Fuel conduit that cuts through New Jersey linked to hazard in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, that went unconfirmed for years
By Benjamin J. Hulac, Washington Correspondent | August 26, 2026 |
WASHINGTON — The operator of a pipeline that bisects New Jersey, carrying jet fuel, diesel and gasoline from suburban Philadelphia to a terminal in Newark, last year denied federal safety inspectors access to documents following a leak, a “probable violation” of federal law and regulations.
An official of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration leveled the accusations at Energy Transfer in an official “warning letter” in September 2025.
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According to the letter, agency staff conducted field inspections of the Twin Oaks pipeline on Aug. 20 and 21, 2025, in three Pennsylvania counties: Chester, Delaware and Montgomery. Sunoco, the company that operates the pipeline, denied inspectors’ request to photograph the pipeline and to produce records about completed repair work, the regulator said. “Specifically, Sunoco failed to allow PHMSA inspectors to take photographs of field notes created by Sunoco contractors during remediation work on the Twin Oaks pipeline.”
Officials carried out the inspections after a fuel leak polluted wealthy, semi-rural Upper Makefield Township. It borders the Delaware River on the Pennsylvania side, where 38% of the property is preserved from development.
An unknown volume of fuel has leaked from the Twin Oaks pipeline.
A spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection referred questions to Pennsylvania environmental regulators.
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