Search Results for: shell cracker violation

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Green Activists Complain to Wrong Agency re Shell Cracker Violations

Last Thursday around 30-40 environmental activists (anti-fossil fuelers), along with a handful of local residents, rallied in Beaver, PA, before showing up for the Beaver County Commission regular meeting. The protesters, who want the Shell ethane cracker plant shut down, vented their concerns about the plant to county commissioners. The three county commissioners listened while…

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PA DEP Shakes Down Shell Another $2.6M for Cracker Air Violations

Although Shell maintains flaring and accidental emissions from its new multi-billion-dollar ethane cracker in Beaver County, PA, have not violated state and federal air standards, the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) says they have — on numerous occasions. Shell didn’t argue the point, and last May, the company agreed to pay nearly $10 million…

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PA DEP Issues Violation to Shell Cracker for Exceeding Air Emissions

Yesterday the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued a notice of violation (NOV) to Shell Chemicals Appalachia, LLC (Shell) for exceeding its rolling 12-month total emission limits of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which happened during the commissioning of its cracker plant facility in Beaver County. Shell is limited by state permits to 516.2 tons…

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PA DEP Issues Violation to Shell Cracker for Maple Syrup Smell

Imagine Hershey Park getting fined for smelling like a Hershey’s chocolate bar. Or Starbucks getting fined because the businesses next door can smell the coffee. The Shell cracker plant is getting fined for smelling like…maple syrup? Last week residents in several Beaver County, PA municipalities neighboring the Shell ethane cracker complex reported smelling something like…

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PA DEP Says Shell Ethane Plant Fire May Have Released Carcinogens

Another incident happened Wednesday afternoon at the Shell ethane cracker plant facility in Beaver County, PA. This isn’t the first problem at the plant (see our cracker problem stories here). An explosion and fire (with smoke) were reported at the ethane cracker on Wednesday. A company spokesperson stated that smoke was seen coming off of…

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Shocker: Shell Considers Selling Beaver County, PA Ethane Cracker

According to the Wall Street Journal, Shell is “exploring a potential sale of its chemicals assets in Europe and the U.S.,” according to “people familiar with the matter.” The review and potential sale are part of a continuing drive to refocus the company’s business on its most profitable operations. One of the petchem assets that…

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BIG Mistake: Shell Falcon Pipe Pleads Guilty to Criminal Charges

Shell’s 97-mile Falcon ethane pipeline, which feeds 100,000 barrels a day of Marcellus/Utica ethane to the mighty cracker plant in Beaver County, PA, was built and running as of January 2021, well before the cracker itself was finished (see Shell Cracker Construction “in the Home Stretch” – Ready in 2022). Ironically, more of this ethane…

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Same Two Enviro Groups Sue Shell Cracker for 2nd Time in 17 Months

In May 2023, two radicalized Big Green groups—the Environmental Integrity Project (based in D.C.) and the Clean Air Council (based in Philadelphia)—filed a lawsuit against the Shell Polymers Monaca Plant (ethane cracker plant in Beaver County, PA), claiming the plant has repeatedly violated federal air pollution limits (see Radical Antis File Lawsuit Aiming to Shut…

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Shapiro Admin Uses Shell Cracker Money for Quid Pro Quo

Although Shell maintains flaring and accidental emissions from its multi-billion-dollar ethane cracker in Beaver County, PA, have not violated state and federal air standards, the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) says they have — on numerous occasions. Shell didn’t argue the point, and in May 2023, the company agreed to pay nearly $10 million…

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PA AG Files Bogus Charges Against Long-Done Shell Falcon Pipe

Shell’s 97-mile Falcon ethane pipeline, which feeds 100,000 barrels a day of Marcellus/Utica ethane to the mighty cracker plant in Beaver County, PA, was built and running as of January 2021, well before the cracker itself was finished (see Shell Cracker Construction “in the Home Stretch” – Ready in 2022). Ironically, more of the ethane…

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Beaver, PA Resident Sues Shell Cracker Claiming Pollution

Although Shell maintains flaring and accidental emissions from its new multi-billion-dollar ethane cracker in Beaver County, PA, have not violated state and federal air standards, the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) says they have — on numerous occasions. Shell didn’t argue the point, and in May 2023, the company agreed to pay nearly $10…

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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…

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Ctte Doling Out $5M in Shell Cracker Shakedown Cash Sets Criteria

Although Shell maintains flaring and accidental emissions from its new multi-billion-dollar ethane cracker in Beaver County, PA, have not violated state and federal air standards, the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) says they have–on numerous occasions. Shell didn’t argue the point, and in May, the company agreed to pay nearly $10 million in fines…

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PA DEP Forms Ctte to Dole Out $5M in Shell Cracker Shakedown Cash

Although Shell maintains flaring and accidental emissions from its new multi-billion-dollar ethane cracker in Beaver County, PA, have not violated state and federal air standards, the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) says they have–on numerous occasions. Shell didn’t argue the point, and in May, the company agreed to pay nearly $10 million in fines…

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Shell Cracker Agrees to $10M Shakedown from PA, Restarting Now

In March, Shell said its Pennsylvania ethane cracker facility had not–using new, more accurate methods of measuring emissions–violated emissions limits at any point during the facility’s somewhat troubled startup (see Shell Claims PA Cracker Plant Did Not Exceed Air Emissions Limits). However, the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) says it did exceed emissions limits,…

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Radical Antis File Lawsuit Aiming to Shut Down Shell PA Cracker

Yesterday two radicalized Big Green groups–the Environmental Integrity Project (based in D.C.) and the Clean Air Council (based in Philadelphia)–filed a lawsuit against the Shell Polymers Monaca Plant (ethane cracker plant in Beaver County, PA), claiming the plant has repeatedly violated federal air pollution limits. The lawsuit requests the court assess huge fines and force…