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Shell Pennsylvania ethane cracker

Shell tries to quash air quality fears as bad smells and elevated benzene counts emanate from Beaver County chemical plant

Apr 26th, 2023
by John Donovan.
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Shell tries to quash air quality fears as bad smells and elevated benzene counts emanate from Beaver County chemical plant

ANYA LITVAK Pittsburgh Post-Gazette [email protected]

When a terrible odor blanketed the area around the Shell cracker plant earlier this month, residents had only their noses and sporadically high readings from public air monitors to assess the situation.

Many were left wondering what they were exposed to and whether it was dangerous.

On Tuesday, Shell officials held a virtual meeting to discuss the air monitoring results surrounding the event. read more

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Odors, pollution leave residents uneasy as Shell reports release at cracker plant

Apr 16th, 2023
by John Donovan.
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Odors, pollution leave residents uneasy as Shell reports release at cracker plant

CHRISSY SUTTLES   Beaver County Times: 14 April 2023

POTTER TWP. – Strong odors from a “release of hydrocarbons” at Shell’s wastewater treatment plant are permeating parts of Beaver County.

Those living, traveling and working near Shell’s ethane cracker plant in Potter Township said the “kerosene-like” scent has persisted for at least two days, causing watering, burning eyes, headaches, nausea and other respiratory issues.

“It smells like if you burned rotten potatoes but used garage chemicals to do it,” said Mary Beth Eastman, a Beaver County resident who lives less than five miles from the plant. “I had a headache all afternoon yesterday, plus nausea. I have a headache again today. My daughter has been coughing for two days. She’s 12.” read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell: Expect ‘continuous’ flaring at Pennsylvania cracker plant during maintenance

Mar 29th, 2023
by John Donovan.
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Shell: Expect ‘continuous’ flaring at cracker plant during maintenance

CHRISSY SUTTLES   Beaver County Times

MARCH 28, 2023

POTTER TWP. – Residents should expect continuous elevated flaring at Shell’s ethane cracker plant as crews perform maintenance and repairs at the facility.

Shell leadership announced a controlled shutdown of portions of the Beaver County petrochemicals complex Saturday for repairs and maintenance on one of the unit systems.

“This will require us to fully activate our elevated flare for a period of time,” company representatives posted on Facebook. “We apologize for any noise or visual disruption this may cause our friends and neighbors.” read more

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Shell’s cracker plant is off to a bad (and dangerous) start

Mar 19th, 2023
by John Donovan.
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OPINION

Your Turn: Shell’s cracker plant is off to a bad (and dangerous) start

Joseph Minott  |  Special to The Times

19 March 2023

If the first three months of operations at Shell’s petrochemical plant are any indication, the next 30 years are going to be stressful and hazardous for nearby Beaver Country residents.

The community is locked into a lasting and significant source of plastics production and dirty air pollution that will degrade the Commonwealth’s air quality and our environmental legacy for decades to come. Shell clearly isn’t interested in operating safely or responsibly ― so it’s up to regulators and citizens to force them to get emissions in check.

The Shell Polymers Monaca plant in Potter Township officially began operations in November of last year. Even before opening day, the plant was already posing a threat to the surrounding community. From the very beginning, Shell has not managed to keep its pollution to safe and legal levels. It has set a terrible precedent for decades to come, and there’s no reason to expect Shell will act differently ― unless it’s forced to do so. read more

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Residents want answers about loud bang, orange glow at Beaver County Shell cracker plant

Mar 16th, 2023
by John Donovan.
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“Shell has received three notices of violations, submitted at least 10 malfunction reports and violated the prohibition on the visible mission…”: “Those effects can include things like cancer and respiratory aggravation, potentially leading to asthma.”

CBS PITTSBURGH

Residents want answers about loud bang, orange glow at Beaver County Shell cracker plant

BY MEGHAN SCHILLER:  / CBS PITTSBURGH

MONACA, Pa. (KDKA) – Community members in Monaca are demanding answers after a loud bang and an orange glow filled the night sky from across the river at the Shell cracker plant.

Shell posted to Facebook apologizing for the loud noise Tuesday night, but residents KDKA-TV’s Meghan Schiller talked to said the explainer just left them feeling more confused and frustrated, and they still don’t know why there’s a hose spraying water at the plant almost 24 hours later.

“Eyes on Shell got notification from watchdogs around 9:50 or 10 o’clock at night of both the loud booms that are mentioned in Shell’s Facebook post as well as the light,” said Anaïs Peterson, Petrochemicals Campaigner with EarthWorks.

People started sending pictures to the community watchdog group Eyes on Shell. They shared pictures with KDKA-TV showing the dark smoke and bright orange color filling the sky.

“When they’re operating correctly, usually you don’t see any flare, any flame shooting out of the top,” said Dr. Clifford Lau, project manager of the Upper Ohio River Valley Monitoring Group. read more

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Shell cracker plant once again issued pollution violation notice

Feb 19th, 2023
by John Donovan.
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CBS News

Shell cracker plant once again issued pollution violation notice

BY PATRICK DAMP:  / CBS PITTSBURGH

INDUSTRY, Pa. (KDKA) – The Shell cracker plant in Beaver County has once again been issued a pollution violation notice. 

This is the third time the state’s department of environmental protection has said the plant has exceeded emission limits, once again violating rolling 12-month standards in November and December.

The plant has only been operational since November. 

The DEP said in November it emitted 716 tons of volatile organic compounds, 200 tons above what is allowed.  read more

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GROUPS URGE PA TO TEMPORARILY HALT OPERATIONS AT SHELL CHEMICAL PLANT FOR ONGOING AIR POLLUTION VIOLATIONS

Feb 17th, 2023
by John Donovan.
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GROUPS URGE PA TO TEMPORARILY HALT OPERATIONS AT  SHELL CHEMICAL PLANT FOR ONGOING AIR POLLUTION VIOLATIONS

Pittsburgh, PA — A pair of environmental organizations today sent a letter to Pennsylvania urging the state to temporarily halt operations at a Shell plastics chemical plant northwest of Pittsburgh that has repeatedly violated air pollution limits and recently released plumes of black smoke for several hours.

Clean Air Council and the Environmental Integrity Project asked the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to temporarily halt operations of the Shell Polymers Monaca plant in Beaver County until the company can demonstrate it can operate in compliance with pollution control laws. read more

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Toxic Shell internal emails

Dec 24th, 2022
by John Donovan.
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“We have questions to answer” about single-use plastic waste, reveal internal emails from Shell

24 Dec 2022

Shell is under scrutiny as a result of internal emails put into the public domain relating to the controversial Shell Petrochemicals Complex situated along the Ohio River in Beaver County, Pennsylvania.

Extract from a related article 

The multi-billion-dollar Shell facility was fully operational in November after years of construction and has already been charged by state environmental agencies for exceeding the annual limit for volatile organic compounds that create lung-damaging smog. Among the documents, released on December 9, was an email correspondence within Shell’s communications team. read more

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Shell air pollution soars during startup of Beaver County cracker plant

Dec 15th, 2022
by John Donovan.
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Shell air pollution soars during startup of Beaver County cracker plant

By Reid Frazier | Allegheny Front

Published December 15, 2022 at 4:00 PM EST

Shell’s Beaver County ethane cracker exceeded state air pollution limits during the months it was preparing to open this fall.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection issued a notice of violation against the company for going over its limit for volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, which are chemicals that create smog. read more

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After years of construction, Shell ethane cracker starts up

Nov 16th, 2022
by John Donovan.
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After years of construction, Shell ethane cracker starts up

Tue, November 15, 2022 at 7:27 PM

MONACA, Pa. (AP) — Years in the works, a massive petrochemical refinery in western Pennsylvania fed by the vast natural gas reservoir underneath Appalachia became fully operational Tuesday, oil and gas giant Shell plc said.

The refinery, built on the site of a former zinc smelter along the Ohio River some 30 miles (48 kilometers) northwest of Pittsburgh, will produce 3.5 billion pounds (1.6 billion kilograms) of polyethylene annually when it ramps up to full production by the second half of 2023, Shell said. read more

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Families are leaving Beaver County as Shell’s ethane cracker sets to open

Aug 1st, 2022
by John Donovan.
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Families are leaving Beaver County as Shell’s ethane cracker sets to open

By Reid Frazier | The Allegheny Front

Published July 31, 2022 at 2:00 PM EDT

Cheryl and Luke Hardy moved to Beaver County in 2012. Luke came from Albany, New York, where he was finishing graduate school, and Cheryl, from Washington, D.C.

The location of Beaver County was equidistant from their jobs – Luke’s at a university in Ohio and Cheryl’s in the Pittsburgh suburbs.

They eventually bought a house in Beaver, an attractive town on the Ohio River with historic homes and a walkable business district. The couple enjoyed events and festivals in town and going to restaurants there. When their children were born, they walked them to a nearby playground and thought of someday walking them to the nearby elementary school.

They barely noticed in 2016 when Shell announced it was building a multi-billion dollar plastics plant, called an ethane cracker, across the river. As construction workers began building the massive plant, it became harder to ignore every time they drove their kids to daycare. read more

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Shell expects new US petrochemical complex to start up by year-end: CFO

Feb 4th, 2022
by John Donovan.
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S&PG Global

Platts

Shell expects new US petrochemical complex to start up by year-end: CFO

Shell Chemicals expects its new petrochemical complex in southwest Pennsylvania to come online by year-end, Royal Dutch Shell CFO Jessica Uhl said Feb. 3.

She said during the company’s Q4 2021 earnings call that the company was finishing up the project in 2022, “which should hopefully be up and running by the end of the year.”

The project also will mark Shell’s re-entry into polyolefins. In 2017, CEO Ben Van Beurden said during a company earnings call that Shell has been in polyolefins “through a very difficult convoluted way in the past through a number of joint ventures,” but the new complex “will be a re-entry in a way that will sustain our position as a polyolefins player.” read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell Pennsylvania ethylene cracker plant more than 95% built as company prepares for operation

Jan 25th, 2022
by John Donovan.
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Shell Pennsylvania ethylene cracker plant more than 95% built as company prepares for operation

CHRISSY SUTTLES   | Beaver County Times POTTER TWP. — A Pennsylvania petrochemical plant years in the making will likely be online in a matter of months, with crews putting the finishing touches on Shell’s ethane cracker facility. 

Shell Chemicals on Monday confirmed the company’s multi-billion dollar Potter Township complex, long considered one of the largest construction projects in the nation, is now more than 95% complete. 

The company has yet to announce a firm opening date, but crews began start-up activities early last year around the time Shell CEO Ben Van Beurden announced the chemical plant will be “fully operational” in 2022. read more

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The toxic warnings about Shell’s new Pennsylvania  ethylene cracker plant

Dec 19th, 2021
by John Donovan.
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Extract from a letter to the Beaver County Times about Shell’s new Pennsylvania  ethylene cracker plant

FROM DAVE SUTTON

In great detail, the article describes how the opening of this plant will render the Beaver Valley environment untenable for human habitation.

According to the self-proclaimed experts quoted, cancer will be rampant, the air will be toxic along with the water. Even the light and noise from the plant will destroy everyone’s well-being. However, the Beaver County Emergency Services stands ready to aid at a moment’s notice. read more

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Critics, defenders debate Shell cracker plant impact as project nears completion

Dec 2nd, 2021
by John Donovan.
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The Times

Critics, defenders debate cracker plant impact as project nears completion

CHRISSY SUTTLES ,  DANI FITZGERALD   | Beaver County Times 1 Dec 2021

A new report suggests Beaver County has yet to enjoy the long-promised economic growth stemming from Shell Chemicals’ cracker plant, but industry backers say the gains are clear.

Researchers with the Ohio River Valley Institute, a regional think tank focusing on clean energy and environment, released a report Tuesday titled “A Cautionary Tale of Petrochemicals from Pennsylvania,” analyzing Beaver County’s jobs numbers, new business growth, gross domestic product and poverty rates since Shell announced its intention to build here in 2012. read more

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Construction crew at Shell Cracker Plant wants overtime pay, files suit

Dec 2nd, 2021
by John Donovan.
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Pennsylvania Record

Construction crew at Shell Cracker Plant wants overtime pay, files suit

By Marian Johns | Dec 1, 2021

PITTSBURGH — Construction workers on the Pennsylvania Petrochemical Complex, known as the Shell Cracker Plant, in the western part of the state are claiming they did not receive overtime pay.

Daniel Davidson, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, filed a complaint Nov. 2 in the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County against Brand Industrial Services Inc., BrandSafway Industries and others alleging violation of the Pennsylvania Minimum Wage Act. read more

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