On March 9th, the first-ever transport of domestically-produced shale gas left the Marcus Hook Industrial Complex in New Jersey aboard the INEOS Intrepid, bound for Norway. And while most involved in this project are hailing the technical achievement of such a feat, what’s being lost is the inevitable and disturbing precedent that this transaction is signaling.
As domestic natural gas extraction has diminished due to lowered market prices, those in the industry have been forced to look elsewhere for ways to stay afloat. Sunoco Logistics’ Marnier East pipeline project aimed at the transport of Natural Gas Liquids (NGLs) such as butane, ethane, and propane began in 2014 with plans to continue expansion into 2017.
According to Sunoco’s website, “Our Mariner East project transports NGLs from the Marcellus and Utica Shales areas in Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Eastern Ohio to destinations in Pennsylvania, including our Marcus Hook Industrial Complex on the Delaware River, where they are processed, stored and distributed to local, domestic and waterborne markets.” Distribution to local and domestic markets was a primary selling point in Sunoco’s legal request to be considered a “public utility corporation” because of the benefits provided to Pennsylvanians.
And while Governor Tom Wolf praised Sunoco’s “$3 billion investment in Pennsylvania’s energy economy… rather than sending this business, revenue and jobs to other states,” it’s been made abundantly clear by last week’s initial shipment across the Atlantic that there is plenty of incentive to provide natural gas products to European countries in desperate need of energy resources, cutting PA residents out of the loop entirely.
According a company press statement, INEOS has commissioned a total of eight ships “creating a virtual pipeline across the Atlantic,” delivering NGLs to “the largest two ethane gas storage tanks in Europe,” leaving no doubt regarding both companies’ intentions for a long, continued partnership of international energy transport.
Sunoco’s current use of eminent domain in the Marnier East expansion becomes even more troubling when we consider the massive amounts of natural gas products likely to be sent overseas, leaving local PA residents feeling powerless to defend their rights against a large, multi-national operation. As we continue to fight alongside Clean Air Council and other affected landowners against Sunoco’s aggressive and unwarranted land acquisition for the Mariner East pipelines, you can keep up-to-date with new developments here.