Local sunrise on April 20 was at 6:35 a.m.
Click Here for video from 2:00 a.m. April 20 from the Harmon Creek point of view. [Press Play and watch it build.]
Click Here for video from 2:45 a.m. April 20 from the Revolution Plant point of view.
Click Here for video as another new sun is born at 4:29 a.m. on Tuesday, April 21 from the Harmon Creek point of view.
Click Here to watch the Breathe Project cameras any time.
The gas/chemical flare at the Energy Transfer Revolution Cryogenic Natural Gas Processing Plant right next door was also burning, but it was obscured by the new “sun” created by the MarkWest Plant.
Carnegie Mellon University’s CREATE Lab supports 24-hour, seven day a week Breathe Project video cameras on the MarkWest Harmon Creek and the Energy Transfer Revolution Cryogenic Natural Gas Processing Plants.
The Breathe Project also has cameras on the Shell Petrochemical Plant in Beaver County, the US Steel Clairton Coke [Coal] Plant and other major sources of pollution around Pittsburgh.
What Neighbors Experience
Cathy Lodge, who lives about two miles from the MarkWest Harmon Creek Plant, can see the flares out her window and monitors the Breathe Project Cameras.
Lodge said people that live around natural gas processing plants are told the flares "wouldn't be used but once or twice a year, or for an emergency or an upset. Well, they seem to have a constant problem."
Lodge compared the flare to a pilot light that's lit all the time that varies in intensity from a nearly invisible flame to a very large flame often with black smoke indicating incomplete combustion.
Depending on the intensity, there is a whooshing sound associated with the flare, but the plant makes noticeable noise all the time.
It also produces low-frequency dBA sound that people can feel because it physically impacts the human body.
Lodge submitted photos and a log of 43 black smoke incidents to DEP from October 26, 2025 to February 28, 2026 as part of her comments on a new Air Pollution Permit DEP is considering for an expansion of the Harmon Creek Plant. Read more here.
“After contacting DEP [during past incidents],” Lodge said. “I was told that there is nothing in MarkWest's permit that limits the size of the flare they may have, even if it was excessive flaring for hours.
“Unless there is an opacity issue [black smoke], DEP will do nothing.”
A New Sun
The incident on April 20 started-- according to the Breathe camera-- at about 00:57 a.m. with a series of small, bright pops.
At about 2:18 a.m. and again at 3:34 a.m. there were large flare bursts that lasted a few minutes.
At approximately 4:07 a.m. the flare started to burn like a new sun and continued burning through dawn.
On Tuesday April 21, the pattern seemed to be repeating, with a new sun burst at about 4:29 a.m.
Reported To DEP
Cathy Lodge notified DEP of the April 20 incident and provided documentation through the Breathe camera.
Lodge said DEP told her they cannot accept photos and video from third parties as formal evidence of violations. They have to see it for themselves.
Lodge said the DEP inspector for the area told her he would follow-up with the plant to obtain any emission records they had available.
Ann Hoffman, Air Quality Program Director the the CREATE Lab at Carnegie Mellon University, said “We would be very willing to work directly with DEP to support them using these cameras at Harmon Creek and at other sites like it throughout the state.
“We would be very willing to leverage our engineering and technical capacity to operate and maintain, store and secure the video data, and anything else DEP might need to support residents' and workers' health and safety.
“We hope DEP can use these Breathe Cams as eyes in times like these when it's hard to get an inspector out on short notice.”
[And, at the odd times at night when the flares burn and you can’t see the black smoke.]
Explosion/Fire
Why do residents around the MarkWest and Energy Transfer Cryogenic Natural Gas Processing Plants keep such a careful watch?
On Christmas Day in 2022 an explosion and fire at the Energy Transfer Revolution Natural Gas Processing Plant resulted in an uncontrolled release of ethane and other chemicals for 9.5 hours and the fire burned for 11 hours. Read more here.
There has not been a public report released on the cause of the explosion or what measures the company took to prevent similar incidents in the future.
(Photos: Harmon Creek Natural Gas Cryogenic Processing Plant Flare at 4:27 a.m. April 20, directly behind the Energy Transfer Revolution Natural Gas Cryogenic Processing Plant which had their flare burning but it’s obscured by the larger Harmon Creek Plant; Daytime aerial view of both plants by Marcellus Air)
Resource Links:
-- Residents Around MarkWest Harmon Creek Natural Gas Cryogenic Processing Plant In Washington County Urge DEP To Deny A New Air Quality Permit Because Of Frequent, Ongoing Black Smoke, Incomplete Combustion Violations At The Plant’s Natural Gas/Chemical Flare [PaEN]
[Posted: April 21, 2026] PA Environment Digest
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