One of the major concerns by both First American and environmental groups are potential pipeline leaks. While Energy Transfer Partners assures they’ve complied with federal requirements, their parent company, Suncoco, who will be operating the pipeline has a history of pipeline leaks, which includes another lake. Here is a partial list of Suncoco’s leaks:
- Sunoco Pipeline Spills Gasoline Near Pennsylvania River
- Suncoco crude oil spill in Tyler Co (TX)
- Suncoco Pipeline breaks in Louisiana
- North-Central PA Flooding Causes Gasoline Pipeline Leak in Lycoming County
- Sunoco leaked 190,000 gallons of oil into the John Heinz Wildlife Refuge
According to 5 Eye Witness News
Federal records show no company has had more hazardous materials leak in the past decade than Sunoco Logistic. There have been 274 incidents.
For comparison, the second company on that list had 18 fewer incidents, but operates more than four times the miles of pipeline.
According to Reuters:
Sunoco Logistics (SXL.N), the future operator of the oil pipeline delayed this month after Native American protests in North Dakota, spills crude more often than any of its competitors with more than 200 leaks since 2010, according to a Reuters analysis of government data.
Will the Pipeline will help reduce American dependence on foreign oil?
While Energy Transfer Partners claims the oil will be solely for domestic use, others have raised concern that some oil we be exported to other markets. With the 40-year ban on crude oil export recently lifted (a lift that Energy Transfer Partners lobbied for), there is no guarantee that this oil will be used domestically.
