Potter Township Endangered by Shell

Despite the devastating environmental and health impacts from the coal and oil industries, Pennsylvania is now rushing to exploit its natural gas resources. In the small community of Potter Township in Western Pennsylvania, Shell Chemical Appalachia has proposed to build a large petro-chemical facility to take advantage of the area’s gas. Ethane is a component of natural gas and the cracker will refine it into ethylene to be used in producing plastic pellets for manufacturing.

Concerned community members of Potter Township reached out to the Council wanting more information on the proposed facility. They were interested in the jobs and increased tax revenue but were concerned about Shell and local government’s assurances on what the environmental health and quality of life impact of the facility would be. What the Council found is that if Shell’s ethane cracker is built, it will have the capacity to produce over 1 million metric tons of plastic each year. All of that production would lead to a significant amount of new air pollution, which will impact the health of nearby residents and those living in downwind communities.

The Council believed that Shell and the elected officials of Potter Township were not doing an adequate job of protecting the health of its residents. Working with local residents, the Council implemented a public health education and advocacy campaign built around the proposed ethane cracker plant. As part of the campaign the Council outlined its public health recommendations in its Health Impact Assessment, and has presented the document to residents, Shell and elected leaders in Beaver County.

The Council is working with local residents to raise awareness about health impacts of the cracker plant and urge Potter Township Supervisors to protect public health in all decisions and actions related to the facility. This has included getting petitions signed, raising the profile of the plant in the media, and organizing public events including a bus tour of the proposed site.

The Council participated in a contentious public hearing process for a critical permit Shell needed. During this hearing, the Council’s attorneys asked the Township for impact studies that were not included in Shell’s application. Potter Township supervisors recently approved this permit with the condition that Shell submit the impact studies the Council advocated for. The Council believes that supervisors should have required these analyses prior to issuing the permit and is currently considering next steps.

For more information on the Council’s work on Shell’s proposed cracker facility contact John Lee at jlee@cleanair.org