shell cracker plant
Newsletter
Credit: Manine99/Big Stock Photo
Beaver County, Pennsylvania, residents face pollution and lawsuits from Shell's ethane cracker plant
Despite promises of economic growth, Shell's ethane cracker in Beaver County, Pennsylvania has drawn legal challenges and health concerns over its emissions and pollution.
In short:
- Residents of Beaver County are moving away due to air and noise pollution from Shell's recently built ethane cracker plant.
- The plant has already been fined $10 million for exceeding emission limits and is facing lawsuits from locals affected by the pollution.
- Health concerns include the effects of VOCs and other hazardous pollutants on the community, particularly on children.
Key quote:
“It was very clear what kind of facility this was going to be. We all knew it was going to be bad, but it’s shockingly bad.”
— Anaïs Peterson, petrochemicals campaigner for Earthworks
Why this matters:
Ethane cracker plants are industrial sites that process ethane—a component of natural gas—into polyethylene, a plastic used widely in products from packaging to automotive parts. While these plants are touted for their economic benefits, including job creation and local business support, the environmental and health impacts can be profound. Health concerns are mounting for residents living near the Shell ethane cracker plant in Beaver County, as exposure to pollutants commonly emitted from these plants, such as volatile organic compounds and fine particulate matter, can lead to respiratory problems, heart disease, and other serious health issues.
Keep reading...Show less
Can Josh Shapiro regulate fracking as governor?
Tough talk on fracking suggests potential new regulations, but support for a hydrogen hub and a divided legislature could fuel more drilling.
Newsletter
Leaving Beaver County as Shell's ethane cracker sets to open
Shell’s ethane cracker will begin operations this summer. It will turn natural gas from fracking into 1.6 million metric tons of plastic a year. It’s hard to know how many people the cracker will drive away.
Sniffing out danger? Funky odor from the Shell cracker plant put the community on alert
As a syrupy smell wafted across portions of Beaver County in late September, it wasn't air monitors that sounded the alarm. It was noses that sent signals to brains.
stateimpact.npr.org
Pennsylvania: Wolf, legislature draw closer to more tax breaks for the natural gas industry
The compromise measure lowers the size of the tax break from more than $1 billion to $670 million over 25 years.
www.post-gazette.com
Former Pa. House Speaker Mike Turzai takes job as general counsel for Peoples Natural Gas
One day after resigning as speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Mike Turzai has been hired as general counsel for Peoples Natural Gas.
www.post-gazette.com
Shell says it will reintroduce 300 construction workers a week in ramp up at cracker site
The petrochemical plant in Beaver County is buzzing back to life with 800 workers on site as of last week and a plan to add 300 more workers per week going forward, officials at Shell Chemical Appalachia said.
ORIGINAL REPORTING
MOST POPULAR
CLIMATE
