Commissioners Call for Pipeline Shutdown after Jet Fuel Leak Discovered

The Bucks County Commissioners on Friday called for the complete shutdown of a pipeline in Upper Makefield Township after a jet fuel leak contaminated well water in the community.

The leak came to light and gained traction after a WHYY radio report last month. 

The commissioners joined Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, Upper and Lower Makefield officials, state Rep. Perry Warren, and state Senator Steve Santarsiero who also called for the shutdown of the pipeline.

Residents and officials have in many ways expressed a lack of trust and transparency on the part of Energy Transfer officials.

A company representative under cross examination by neighboring Lower Makefield Township officials revealed it was unknown whether or not the jet fuel spill contaminated the Delaware River. Additionally the company spokesperson confirmed Energy Transfer had purchased one home from an Upper Makefield resident with a second purchase in process due directly to the spill and need for remediation of those properties.

Federal officials ordered the company to operate the pipeline at 80 percent capacity last month after the spill and reporting on it by other Bucks County-based media outlets looked into the spill. This was in addition to a hair raising report by Bloomberg that Energy Transfer officials were chided about by Lower Makefield Twp Chairman Dan Grenier. The report says Energy Transfer has the worst spill record in the United States.

Grenier was dumbfounded. The company’s spokesman was “unaware” of the report.

The unedited Commissioners letter is below:

In a letter to Energy Transfer CEO Thomas Long, the Commissioners also called for independent testing of well water amid residents’ concerns of ongoing contamination. The pipeline must remain shut down, the Commissioners said, until an independent authority determines its continued operation is safe.

“While we appreciate Energy Transfer’s commitment to resolving this public safety, health, and environmental crisis, we stand in solidarity with the affected residents of Upper Makefield Township,” the Commissioners wrote.

The letter also calls on Energy Transfer to honor the demands Upper Makefield’s Board of Supervisors issued in a Feb. 13 resolution including the development of a long-term remediation plan ensuring clean soil and water in all affected areas.

Read the full text of the letter below:

Mr. Thomas Long
Chief Executive Officer
Energy Transfer LP
sent via email 

February 28, 2025

Dear Mr. Long,

As the elected representatives of the people of Bucks County, the Bucks County Board of Commissioners, along with our Emergency Management Agency and Department of Health, we are closely monitoring the fuel pipeline leak in Upper Makefield Township. County officials, including our Chief Operating Officer, attended last night’s town hall meeting to gain further insight. Having heard from local, state, and federal officials and representatives, we send this letter today with great concern.

While we appreciate Energy Transfer’s commitment to resolving this public safety, health, and environmental crisis, we stand in solidarity with the affected residents of Upper Makefield Township. We join in support of the Feb. 13, 2025, resolution passed by the Upper Makefield Township Board of Supervisors and insist your organization take swift and immediate action to completely shut down the pipeline in question.

With so much still unknown about the impacts of this leak as it relates to public health and safety, we simply cannot risk the continued operation of this pipeline during the resolution of this matter.

We also join the Upper Makefield Board of Supervisors in requesting that Energy Transfer hire an outside, independent contractor selected by the Township to conduct the testing of well water, as residents remain uncomfortable by your company’s internal testing and unconvinced by inconsistent results.

Further, the pipeline must remain shut down until such a time when said independent agency deems it safe for all affected residents/properties.

While the Bucks County Board of Commissioners have focused on two extremely critical points here, we also lend support to all nine demands made in Upper Makefield Township’s Resolution

No. 2025-02-13-01 including, but not limited to ongoing retesting, reimbursement to affected public entities, and the development of a “long-term remediation plan that ensures clean soil and water in all impacted areas, that ensures a reliable and safe water supply for impacted residents, and that makes all impacted residents financially whole.”

We credit Energy Transfer for stepping up to this point, but the company must understand the fear and uncertainty Upper Makefield residents continue to experience amid ongoing reports of a gaseous smell in water in Upper Makefield neighborhoods, among other concerns.

We greatly appreciate your cooperation and hope you will honor the requests of this Board and the Upper Makefield Township Board of Supervisors. We anticipate your reply.

Respectfully,

Robert Harvie
Commissioner Chair

Diane Ellis-Marseglia
Commissioner Vice Chair

Gene DiGirolamo
Commissioner Secretary