After years of legal battles, natural gas pipeline spanning Pa. is officially in service

Sam Ruland
York Daily Record

Following years of legal battles and state-mandated shutdowns, Sunoco's Mariner East 2 pipeline officially began service Saturday, according to a news release from its parent company, Energy Transfer LP of Dallas, Texas.

The 350-mile pipeline transports domestically produced ethane, propane and butane from processing plants in Ohio across West Virginia and Pennsylvania to Energy Transfer's Marcus Hook Industrial Complex in Delaware County. 

The proposed route of the Mariner East pipeline.

The news comes shortly after a county prosecutor in Pennsylvania announced he would be opening up a criminal investigation into the construction of the pipeline, looking for potential crimes including causing or risking a catastrophe, environmental violations and corrupt organizations.

The Mariner East 2X pipeline, which runs parallel to Mariner East 2, is expected to be in service late 2019. 

Lisa Dillinger, Energy Transfer spokeswoman, said the Mariner East project is anticipated to create more than 9,500 construction-related jobs a year during construction, and between 360 to 530 permanent jobs.

More:Criminal investigation looks into Sunoco Pipeline's Mariner East projects spanning Pa.

More:Two huge pipeline projects in Pennsylvania and Ohio are almost done — but at what cost?

Mariner East 2 pipeline fast facts:

How long is it? 350 miles 

Where does it run? The pipeline runs through southcentral Pennsylvania, including York, Lebanon and Lancaster counties. 

How much did it cost to build? $2.5 billion. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection fined the project $12.6 million for environmental damage, including dumping drilling fluids into state waters without a permit. 

How long did construction take? Construction started in February 2017 and was supposed to be completed at a rate of 50 miles a month. That means the project should have only taken around seven months to complete, yet it wasn't until Saturday, Dec. 29, that the pipeline was officially in service. 

How many workers were needed? At peak construction, there were about 2,300 workers at one time from all labor unions.