Rep. Greg Vilali (D-Delaware), Majority Chair of the Committee, opened the hearing by saying he feared “this proposal will proceed under the radar without sufficient public scrutiny, without considering first and foremost, the health and safety issues of the people along these river communities.”
“There have been a number of indications this year that this issue has been proceeding.
“There was an April 28th opinion piece by [PA US] Senator McCormick discussing Penn America and the Building Trades $7 billion project in this area.
“There was a June 3rd meeting at the White House by Franc James with White House officials discussing this proposal.
“There was an October 7th podcast involving Rob Bair sponsored by the Kleinman Institute discussing this proposed liquid natural gas terminal in Eddystone.”
He said his second issue is the climate impacts an LNG gas facility would have.
“I believe this is a real issue. I believe it's an issue we need to be concerned about.”
Rep. Vitali said efforts were made to invite Penn America, a representative of the PA Building and Construction Trades Council and a witness selected by the Minority Chair of the Committee, but all were declined or unsuccessful.
Facility Over/Basic Impacts
Tracy Carluccio, Deputy Director, Delaware RiverKeeper Network, provided a basic description of the proposed Penn America LNG proposal based on public sources and outlined basic health and environmental impacts.
“The public information available is imprecise and incomplete, however, which we consider unfair and intentional.
“What the company has said is they will ship the LNG overseas, they will primarily source the gas from Pennsylvania’s Marcellus and Utica shales, they plan to process up to 1 billion cubic feet of gas per day, plan to export 7.2 million metric tonnes of LNG each year and plan to operate for 20 years.
“This would be the first and only LNG export facility in the Delaware River Watershed and the first in all four watershed states.
“It would be located in the mostly densely populated region of Pennsylvania.
“Militating against the plan to construct here, the federal government has advised that LNG facilities should be placed in “remote” locations, away from dense populations, to protect public safety.
“From what we do know, it is clear this project is not clean, not carbon neutral, is unsafe, and the company has not interfaced with the people who would be most impacted, as we will hear about from Zulene Mayfield.
“The project will have enormous negative and long-lived environmental impacts locally, regionally, statewide, and even globally.”
LNG Is Not Welcome Here
Mayor Stefan Roots, City Of Chester, had a simple message for the Committee-- “LNG is simply not welcome here.
“An LNG terminal or export terminal would be an extreme health and safety hazard, as you've already heard, for the City of Chester or for any other town along the stretch of the Delaware River.
“I'm introducing a new initiative. I just thought of this as I was sitting there so that the Committee can have an easy three-letter acronym to remember our position.
“It's WMO, We've Moved On.
“Let's first talk safety. From a safety standpoint, it would be negligent and irresponsible to locate an LNG terminal in this region.
“Explosions can and do occur with these facilities. The blast zone, the blast zone, that sounds terrible would displace many residents and put thousands more at serious risk.
“Chester is a city of homes and families, churches, businesses, children and senior citizens.
“As we seek to revitalize Chester, my vision is to build new housing and attract new residents to the city.”
“I'm not pushing them out to accommodate a blast zone.”
“I also want to see Chester become more of a destination and attraction for visitors.
“We have a major league soccer stadium that brings tens of thousands of fans to our waterfront every week.
“We have a brand new world-class sportsplex with a rapidly growing sports scene that attracts thousands more visitors to our waterfront every day.
“We've moved on.
“It would be devastating to our city's progress to put a ticking time bomb LNG terminal on our waterfront in close proximity to our residents, our visitors and workers.
“This dangerous facility does not belong in a densely populated urban area like Chester.”
“Let's talk about health. An LNG export terminal would also compound our environmental health issues.
“The City of Chester is officially designated as an environmental justice community.
“There's already so much polluting industry concentrated in and around our city.
“Just eight months ago, I sat in a hearing just like this with many of you over at Widener [University] to testify about the cumulative impacts of pollution on Chester.
“Pollution is, literally, killing us in this city.”
“WMO, We've Moved On.
“ Not a single operational LNG terminal in the United States has managed to stay in compliance with the Clean Air Act's air pollution standards.
“And that's a low bar as it is.
“Chester residents need and deserve fresh air, clean waterways and safe soil, not more pollution from LNG.’
“In closing, as is so often the case, outside prospectors try to tempt poor, struggling communities like Chester into what are ultimately deals that harm the community for the profit of others.
“Chester is already suffering from the consequences of such past deals, and they're so hard to get rid of.
“We've moved on. Go away.
“We're not entertaining another bad deal that harms the good people who live, work and play here.
“As the mayor of Chester, I'm calling on this Committee to do the right thing, protect some of the most vulnerable people in this Commonwealth, and say no to an LNG terminal in this region.”
We Will Not Live In A Sacrifice Zone
Zulene Mayfield, Chair, Chester Residents Concerned For Quality Living, noted Chester already has a dozen major sources of air pollution, including the largest trash incinerator in the state, a sewage treatment plant that also incinerates sludge and the Marcus Hook refinery and the outdated Eddystone Power Plant are nearby.
“When the community first heard of this LNG we were actually shocked that Chester would even be considered as the site for this facility.
“We immediately began educating ourselves on what exactly LNG is and how it would and could impact our city. We reached out to all who were familiar with them, advocates, experts, academia and local and international politicians.
“We continually strive to learn more about this process not to become experts but to have a full understanding.
“You’ve heard about the health of our community. We recently had the closure of two hospitals furthering the gap for access to healthcare.
“In addition, for the population of Chester, some 35,000 there is not one primary care physician here.
“There is no supermarket, no movie theatre, nada but industries that are literally committing environmental genocide!! And now another!
“At its very core this is environmental racism.
“What part of NO is not being understood here. Do we not have the right to determine what we want in our communities or has greed and callousness taken over to create a sacrifice zone?
“When do the Pennsylvania legislators take seriously the responsibility to protect Pennsylvanians?
“The Pennsylvania Constitution, Article 1, Section 27 establishes our right to clean air, pure water and to the preservation of the natural scenic historic and esthetic values of the environment.
“Pennsylvania’s public natural resources are the common property of all the people, including generations to come. As trustee of these resources , the Commonwealth SHALL conserve and maintain them for the benefit of ALL the people.
“This right is not distinguished by income level, race, zip code or status. It has to be enforced.
“The proponents will say that LNG will generate jobs, some short-term but an insignificant number long term.
“What is being left out are the qualifications and certifications you must have to work in a LNG, and it seems the five years of experience that the industry requires before you can be employed.
“They will tout that there will be a tax revenue from LNG, what won't be said is that the LNG industry has found a way to be exempt.
“Many of the communities that currently have LNG’s are poor, the economics promised have never materialized for them.
“Added insult is that the communities surrounding LNG are not employed by this climate destroying and people poisoning industry.
“Why are the legislators not protecting Pennsylvanians and welcoming this destructive industry?
"In July, CRCQL lost one of our members. His name is Johshua Shockley. Josh was a vibrant man with a smile like sunshine.
“Josh called me when he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. He was full of fear and fight. You see Josh's wife was pregnant and expecting a son.
“The same day that she delivered their child was his first chemotherapy treatment.
“Five months after his son was born, Josh died at 38 years of age! The year prior his mother died from cancer.
“The promises of jobs and revenue is a trick. I have said this before: if LNG is so great why aren't other communities being denied all of this wealth?
“This community has had to withstand these battles for years. Demanding our right to breathe and live just like any other community.
“We’ve participated in too many of these types of hearings, been to court, we’ve marched and held regulators, agencies and politicians accountable for their actions or lack of.
“We are not statistics, we will not live in a sacrifice zone. Josh mattered to us.
“We matter to us, Our children matter, our community matters.
“Because of Josh’s son and all the children of Delaware County we will fight!
“The generations to come deserve our fight for us and them. The legislatures have to stop bending to money and defend people. People over pollution.”
There Is Literally No Room
Laren Minsky, Asst. Prof. of Health Studies, Haverford College, explained how Penn American plans to build the largest LNG plant on the east coast on 100 acres in a densely populated area.
“Is there room for Penn America’s proposed LNG liquefaction and export facility? I firmly say no.
“For one, as I understand it, the company’s intent is to build what will be the largest LNG export plant on the east coast on less than 100 acres.
[Note: In fact, a Chester neighborhood including churches, small businesses and dozens of houses would have to be torn down to provide a perimeter for the Penn America LNG facility. Read more here.]
“It is intended that the operations of the proposed facility will be substantial, processing up to one billion cubic feet of gas per day and exporting seven million metric tonnes of LNG each year.
“Yet, most LNG facilities sit on sites that are thousands of acres in size.
“So, Penn America intends to shoehorn their proposed plant into a densely settled, residential environmental justice zone that, quite literally, has no room.”
“Moreover, we know based on permits from other LNG export facilities in Maryland, Louisiana, and Texas that, if approved, this proposed facility will add considerable quantities of even more of the toxic pollutants that are already in the air and are already seriously harming residents’ health.
“These pollutants include, but are not limited to, VOCs, heavy metals, greenhouse gases especially methane, gaseous pollutants, acid gases, radioactive gas and particulate matter, and PM 10 and PM 2.5 particulate matter.
“Additionally, the record of existing LNG plants in the US is not at all promising in terms of compliance with permit limits, including the release of benzene, a potent carcinogen that is especially linked to leukemia in children.
“According to a report published by the Environmental Integrity Project, a nonprofit research organization, every fully operational liquefied LNG terminal in the US has violated federal pollution limits in recent years. [Read more here.]
“Thus, the Penn America LNG plant will surely mean more certain illness, more sacrificed lives cut short.
“This includes more cases of terminal cancer in children and teenagers who live in communities where their brothers, sisters, cousins, and friends already fall sick and die in elevated numbers – especially along the Delaware riverfront but also throughout Delaware county.
“No case of cancer in a child is ever an acceptable price to pay simply for Penn America’s shareholders (or any others) to make profits.”
“Lastly, we must also consider the environmental health implications of this proposed facility for our brothers and sisters in western and northern Pennsylvania where shale gas extraction, or fracking, occurs.
“The fracking process extracts gas from the Marcellus shale using water, respirable silica sand, and chemicals that are carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, and environmental toxins.
“Fracking also extracts naturally occurring radioactive particulate and gas like radium and radon.
“The process of fracking frequently contaminates aquifers and drinking water wells through cracks, such that residents are exposed to potent toxins in both their air and water.”
“In conclusion, if we value the health of our families, friends, and neighbors in Delaware County and throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, we need to build a different future – a livable one in which we can all thrive.
“We should not be building a future in which growing numbers of parents are burying their children.
“Building a healthy future means that there is absolutely no room for Penn America’s LNG plant – not in Chester, not in Eddystone, not in Marcus Hook, not in South Philly, not in Gibbstown, not anywhere.”
PA Families Now Compete On World Market For Our Own Gas
Liz Marx, Executive Director, PA Utility Law Project, explained how “the continued expansion of LNG export capacity is forcing Pennsylvanians to compete on the world market for the gas extracted from their backyard” raising the cost of natural gas close to pre-Marcellus Shale drilling commodity pricing.
“The increase in LNG exports not only affects retail gas rates, it also has a significant impact on electricity rates, as 60% of Pennsylvania’s electricity is generated by gas fired power plants.”
Marx noted involuntary electricity termination rates due to higher prices increased 25% per year from 2023 to 2024.
“Last winter, 25,000 families were without safe heat, and as of September 2025, nearly 340,000 households already faced involuntary termination – up 16% over last year.”
In light of the “projected increase in gas exports overseas, and the increased need for energy here at home to power the unprecedented projected load growth associated with hyperscale A.I. data centers, domestic gas prices are expected to continue rising dramatically across the state.
“Pennsylvania families must not be forced to compete with other countries for energy to power their basic needs.”
Video Of Hearing
Click Here to watch a video of the hearing.
Written Testimony
-- Mayor Stefan Roots, City Of Chester, Delaware County
-- Dr. Robert Howarth, Prof. Of Ecology & Environmental Biology, Cornell University
-- Howarth Presentation Slides (page 19)
-- Greenhouse Gas Footprint Of LNG Exported From The US, Dr. Howarth
-- Tracy Carluccio, Deputy Director, Delaware RiverKeeper Network
-- Laren Minsky, Asst. Prof. of Health Studies, Haverford College
-- Liz Marx, Executive Director, PA Utility Law Project
-- Zulene Mayfield, Chair, Chester Residents Concerned For Quality Living
-- James Hiatt, Founder, For A Better Bayou [Louisana]
-- Matt Sharraw, Physicians for Social Responsibility PA
Click Here for copies of written testimony in one file.
Rep. Greg Vitali (D-Delaware) serves as Majority Chair of the House Environmental & Natural Resource Protection Committee and can be contacted by calling 717-787-7647 or sending email to: gvitali@pahouse.net. Rep. Jack Rader, Jr. (R-Monroe) serves as Minority Chair and can be contacted by calling 717-787-7732 or click here to send an email.
NewsClips:
-- Delaware Currents: Speakers Decry LNG Gas Export Plant Proposal On Delaware River In Chester, Delaware County: ‘Our Community Says No’
-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: Chester Mayor, Environmentalists Object To LNG Gas Export Terminal Proposal In Delaware County: ‘We’ve Moved On’
Resource Links - LNG Gas Exports:
-- Public Citizen: LNG Gas Exports Could Cost Pennsylvanians Up To $16 Billion More In Energy Costs [PaEN]
PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:
-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Nov. 1 to 7 - Failed To Plug Shale Gas Well For 1,521 Days; 20,000 Gallon Spill Into Mine Void; 99% Of Conventional Well Owners Fail To Comply With Methane Rule [PaEN]
-- DEP: Spills, Releases Continue At Seneca Resources Taft Shale Gas Well Pad In Middlebury Twp., Tioga County For 373 Days And Counting [PaEN]
-- DEP: MarkWest Liberty Midstream Pipeline Construction Results In 20,000 Gallon Spill Into Coal Mine Voids Under Washington County, For The 3rd Time [PaEN]
-- DEP: EQM Gathering Has 6th ‘Inadvertent’ Release During Pipeline Construction In Nottingham Twp., Washington County [PaEN]
-- DEP: LPR Energy LLC Fails To Plug Abandoned Shale Gas Well For 1,521 Days And Counting In Fayette County [PaEN]
-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - November 8 [PaEN]
-- DEP Invites Comments On Chapter 105 Permit For MarkWest Liberty Midstream 20-Inch Natural Gas Gathering Pipeline In Mount Pleasant & Cecil Townships, Washington County [PaEN]
-- DEP Invites Comments On Air Quality Permit For 15 Natural Gas Generators To Power 15 Iron City A.I. Computing Centers In Karthaus Twp., Clearfield County [PaEN]
-- DEP Invites Comments On Renewal Of Title V Air Quality Permit For United Refinery In City Of Warren, Warren County [PaEN]
-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Meets Dec. 4 On 2026 Fee Schedule, Water Withdrawal Requests, Including 3 Related To Shale Gas Development [PaEN]
-- DEP Posted 71 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In November 8 PA Bulletin [PaEN]
Related Articles This Week:
-- House Environmental Committee Puts Spotlight On Proposed Penn America LNG Gas Export Facility In Chester, Delaware County [PaEN]
-- Nov. 12 Joint Meeting Of DEP’s Citizens Advisory Council, Environmental Justice Advisory Board To Hear EJ Concerns With A.I. Data Centers, Update On DEP’s EJ Initiatives, Cumulative Impacts Of Facilities [PaEN]
-- PUC Approves Proposed Model Tariff For Public Review To Balance A.I. Data Center Growth And Ratepayer Protection [PaEN]
-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles - NewClips From Last Week - November 10 [PaEN]
-- PJM Winter Power Outlook: Adequate Power Supplies Available To Serve Growing Demand Under Expected Conditions; 1 GigaWatt Of Mostly Solar Power Capacity Added Since Last Winter [PaEN]
-- Guest Essay: Don’t Trade Away Pennsylvania's Climate Regulations As Part Of State Budget Deal [Fossil Fuel Power Plants Power Wave Of Data Center Proposals] - By Rep. Greg Vitali, Majority Chair, House Environmental & Natural Resource Protection Committee [PaEN]
-- Moms Clean Air Force PA Urge Gov. Shapiro To Protect The RGGI Program Regulating Carbon Pollution From Power Plants To Cut Climate Pollution [PaEN]
-- PEC Podcast: Advanced Electric Transmission Technology - More Capacity, More Power Out Of Our Existing Grid At A Fraction Of The Cost [PaEN]
-- Water At Risk: A.I. Data Centers Bait And Switch? - By Carol Hillestad for Brodhead Watershed Association, Monroe County [PaEN]
-- PUC: Utilities Will Not Terminate LIHEAP-Eligible Heating Customers During Federal Shutdown; Customers Need To Call Utilities Now To Stay Connected This Winter [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- The Allegheny Front - Reid Frazier: CNX Resources Sues Nonprofit News Outlet For Defamation Over Shale Gas Fracking Article
-- Delaware Currents: Speakers Decry LNG Gas Export Plant Proposal On Delaware River In Chester, Delaware County: ‘Our Community Says No’
-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: Chester Mayor, Environmentalists Object To LNG Gas Export Terminal Proposal In Delaware County: ‘We’ve Moved On’
-- Rep. Vitali: PA House Environmental Committee Examines Impacts Of Proposed LNG Gas Export Terminal In Southeast PA
-- Tribune-Democrat: Attorney General: Shale Gas Driller Seneca Resources Charged With Environmental Crimes For Polluted Water Spills In 8 Counties [PDF of Article]
-- PennLive - John Beauge: Seneca Resources Natural Gas Driller Charged With Environmental Crimes In 8 PA Counties
-- Marcellus Drilling News: PA Attorney General Goes Wild, Charges Seneca Resources Natural Gas Driller With 100 Criminal Violations [PDF of Article]
-- Marcellus Drilling News: Coterra Energy NE PA Shale Gas Well Gets Frisky, Sprays Mist During Fracking [PDF of Article]
-- Utility Dive: What The Last Natural Gas Boom (And Bust) Says About Today’s Rush To Build; New Gas Generation Remains A Risky Investment, Analysts Say
-- Reuters: US LNG Gas Producers Ink Near Record Contract Volumes, Even As Fees Climb, Rising Costs
-- Spotlight PA: Millions At Risk Of Power Shut Off Because Of Federal LIHEAP Funding Delays During Federal Shutdown [PA Included]
-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: Environmental Groups Rally In Fear Harrisburg Budget Deal Will Sink RGGI Greenhouse Gas Reduction Initiative [RGGI Was Never Implemented]
-- PA Capital-Star: Environmentalists Urge Shapiro, Lawmakers Not To End RGGI Climate Initiative In Budget Agreement [RGGI Was Never Implemented]
-- TribLive: Surge In A.I. Data Centers Sparks Concern Over Water Demands
-- Wall Street Journal: What Happened When Small-Town America Became A.I. Data Center, USA [PDF of Article]
-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Pittsburgh Energy Storage Maker EOS Defies Skeptics, Sees Large Market For A.I. Data Center Projects
[Posted: November 5, 2025] PA Environment Digest
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