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West Goshen Files Injunction To Stop Drilling On Controversial Pipeline

WEST GOSHEN, Pa. (CBS)--  Sunoco's efforts to build a pipeline from Marcellus Shale fields in Ohio to a plant in Marcus Hook have run into more than a few problems.

One Chester County official is none too happy about it, and township leaders are demanding Sunoco to stop work on its controversial natural gas liquids pipeline.

State Senator Andy Dinniman is blunt about his concerns over the Mariner East 2 pipeline.

"There's distrust of Sunoco and of this gas line already and what this situation has done is added to the distrust within our community," Dinniman told KYW Newsradio.

David Brooman, an attorney for West Goshen said, "Pursuit to the settlement agreement there wasn't going to be any above ground facilities expect for their existing station."

Brooman said the construction of a pipeline valve station near the intersection of Greenhill Road and Boot Road is a violation on the part of Sunoco.

Pipeline Drilling Creating Issues With Well Water In Chester County

Sunoco has clashed with local communities off and on since the planning process for the project.

Dinniman is worried that there could see a serious problem on that line, one requiring evacuations, but he says there's no plan in place.

"What essentially is being said is if they leak, run," Dinniman added. "Well, they're going by schools where you have young children. You're going by senior centers."

Part of the problem, he says, is that there's no regulation of pipelines within Pennsylvania, and efforts to change that are routinely blocked by natural gas lobbyists. Bottom line, he wants Sunoco to be more forthcoming about what's going on.

Last week, neighbors in West Whiteland blamed the company for brown water, and in some cases no water flowing into their homes.  They also said Sunoco did not tell people about the problems in a timely manner.

Two months ago in Delaware County, 500 gallons of lubricant used for drilling the pipeline leaked into a local creek.

All the issues have caused some state lawmakers to call for a complete shutdown of pipeline construction until there's more oversight.

Recently in West Goshen, an additional concern is that construction workers have blocked Goshen Fire Department trucks and firefighters from easily accessing their garage.  However, a deputy fire chief for the Goshen Fire Department said that issue had been mainly resolved.

A spokesman for Sunoco wrote in a brief statement that the company is "in compliance" with all its obligations to the township and community.

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CBS 3's Henry Rosoff and KYW's David Madden both contributed to this story.

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