“I just don't understand why the whole place has to be so blindingly bright. When it snows, the light scatter is appalling.
“That's what bothers me most of all,” said one neighbor of the Shell Plastics Plant in Potter Township, Beaver County.
While recent headlines talk about emergency natural gas flaring, the constant noise, air pollution releases and odors from the Shell Plant, intrusive pollution of another kind generates the most frequent complaints received by a local environmental group and Potter Township supervisors-- the constant, intense, bright white light that trespasses onto neighbors’ property.
“When we first started Eyes On Shell in early 2022, there was more concern about lighting than anything else,” said Terrie Baumgardner, Outreach Coordinator in Beaver County for the Clean Air Council. “Lighting was the most frequent and biggest and most widespread complaint from the beginning of the plant's operation.”
“Of course, we had all these smells last week, and now people are beginning to realize that the air is a big, serious problem too,” said Baumgardner.
The emergency flaring of natural gas at the plant triggered when there are malfunctions, caused a separate light problem.
“There were reports to us on Shell very early on, people photographing the orange skies from the flaring as far as 17 miles away, a sight that is certainly unsettling to anyone who realizes that it's coming from the Shell plant as glare that was reflected on the clouds,” said Baumgardner.
‘Plenty’ Of Complaints
Although Potter Township residents can sometimes be reluctant to speak up about concerns with the Shell Plant in public, they are speaking up about how the intense lighting from the 386-acre plant affects their daily lives.
At a meeting in February, the township supervisors and Eyes On Shell discussed concerns about the impact of the lighting. The Chair of the Supervisors said the township was getting “plenty” of complaints from their residents, according to Baumgardner.
Baumgardner also said during the supervisor’s April meeting, a local resident told the supervisors how lighting from the facility was impacting her life--
1. The flaring illuminates the sky all around our house.
2. Middle light that flashes shines right into our living room. The window was an added cost to our home and now we can’t keep the blinds up.
3. Train lights shine directly into my living room windows.
4. The lights below us light up my whole entire bedroom.
5. The Stadium light is distracting.
Shell Lighting Study
Concerns about lighting at the Shell plant were raised even before it was constructed, Baumgardner said.
In response, Potter Township passed a resolution in 2017 requiring Shell to perform an exterior lighting study.
Resolution 3-2017 says--
“Shell shall provide to the Township an exterior lighting study to be performed during the commissioning period of the facility becoming operational and following the completion of installation of all exterior lights.
“This study is required and necessary in order to validate the projections provided by Shell and to ensure compliance with all applicable Township Ordinances relative to light nuisances and glare.
“Mitigation measures may be required to address confirmed light violations.
“The parameters of this study will be determined by the Township in consultation with Shell.
“During the construction phase, Shell shall use due diligence and its best efforts to minimize light glare to adjacent properties while ensuring safety of the worksite for workers.
“Mitigation measures may be required to address confirmed light violations.”
The reference in the Resolution to “applicable Township Ordinances” on light nuisances and glare is to the Township’s Lighting Ordinance 149-38 which says--
“There shall be no direct or sky-reflected glare, whether from floodlights or from high-temperature processes (for example, combustion or welding), so as to be visible from within any residential zoning district.”
Complaints by plant neighbors and photos of the Shell Plant clearly show the intense exterior lighting affects off-site properties and frequently creates sky-reflected glare from emergency flaring and the regular lighting.
The Shell Exterior Lighting Study was originally promised to the Potter Township supervisors in December of 2022, Baumgardner said.
The current delivery date for the Study is up in the air.
Dark-Sky Recommendations
Included in the “Good Neighbor Wishlist for Shell” written by Baumgardner for the Clean Air Council and released in May 2022, is a recommendation that Shell follow the International Dark-Sky Association recommendations on the plant’s LED exterior lighting and to satisfactorily complete the Shell Exterior Lighting Study, including whether the IDSA recommendations were met.
An updated Shell To-Do list released in November of 2022 by Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community, Earthwork and 15 local groups, also included provisions related to excessive lighting.
Under “Respect our shared night sky,” the groups recommended--
-- Reduce overnight lighting
-- Share the Exterior Lighting Study report
-- Provide shielding, filtering and energy-conserving technology per the International Dark Sky Association.
The International Dark-Sky Association says light pollution has measurable negative impacts including, among others--
-- Harming human health: disruption of the sleep-wake pattern through light trespassing on other properties; blue light created by LEDs can have adverse health effects; decreases night vision through glare;
-- Disrupting ecosystems and wildlife: can disrupt nocturnal animals, bird migration and impact insect species; and
-- Increasing energy consumption: IDA estimates 30% of all outdoor lighting is wasted, wasting energy and money.
IDA encourages businesses and residential property owners to use only International Dark-Sky Association certified outdoor lighting fixtures.
What Happens With Study Results?
At a meeting with Township supervisors in February, Baumgardner said the Township solicitor told the group the study will be shared.
When the supervisors were asked if they would commit to holding Shell accountable if it violates the Township’s lighting ordinance, Baumgardner said they made no commitment.
Baumgardner noted agencies like the Department of Environmental Protection have no legal jurisdiction over light pollution from the Shell Plastics Plant.
So, for now, all those neighbors affected by the intense light from the Shell Plant will have to wait for the results of the Exterior Lighting Study and any follow-up action by Potter Township.
For more information, visit the Eyes On Shell and Breathe Project websites.
Visit DEP’s Shell Petrochemical Plant webpage for more information on DEP actions related to the facility.
(Photos: Top- What Shell said the lighting would look like in 2017; Light scattering today at the Shell plan; Bottom: Orange glow from emergency flaring and close up of flaring glow.)
NewsClip:
-- PA Parks & Forests Foundation Blog: Cherry Springs State Park And The Wonder Of Dark Skies
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-- Guest Essay: Shell Petrochemical Plant Off To A Bad- And Dangerous- Start In Beaver County [PaEN]
-- Beaver County Residents And Allies Launch New Shell Ethane Plant Accountability Campaign [PaEN]
PA Oil & Gas Public Notice Dashboards:
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-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment - April 22 [PaEN]
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-- Concerned Residents, Advocates Call On DEP For The Opportunity To Comment On Proposed Roulette Oil & Gas Waste Injection Well In Potter County [PaEN]
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-- PA Supreme Court Upholds DEP’s Authority To Protect Public Resources, Playgrounds From Adverse Impacts Of Shale Gas Well Operations; Do Not Mistake This Win For Adequate Protection [PaEN]
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-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission May 4 Hearing On Water Withdrawal Projects, Including 12 Related To Shale Natural Gas Drilling [PaEN]
-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Approved 39 Water Use Permits For Shale Gas Well Drilling Pads In Bradford, Clinton, Lycoming, Potter, Susquehanna, Tioga and Wyoming Counties [PaEN]
-- Intense, Bright White Light From The Shell Plastics Plant Turns Night Into Day For Many Neighbors Of The Beaver County Plant [PaEN]
[Posted: April 19, 2023] PA Environment Digest
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