PA Environment Digest Blog: Shell Petrochemical Plant Had 3-Hour Emergency Flaring Event To Burn Off Flammable Gases In Beaver County

On Tuesday, March 14 the Shell Petrochemical Plant in Beaver County had another emergency flaring event to burn off natural gas and other flammable gases for approximately three hours, according to the Eyes on Shell Project.

The flaring was caught on video by the Carnegie Mellon Breathe Project.

Intense noise and light pollution was reported up to 10 miles away.

Shell gave no notice to the community, and once again residents across the area were left wondering if they were safe in their homes, and what pollutants were being released into the air and water.

This is just the latest major pollution incident to happen at the multibillion dollar facility in its first four months of operations.

The Eyes on Shell Project said the Department of Environmental Protection is not doing enough to protect the community, which is also still recovering from last month’s toxic train derailment in East Palestine, OH less than 35 miles away

“I’m getting hit from both sides,” said Beaver County resident Hilary Flint. “While the derailment is a tragedy caused by spilling and burning the chemicals used to make plastics, most folks don’t realize that harmful pollution happens every day when you live near a plastics facility. As a young cancer survivor, I worry daily about how the malfunctions at the Shell plant affect my health. I urge the PA DEP to act now and halt operations so that me and my neighbors are not harmed by yet another petrochemical disaster. We can’t take this anymore and we shouldn’t have to!”

Last month, Eyes on Shell, the Clean Air Council and the Environmental Integrity Project sent a letter to the PA DEP calling on the agency to temporarily halt operations at the Shell Petrochemical Complex due to ongoing air pollution violations.

These violations continue to create unacceptable risks to workers and the nearby communities. Yet, the agency has refused to listen to the community’s concerns and take action to halt operations at the facility, said the groups.

In just four months of operations the Shell facility has received three Notice of Violations (two of which were for air emission exceedances), submitted at least nine Malfunction Reports, and the February 13th emergency flaring incident with visible black smoke violated the prohibition on visible emissions.

PA DEP has taken initial steps requiring Shell to report emissions data and other technical information but more must be done to prevent illegal pollution.

These retroactive reports and analyses provide the information the agency needs to administer fines, but that doesn’t help the communities who have already been exposed to the pollutants.

“Impacted residents deserve transparency,” said Eyes On Shell Watchdog, Andie Grey. “For months we’ve been told that these repeated flaring events and noticeable emissions are ‘normal,’ but we know that releasing volatile organic compounds can cause respiratory illness and cancer. With little to no communication from Shell or state regulators, it’s up to us to educate our own community. When will the PA DEP take the necessary steps to ensure the protection of residents and stop this illegal pollution from harming the community?”

Eyes on Shell will mark the fourth month anniversary of operations at Shell Petrochemicals in Beaver County with a day of online action targeting the PA DEP calling on the agency to issue a temporary halt in operations.

Visit DEP’s Shell Petrochemical Plant webpage for more background on the facility and actions taken.

NewsClips:

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Shell Petrochemical Plant Using Water Hoses ‘To Assist In Cooling External Areas Of Ground Flares’ That Need To Be ‘Reinforced’

-- KDKA: Residents Want Answers About Loud Bang, Orange Glow At Shell Petrochemical Plant In Beaver County

-- The Allegheny Front - Reid Frazier: More Emergency Flaring At Shell’s Petrochemical Plant In Beaver County After Compressor Problem