Sunoco Logistics says permits clear way to build pipeline

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- The company planning to build a 306-mile pipeline to move propane and other natural gas liquids across southern Pennsylvania says it can begin construction.

Sunoco Logistics received permit approvals for the Mariner East 2 pipeline from the Department of Environmental Protection on Monday.

Sunoco Logistics says it'll use 75,000 tons of steel to build the 275,000 barrel-per-day pipeline from southwestern Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale natural gas fields to its Marcus Hook processing and distribution facility near Philadelphia.

The company says the pipeline will provide four times the capacity of its existing Mariner East 1 pipeline. Mariner East 2 will largely follow the same path.

A Sunoco spokesman says propane can be used for heating and as a petrochemical feedstock. It expects to supply local, regional and international markets.