pennsylvania
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US EPA drops planned delay in compliance with fenceline monitoring at coke plants
Residents will no longer have to wait two years to find out whether they are breathing benzene and other contaminants.
Newsletter
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Scientists find evidence that a Pennsylvania town's water was contaminated by fracking
Three years after noticing discoloration and odors in their wells, residents in New Freeport are still fighting for clean water.
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Appeal could make it easier for companies to spread drilling fluids on Pennsylvania roadways
In recent years, Pennsylvania regulators have tried to clamp down on roadway spreading of tens of millions of gallons of oil and gas “brines,” high-salt liquids that can be laced with toxic metals and radioactive material. The industry is pushing back.
Newsletter
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Fracking’s broken promise to Pennsylvania
Fracking was supposed to lower Pennsylvanians’ electric bills. Instead, they’re higher than ever—and they’re about to get worse.
Newsletter
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As Trump champions LNG exports, Pennsylvania activists fight proposed Delaware River terminal
A proposed $7 billion liquefied natural gas terminal near Chester and Eddystone has sparked fierce local opposition over explosion risks and added pollution in long-burdened communities, even as the Trump administration accelerates LNG exports and rolls back environmental rules.
Newsletter
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Shell may sell $14 billion plastic plant in Pennsylvania after record tax deal fails to deliver
Shell is exploring a sale of its massive plastics facility in western Pennsylvania, built with a $1.65 billion state tax break, as the company shifts away from petrochemicals and toward its core fossil fuel operations.
In short:
- Shell’s ethane cracker plant in Beaver County opened in 2022 after 13 years of planning and construction, built with one of the largest tax incentives in Pennsylvania history. The company now says it may sell the site.
- The plant has faced public complaints over pollution, racked up 80 malfunction reports, and failed to deliver the thousands of permanent jobs state officials once promised. Only 500 people now work there.
- Financial analysts say Shell’s isolated location, changing market conditions, and a global oversupply of polyethylene contributed to the company’s decision to exit, even as its tax break remains in place.
Key quote:
“There’s simply no way to look at economic performance and say, ‘Beaver County got this petrochemical plant and it flourished.’”
— Eric de Place, research fellow at the Ohio River Valley Institute
Why this matters:
State and local governments often offer lucrative tax breaks to lure industrial projects, promising jobs and long-term economic growth. But the outcome in Beaver County raises sharp questions about the public return on these investments, especially when the project is built around fossil fuel infrastructure and plastic production. The Shell plant, designed to convert fracked ethane into single-use plastics, has become a flashpoint for concerns about air pollution, environmental health, and the future of petrochemicals in Appalachia. As global markets shift and demand fluctuates, local communities are left with the costs — financially, environmentally, and in terms of public trust.
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Coal plant closure led to major drop in kids’ asthma in Pennsylvania
After a coke plant near Pittsburgh shut down, children’s asthma emergencies dropped dramatically, giving scientists rare proof of what happens when dirty air disappears.
In short:
- After the Shenango Coke Works closed in 2016, ER visits for pediatric asthma in nearby Avalon dropped 40%, and respiratory-related visits overall fell 20%. The trend held steady over the years that followed.
- The coke-making process had spewed a noxious mix of benzene, sulfur dioxide, and fine particles into surrounding neighborhoods. Once the pollution source disappeared, so did many of the health problems — especially in kids.
- Researchers call the closure a “natural experiment” that provides unusually strong evidence linking fossil fuel pollution to real-time health harms, including new asthma cases in children.
Key quote:
“They’ve shown that the population didn’t change that much. The makeup of the population didn’t change. The only thing that changed was the pollution exposure.”
— Dr. Deborah Gentile, pediatric physician who has studied pediatric asthma near the still-operating Clairton Coke Works, located 20 miles from Shenango
Why this matters:
When the smokestacks went quiet at Shenango Coke Works, it sparked a stunning health transformation and an opportunity that gave science the kind of before-and-after data usually impossible to get outside a lab. When the pollution stopped, so did the damage. Fossil fuel pollution is a health crisis, especially for kids with growing lungs and zero political power.
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