Claiming the leak of jet fuel from an underground pipeline in Upper Makefield Township has created a “catastrophic environmental disaster,” and saying the crisis was caused by pipeline operators who are “reckless, negligent and irresponsible,” affected homeowners have filed a class action la wsuit in a case that has seen the contamination of residential wells. The action could include more than 1,000 residents, according to the complaint. In the suit filed in Philadelphia against pipeline operators Energy Transfer and Sunoco, lead plaintiffs Daniel and Katherine La Hart, along with others in the lawsuit, allege operators failed to maintain the 70-year-old, 100-mile-long 14-inch-diameter pipeline and are responsible for the leak of “hazardous and toxic liquid petroleum” in Upper Makefield Township neighborhoods. They allege operators were aware of odor complaints from residents since September 2023. Following the leak from a 2.5-inch hole in the pipeline, 12 homes tested positive for chemicals from jet fuel, with additional sites positive for the presence of an additive. The plaintiffs’ demands include compensatory damages, medical monitoring for plaintiffs and class members, punitive damages, a declaratory judgment that the defendants are responsible for the leak, and shutting down of the pipeline “until Defendants are able to fully guarantee its safe operation.” Energy Transfer did not respond to correspondence and questions sent to them by this newspaper via email. But in a March 20 letter sent to Mt. Eyre neighborhood residents, Energy Transfer said it “remains committed” to the cleanup and restoration of their neighborhood, and has made “notable progress” on the effort. The leak was found Jan. 31 by Energy Transfer and the line repaired over a subsequent period. Today, the line is operating but at 20 percent less pressure, as ordered by the U.S Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. The pipeline is “operating safely,” said Energy Transfer in the letter. But elected officials and residents have called for a complete shutdown of the pipeline while an investigation is pending. ...read more read less