As an industry, we are incredibly proud to continue working and supplying Pennsylvania with locally produced, affordable energy that is used to heat our homes, cook our food and manufacture the health, hygiene and safety products needed to combat COVID-19.
Our pipelines and related facilities throughout the United States remain in operation, safely transporting the raw materials that are used to produce PPE, sanitizers, disinfectants and other cleaning products.
In fact, our Marcus Hook neighbor, chemical company Braskem America, recently had a crew of more than 40 employees living and working at its Delaware County facility for nearly a month, so they could make protective gear for healthcare workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. For 28 days, they took turns working 12-hour shifts to make polypropylene, the building block used to make N95 masks, hospital gowns and sanitary wipes.
The raw material used to make polypropylene is propane — one of the natural gas liquids moved through the Mariner East pipeline system.
That is just one example of how industry partners are banding together to help Americans get through this pandemic and come out stronger on the other side.
We are proud to be a part of the Pennsylvania business community. Throughout the commonwealth, we see manufacturers, distributors and suppliers ramping up their supply-chain capabilities and evaluating healthcare system needs, workforce gaps and potential opportunities. They are working hard every day to get critical supplies to healthcare systems and first responders in the state.