Posted by John Donovan: 20 Feb 24
Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the latest episode of “How to Pollute and Piss Off Your Neighbors,” starring Shell, the ever-gracious host of Beaver County’s most talked-about bash. It’s not your average garden party, folks. This is a shindig where the aroma of ethane cracker emissions fills the air, and the ambiance is set by the gentle glow of flaring accidents and the melodious sounds of industrial clamor. Who needs Spotify playlists when you have the symphony of Shell’s ethane cracker plant serenading you?
In a twist that surprised absolutely nobody, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has been playing party pooper, citing Shell for being the life of the pollution party a tad too enthusiastically. Shell, in a moment of magnanimity, didn’t bother to argue and agreed to a nearly $10 million “party fund” in fines and “contributions” to the community. But the hangover from this fête is far from over.
Enter John Flynn, a local resident who, unlike Shell, doesn’t think toxic emissions make for a great neighborhood ambiance. Flynn and his legal squad are aiming to turn this solo complaint into a class-action extravaganza, claiming the plant’s “substantial and unreasonable noxious odors, fugitive dust, and light emissions” have turned the area into the ultimate “private, public nuisance.”
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