Shell Pipeline Co. and a pipeline contractor, Minnesota Limited, have agreed to pay a $670,000 fine for pollution they generated during the construction of the Falcon Pipeline in Western Pennsylvania.
The state Department of Environmental Protection conducted 67 inspections of the pipeline when it was under construction and found that sediment and drilling fluids had leaked into the Ambridge Reservoir, Raccoon Creek, the Ohio River and more than a dozen smaller streams.
Although the case indicates vigilance by the DEP, it says the opposite about the state Legislature.
The Falcon pipeline connects gas processing plants in Ohio and Pennsylvania with the massive Shell petrochemical refinery in Beaver County.
The plants separate ethane from other gases and liquids extracted from the Marcellus Shale, and ships the ethane to the petrochemical refinery. The refinery converts the ethane into plastic pellets.
Remarkably, while suing the pipeline for environmental violations, the state government also heavily subsidizes the Shell refinery with $1.7 billion in tax credits.
Since first awarding the credits a decade ago, the Legislature has gone all in on such subsidies, awarding them for similar but smaller projects around the state, including for a pipeline in Schuylkill County.
None of those subsidies are contingent upon environmental compliance. So, for example, the Shell petrochemical refinery’s subsidies aren’t affected by the related pipeline’s fine, which amounts to a miniscule fraction of the public subsidy.
Lawmakers should adopt rules that preclude state taxpayers from having to subsidize pollution.
NewsClips:
-- 175 Organizations, 6,751 Individuals Send Letter Urging Full Oil & Gas Fracking Wastewater Ban In Delaware River Basin
-- Inside Climate News: Sinkholes And Damage Attributed To Mariner East II Natural Gas Pipeline Construction Underline The Stakes In PA’s Governor’s Race
-- Chambersburg Public Opinion: Sharp Divide Between PA Candidates For Governor On Natural Gas, Other Issues
-- Inside Climate News - Jon Hurdle: Environmentalists Fear A Massive New Plastics Plant Near Pittsburgh Will Worsen Pollution, Stimulate Natural Gas Fracking
Related Articles:
-- TribLive Editorial: State Fines Should Be Higher Than Tax Cuts To Penalize Environmental Leaks [PaEN]
-- Senate Committee Reported Out Bill To Deny Counties Drilling Impact Fee Revenue If Only 99% Of The Land In Their County Available For Shale Gas Leasing; Other Bills [PaEN]
-- Republican Herald Editorial: Dangerous Course For Oil & Gas Well Emissions, Obstructionists Should Get Out Of The Way [PaEN]
-- PA League Of Women Voters, University Of Pittsburgh Graduate School Of Public Health Host 2022 Shale Gas & Public Health Conference Online Nov. 15-16 [PaEN]
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[Posted: October 19, 2022] PA Environment Digest
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