As we close out 2022, it is our pleasure to share some of Energy Transfer’s accomplishments this year across the Northeast. We completed important infrastructure projects, gave back to our communities, restored and enhanced habitats, and supported our first responder organizations. It was a fruitful year, and we look forward to carrying that momentum into 2023 and beyond.
The Completion of the Mariner East Pipeline System
This spring, Energy Transfer completed the years-long, multi-billion-dollar Mariner East project, consisting of two new pipelines spanning clear across Pennsylvania that currently carry natural gas liquids (NGLs) including propane, ethane and butane. In all, we installed more than 600 miles of pipeline; employed more than 10,000 Pennsylvania tradespeople; generated more than 30 million man hours of work in construction, engineering, survey work and environmental inspections; and invested billions of dollars across the commonwealth, leading to an estimated $140 to $210 million in ongoing annual tax payments.
New Projects on the Horizon
The completion of the Mariner East system opened the door for a multitude of other infrastructure projects and enhancements that are benefiting Pennsylvanians and beyond. As you know, Pennsylvania Access went online in 2021 and now brings refined products like gasoline and ultra-low-sulfur diesel from the Midwest into Pennsylvania and into other Northeast markets.
And with Mariner East fully in service and transporting more NGLs, we are working toward building additional processing capacity at our world-class Marcus Hook Terminal (MHT) in Delaware County, PA.
With the always-evolving national energy landscape, we are fortunate that the flexibility of our existing infrastructure allows us to continually reevaluate our systems and make changes to better meet the needs of consumers.
Butane Blending Milestone – More Butane = Lower Costs for Gasoline
Energy Transfer recently surpassed 100 automated butane blending sites in the United States after bringing two new sites online in Utah and Arizona. Earlier this year, we commissioned a new site at our Twin Oaks Terminal in Delaware County, PA. These efforts continue a successful run of implementing industry-leading technology across the nation to the benefit of consumers. Blending typically occurs at terminals before being loaded onto trucks, and at times is injected directly into our pipelines. During the cold-weather months, butane blending helps keep fuel costs down. Because butane (one of the NGLs moved through the Mariner East pipeline system and processed at the Marcus Hook Terminal) is less expensive than other blending components used in gasoline, fall and winter gas blends cost less to produce than summer blends with less butane. Butane is also abundant, which increases overall gasoline supply during the cold-weather months and further reduces prices for consumers at the pump.
Fighting Food Insecurity – Partnership with Philabundance
Energy Transfer and Sunoco have supported Philabundance for the better part of two decades. As one of its largest annual sponsors, we provide $250,000 each year in fuel grants for its fleet of vehicles that deliver food throughout the Philadelphia area, in addition to volunteer hours. This year, in honor of Hunger Action Month in September, we also organized a volunteer day, where we packed more than 500 senior meal boxes for those in need across the region.
Additionally, in December we presented a $1,000 donation, as well as food items we collected through a company food drive, to the Burgettstown Area School District in Washington County, PA, to support its “Boost Bags” program. The program provides nutritional support to students during times when school is not in session, including the upcoming holiday break. We were able to collect and donate nearly 90 cases/boxes of canned goods to fill the bags, in addition to our donation.
Supporting the Special Olympics
As proud partners of the Special Olympics of Pennsylvania, Energy Transfer was honored to again serve as the Guardian of the Flame sponsor this year. Back in January, we raised funds and participated in the annual Polar Plunge in Philadelphia. In November, we participated in the Fall Fest Law Enforcement Torch Run in Philadelphia, where we offered opening remarks and ran the first leg of the 26-mile race, carrying the Special Olympics torch. The run culminated at Villanova University with a celebration and reception that evening, where we also attended and presented.
Challenge for CHOP
The Energy Transfer Marcus Hook team organized the 2022 Clash for a Cause event this summer, benefiting the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). The competitive team event featured cornhole, football toss and a plank challenge. We were proud to raise more than $12,000 this year for CHOP.
Funding First Responder Gear
We continued our successful First Responder Fund grant program this year, awarding more than $95,000 to first responder organizations in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan. These grants helped fund much-needed equipment and apparatus for these departments, from personal protective gear, to all-terrain vehicles, to station upgrades and more. Many of these departments are all-volunteer with limited revenue sources, and it is our privilege to be able to support the men and women who protect our communities every day.
Industrial Fire Training in Texas
Building relationships between emergency responders and the communities they serve – and training them for potential hazards that they may face – is critical to emergency preparedness and something Energy Transfer prioritizes across all our areas of operation. Every year, our own fire brigade at the Marcus Hook Terminal participates in the annual Industrial Fire Brigade Training at the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Services Facility in College Station, Texas, and invites a number of Southeast PA departments to join. This year was no different; Energy Transfer brought members from local fire companies including Marcus Hook Trainer Fire Co., Lower Chichester Fire Co., Claymont Fire Co., Rocky Run Fire Co., Middletown Fire Co., Concordville Fire Co., Aston Fire Co., Brookhaven Fire Co., and our regional industrial fire mutual aid groups. Trainees spent several days learning to fight flammable liquid and NGL fires under the direction of MHT emergency response leaders, rotating between different props to learn new firefighting tactics and develop life-saving skills.
Habitat Enhancements
In 2022, we executed a number of habitat improvement projects across the PA commonwealth in partnership with the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and various other conservation groups. Following right-of-way restoration, Energy Transfer planted special pollinator seed mixes and later installed 153 bee boxes on three State Game Lands in Cambria, Blair and Huntingdon Counties. As an effort to increase the population of native bees, the boxes and plantings quickly proved successful in attracting not only a variety of native bees, but a high diversity of butterflies and other insects. The design, developed out of the Penn State Extension Service, was requested by the PGC for installation on State Game Lands 198, 147 and 118. They were built in a wood shop and installed in April of 2022. Since the rights of way were already well-established with pollinator plantings, the boxes were utilized almost immediately upon installation.
We also participated in a number of volunteer efforts in honor of Earth Day alongside the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, from helping to build fish habitat structures at Raystown Lake in Huntingdon County, PA, to volunteering at the Loyalhanna Lake Cleanup Day in Westmoreland County, PA.
These are just a few examples of the habitat work we helped execute this year, and we look forward to identifying more opportunities through our membership in the Wildlife Habitat Council.
Honoring Our Veterans
Energy Transfer remains supportive of American veterans. This year, we are again the title sponsors of the Energy Transfer Veterans Memorial Rink in Delaware County, PA, a project benefiting the Delaware County Veterans Memorial Association (DCVMA). We look forward to hosting several events throughout the winter season, including several “Skip and Skate” events for local students, who will receive an educational seminar at the DCVMA’s local memorial before a 90-minute skating session down the road at the rink.
For the second year, we sponsored the Army-Navy Cup at Subaru Park in Chester, PA, where we hosted a tailgate event before watching the men’s soccer teams from Army West Point and the U.S. Naval Academy face off in their televised rival match at the home stadium of the Philadelphia Union.
And this month, we proudly participated in various Wreaths Across America events across PA, where employees laid wreaths on the graves of the brave service men and women who have sacrificed for our nation.
We look forward to continued developments, contributions and growth in 2023!