Shell Seeks Approval for Ethane Cracker Plant in Western PA

[Panich52]

Mixed reaction to plan for Western PA petrochemical plant in Ohio River valley

From Washington PA Observer Reporter, May 6, 2015

MONACA (AP) – A proposal by Shell Chemical to build a petrochemical plant in Western Pennsylvania drew praise from those who say it will boost the region’s economy, and criticism from those who fear it will harm the environment, despite assurances from the state Department of Environmental Protection.

“I cannot believe this is happening,” the Rev. James Hamilton of Ambridge said about plans for the so-called “cracker” plant in Potter Township, Beaver County. “We were told by the cigarette industry that everything is wonderful, everything is safe.”

Hamilton’s comments came during a two-hour public hearing and question-and-answer session Tuesday night on Shell’s plans for the plant on the site of a former zinc smelter once owned by Horsehead Corp., about 25 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. That plant closed in 2011 and the new operation Shell proposes would pipe ethane from Marcellus Shale natural gas wells to the plant, where the liquid fuel would be chemically “cracked” so it can be converted to polyethylene pellets used to make various plastic products.

The ethane is now sent to plants near the Gulf of Mexico for processing. Shell officials said the plant would create 400 to 500 operational jobs and thousands of construction jobs in the meantime.

Mark Gorog, an environmental engineering manager for the DEP, told residents that Shell would seek emissions credits for the nitrogen oxide and other pollutants the plant could produce. If those credits didn’t come from other Pittsburgh-area companies, the overall air regional quality wouldn’t suffer, Gorog explained.

FrackCheckWV
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/frackcheckwv/~3/UCHLYJw7PPU/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email

>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Wood County site in the Ohio River valley in West Virginia for ethane cracker to be delayed or cancelled — See the news here. http://wvmetronews.com/2015/04/21/more-comments-made-about-re-evaluation-of-wood-county-cracker-plant/

[Curmudgeoness]

1. We have learned from experience that DEP assurances mean nothing.

It seems like the DEP is just another arm of the fracking industry, just as it was for the mining industry. I sat on one of the DEP Regional Roundtables for a while until I got so frustrated with them that it was impossible for me to have my name associated with them in any way. If we could have had any influence at all, I would have stayed, but it was all a show to make people think that they were listening to the citizens.

I think that the quote at the end of the excerpt above is wrong. "If those credits didn’t come from other Pittsburgh-area companies, the overall air regional quality wouldn’t suffer". Actually, it is wrong on so many levels, including the whole idea behind emission credits, but the only way to keep the air quality at the current levels would be if the credits DID come from the area. If they come from central PA or Philadelphia, the Pittsburgh area would be worse off. Besides, the area around the plant will definitely be worse off if they will need to purchase emission credits.