Nominee to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration commits to visiting site and holding Sunoco accountable if confirmed
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) is demanding answers and action for residents of Bucks County whose drinking water has been contaminated by jet fuel from a leak in Sunoco’s Twin Oaks Pipeline.
During yesterday’s Senate Commerce Committee hearing, Senator Fetterman pressed Paul Roberti, the nominee to lead the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), on the agency’s investigation into this leak. PHMSA oversees more than 3.4 million miles of pipelines nationwide.
Fetterman invited Kristine Wojnovich, a constituent from Upper Makefield Township to the hearing. Like others in this community, her family’s water has been contaminated by jet fuel. Holding up bottles of murky water collected from her home, Senator Fetterman addressed Mr. Roberti directly:
“It honestly smells like straight-up fuel, I wouldn’t want to put a flame around it. I want to work together to find a solution,” said Senator Fetterman. “My friend and colleague, Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, and I are pushing to do whatever’s necessary to figure out what is happening here. As I said in my office, if you’re willing to extend a commitment to work together, I’m here to extend a commitment to vote for you.”
PHMSA is responsible for enforcing pipeline safety regulations at the Twin Oaks Pipeline, a 105-mile jet fuel line running through parts of southeastern Pennsylvania. In 2023, residents of Upper Makefield began smelling gasoline in their homes, but Sunoco dismissed those concerns and told the community that the smell was attributable to “bacteria.” A year later, jet fuel began appearing in private wells and drinking water. It wasn’t until January 31, 2025, that Sunoco publicly confirmed a leak in the pipeline.
Senator Fetterman’s questioning led to an explicit promise from Mr. Roberti that “if confirmed, I would like to go to the accident scene with [Senator Fetterman]. I would like to visit that scene while the investigation is pending.” He also committed to seeing investigations into possible leaks proceed in an “expeditious manner so that we can get to the bottom of what happened.”
Senator Fetterman is committed to ensuring that PHMSA performs its oversight and enforcement responsibilities and holds Sunoco accountable. In February, Senator Fetterman and Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01) sent a letter to PHMSA urging Acting Administrator Ben Kochman to shut down the pipeline while the agency investigated the leak. To date, PHMSA has refused to do so, instead requiring Sunoco to reduce pipeline operations by 20 percent.
“I’m here today because of a problem in my state, but a win for Pennsylvania is ultimately a win for the country,” concluded Senator Fetterman, stressing to his colleagues and the nominee the importance of strong pipeline safety enforcement and accountability.
Watch Sen. Fetterman’s remarks here.
