PA DEP Sec. Negrin Looks to Formalize Shakedown Programs, Like Shell

In July, the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced that it had appointed a 17-member committee to figure out how to dole out $5 million to fund local community projects located near the Shell cracker plant in Beaver County, PA, following a $10 million fine against the plant for violating air emissions standards (see PA DEP Forms Ctte to Dole Out $5M in Shell Cracker Shakedown Cash). The rest of the money ($4.9 million) will go to the DEP. Many (not all) of the committee members are radical leftists who irrationally hate fossil energy. The committee met and issued a “protocol” for how it will dole out the $5 million in cash (see Ctte Doling Out $5M in Shell Cracker Shakedown Cash Sets Criteria). DEP Sec. Rich Negrin is so pleased with the results he wants to use the Shell committee as a template for future "sizable settlements with the companies it regulates." Joy.

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