Pipeline foes fight for information
THORNBURY » Sunoco/Energy Transfer Mariner East pipeline community representative and Del-Chesco United for Pipeline Safety member Eric Friedman is battling the Public Utility Commission for more information.
At a public January meeting in East Goshen Township organized by state Rep. Carolyn Comitta, Friedman asked PUC Fixed Utility Valuation Manager Paul Metro if the agency could estimate the distance from an exploding pipeline of the “blast radius,” or what is often referred to as “blast zone,” or what the PUC refers to as the “buffer zone.”
Metro answered, “Yes,” but did not elaborate.
Friedman launched a Right to Know request in February which the PUC denied.
“This request does not seek information provided by Sunoco if that information has been designated as confidential security information,” Friedman wrote in his request. “Rather, it seeks records containing or related to calculations or estimates of blast radius (Sunoco’s term) or “buffer zone” (PUC’s term) regarding accidents or releases from HVL (highly volatile liquid) pipelines in the possession of the PUC…”
Friedman said that the PUC refused to comply with the order of the Office of Open Records for the PUC to release a portion of the requested information.
“Rather than comply with the Office of Open Records Final Determination, and produce records as ordered, the PUC has chosen to take me to court in a misguided attempt to keep secret the number of schools in harm’s way as a result of its actions,” Friedman said. “Twin Valley, West Chester Area, Downingtown Area, and Rose Tree Media School Districts all have schools in the Mariner East probable fatality zone, and none have a credible plan to protect students from the hazard.
“Is this why the Public Utility Commissioners are wasting agency resources taking citizens to court — to hide what they know about the size of the Mariner East blast zone, and when they knew it?”
Metro did not reply to a phone request for comment by press time.