit was filed last November by Meghan Flynn, a Delaware County resident and activist. The suit calls on the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission to shut down all construction on Mariner East 2. Downingtown Area, Rose Tree Media, and Twin Valley school districts have all intervened in the suit on Flynn's behalf.

"The Board has concerns about safety precautions which have not been addressed by the developer of the Mariner II East Pipeline," West Chester Area School District Board President Chris McCune said Wednesday. "For three years, our administration has written letters communicating our concerns. It's now time to escalate our engagement."

Sunoco is the subject of a criminal investigation for their activities related to the pipelines and safety concerns in Chester County. A dozen pieces of legislation are pending to completely overhaul the state's regulatory process in the wake of Sunoco's controversial presence in southeastern Pennsylvania, which has led to numerous spills, sinkholes, well water contamination, and other safety violations.

Chiefly, West Chester is concerned about the proximity of its schools to the pipline, which runs within 3,000 feet of four different district buildings. Two more are within 6,000 feet.

The district added that Superintendent Jim Scanlon has reached out multiple times to Gov. Wolf, state legislators, Sunoco, and PUC with his safety concerns. The answers he's received back "have not been satisfactory," prompting this latest step by the district to join in the lawsuit.

If the PUC grants the district's intervention into the suit, the district will be able to testify in hearings that take place about Mariner East 2.

The budding Mariner East 2 is one of multiple Sunoco pipelines that run across the state.

Catch up on the latest on the Sunoco saga in Chester County:

• Sunoco's Armed Guards Turn Back Public At Pipeline Sinkhole: DA
• New Sinkhole Opens Up Along Mariner East 1 In Chester County
• Pipeline Worker's Comments To Chester Co. Resident Investigated
• New Legislation Aims To Improve Pipeline Safety Near Schools
• Criminal Investigation Opened Into Sunoco, Chester Co. Pipelines
• Funded By Sunoco Fine, Chesco Gets $1.8 Million For Conservation
• Sunoco Fined $12.6 Million For Mariner East 2 Violations
• Battle Against Sunoco Pipeline Is David v. Goliath, Lawmaker Says