The ongoing jet fuel pipeline leak in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, has continued to stir unrest among the residents of Upper Makefield Township, who packed a community meeting to voice their fears and frustrations. Locals are living in anxiety over potential contamination and are pressing for concrete answers. At a recent gathering, one resident, identified as Kat, expressed her daily concerns: "When we wake up in the morning, we wonder if we are going to smell jet fuel. We don’t know how far the contamination is and we don’t know where the plume is," she told FOX29.
Another resident, Kim Smith, emphasized their determination not to be silenced, stating, "I’ll say it slow and calculated – that we are not going to go quiet and we will not go away," according to a FOX29 interview. The spill which is assumed to have been leaking for possibly more than a year, has led to Energy Transfer, the parent company of Sunoco, committing to providing fresh water and in-home filtration systems under the directive of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has begun remediation efforts, including the removal of 65 gallons of leaked fuel as they navigate the issue which with the purchase of one contaminated property under their belt.
Residents, however, contest the company's data, as CBS News shared concerns from a local township meeting. One resident, Andrea Moise, doubted the accuracy of the testing: "We have neighbors who smell gas in the water, but all the tests come back undetected," her concerns are reflective of a broader community suspicion given weight by claims from others, such as Dan Lahart, who suggests the leak’s duration extends far beyond initial estimates, "At a minimum, this has been going on for 16 months, if not longer, because that's when the first wells detected it," Lahart told CBS News. Notwithstanding the updates provided by Sunoco representatives regarding soil, air, and water testing, along with recovery well drilling plans, the company's refusal to engage in a Q&A due to pending legal matters has done little to assuage resident's concerns for transparency.
Moreover, further frustrations stem from unsatisfactory responses to pressing health and environmental concerns, as 6ABC outlined the residents' ongoing quest for answers. At the crux of the issue is a dire need for specifics regarding the extent of the leak and the consequent risk to the community. "We haven't been told the size of the leak, how much product was lost," Naomi Robinson disclosed the gravity of the situation to 6ABC. As a response to the outcry, Joe McGinn, Energy Transfer Vice President of Public Affairs, vowed ongoing communication: "There's some answers that can be given in the short term. There's some answers that can be given in the long term, but in terms of that commitment to doing that, we will be here," he told 6ABC. In an added measure of scrutiny, the Bucks County First Assistant District Attorney Edward Louka has turned to the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Environmental Crimes unit as part of an ongoing investigation.
Those with concerns about the contamination incident are encouraged to seek information through Energy Transfer's resident hotline, email, or dedicated website.
