PA Court Ruling Underscores the Importance of Energy Infrastructure

On Monday, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court dismissed a complaint filed by Pennsylvania Sen. Andrew Dinniman that attempted to challenge the construction and operation of Marine East, a pipeline currently under development in Pennsylvania. The ruling, delivered by President Judge Mary Hannah Leavitt, found that Dinniman’s claim lacked both personal and legislative standing to challenge the project.

Dinniman has long been an opponent to the project but has yet to be successful in his attempts to stop construction. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, his complaint noted:

“The pipelines are part of a system that Sunoco Pipeline is building to transport natural gas liquids, such as propane, from the Marcellus and Utica Shale regions to an export terminal in Marcus Hook, Delaware County.”

Mariner developer Sunoco Pipeline is owned by Energy Transfer Partners LP, of Dallas. Vicki Granado, Energy Transfer spokeswoman, was also quoted in the Daily Local News stating her satisfaction with the ruling:

 “We are pleased that the court has remanded this matter to the PUC to dissolve the interim emergency injunction and to dismiss this complaint. We hope the PUC acts swiftly to take care of the matter. Furthermore, we believe this ruling confirms that Senator Dinniman inappropriately used public funds to pay his legal fees for this case, which should result in him having to pay the money back to the Commonwealth. As we have always said, our focus remains on the safe construction and operation of this important infrastructure project for the state of Pennsylvania.”

GAIN applauds the Commonwealth Court for upholding the rule of law. This ruling further proves that anti-pipeline politicians and activists are acting on baseless, frivolous claims that undermine energy security and threaten the safe transportation of our reliable energy resources. Pipelines are the safest, most efficient method of delivering oil and natural gas across the country. We must work together, not against each other, to ensure sustainable energy for future generations.

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