This guest essay first appeared in Lancaster Farming on June 24, 2026. It is reprinted here with the author's permission.
Lancaster Farming wrote: A $2 billion fertilizer production facility in central Pennsylvania is expected to bring supply chain stability and lower costs for farmers.
KeyState Energy is planning to build a natural gas synthesis plant that will produce hydrogen to be turned into ammonia for fertilizer.
The plant, which could be operational in five years, will be located in Karthaus Township, Clearfield County. The natural gas will come from a drilling operation several miles away in neighboring Clinton County.
The text of the guest essay follows--
I am writing in regards to the proposed ammonia/fertilizer plant in Karthaus Township, Pennsylvania.
The cost of fertilizer remains a significant challenge for many farmers, and economic development is important for rural communities like ours.
As discussions continue regarding the proposed KeyState ammonia plant near Karthaus, however, it is important that residents, regulators and company officials carefully consider both the potential benefits and the potential risks before moving forward.
Karthaus is more than just a location on a map. Our community serves as a gateway to the Pennsylvania Wilds, a region known for its forests, rivers, wildlife, outdoor recreation, and growing tourism economy.
Visitors come here to fish, hunt, hike, paddle, camp and experience the natural beauty that makes this area unique. These opportunities support local businesses and contribute to the long-term vitality of our region.
Any major industrial development should be evaluated in light of its potential impact on these important community assets.
Residents also understand the lasting effects of environmental damage. The Karthaus area has lived through generations of resource extraction, from widespread timber harvesting in the 19th century to decades of coal mining.
While those industries contributed to the region’s economy, they also left behind environmental scars that took many years to address.
Today, our forests are recovering, waterways have improved, and wildlife habitats are returning. After generations of effort, the landscape is finally beginning to heal. That progress should not be taken for granted.
The proposed ammonia plant raises legitimate questions that deserve careful review. Ammonia is a hazardous chemical that can affect human health if released into the environment.
Air emissions, wastewater management, and accident prevention plans should be thoroughly examined to ensure that nearby residents, farms and natural resources are adequately protected.
Particular attention should be given to vulnerable populations, including children, older adults and those with respiratory conditions.
The facility’s potential environmental impacts also warrant close scrutiny.
Air emissions can contribute to the formation of fine particulate matter, which has been linked to respiratory and cardiovascular health concerns.
Nitrogen compounds released into the environment can affect soil health, waterways and aquatic ecosystems if not properly controlled.
Residents deserve a clear understanding of how these risks would be managed and what monitoring and enforcement measures would be in place to protect public health and the environment.
The community should also consider how the facility could affect the region’s reputation as a destination for outdoor recreation and nature-based tourism.
Even if environmental standards are met, industrial development on this scale could alter the character of an area that many residents and visitors value for its rural setting and natural beauty.
Recent incidents involving ammonia facilities and transportation accidents elsewhere in the country remind us that safety planning must be taken seriously.
Residents deserve clear information about emergency response capabilities, transportation risks, and the safeguards that would be in place to prevent and respond to accidents.
Economic growth and environmental stewardship do not have to be opposing goals.
If development is to occur, it should proceed only after careful analysis, transparent public engagement, and a thorough demonstration that the project will protect public health, preserve our natural resources, and safeguard the long-term future of the Karthaus community.
Support for this project should be contingent upon all significant environmental, public health, safety and community concerns being fully addressed.
Residents deserve clear evidence that effective safeguards are in place, that environmental impacts will be minimized, and that strong protections will be enforced throughout the life of the facility.
Until those standards are met and demonstrated through a transparent review process, caution is both reasonable and necessary.
Our community has worked hard to recover from the environmental impacts of the past, and we should be thoughtful and deliberate about any project that could shape our future for generations to come.
As a gateway to the Pennsylvania Wilds, Karthaus has an opportunity to build upon its natural assets and growing outdoor recreation economy.
Any development should strengthen-- not jeopardize-- the environmental recovery and quality of life that residents have worked so hard to achieve.
Ben Hoffman is a farmer in Karthaus Township, Clearfield County.
[Note: The KeyState Natural Gas Synthesis Project may qualify for the state Local Resource Manufacturing Tax Credit that could award up to $56.6 million annually to companies that utilize natural gas in manufacturing. Changes to tax credit programs are currently being debated in the General Assembly. Read more here.]
PA Oil & Gas Industry, Public Notice Dashboards:
-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - July 4 to 10: 4,200 Gallon Contaminated Water Spill; Cleaning Up Spills For 15 Days, 270 Days, 484 Days And Counting [PaEN]
-- DEP: Lola Energy Petroco Reported 4,200 Gallon Spill Caused By Contaminated Water Eating Thru A Pipe Fitting At Shale Gas Well Pad In Allegheny Twp., Butler County [PaEN]
-- DEP - Day 15: Contaminated Water Continues To Leak From Pipes Cut During Restoration At Equitrans Water SVC Richter Shale Gas Water Impoundment In Greene County [PaEN]
-- DEP - Day 270: Petro Erie Inc. Experiences Leaks From Refurbished Contaminated Water Storage Tanks At Conventional Well Site In Venango County After October 2025 Spill [PaEN]
-- DEP - Day 484: Oil & Gas MGMT Inc. Took No Actions To Finish The Cleanup Of Conventional Well Spills Or Respond To DEP Violations In Westmoreland County [PaEN]
-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - July 11 [PaEN]
-- DEP Issues Final Water Quality Permits For The Eastern Gas Transmission and Storage Appalachian Reliability Natural Gas Pipeline Project In Armstrong, Greene and Westmoreland Counties [PaEN]
-- DEP Invites Comments On A Chapter 105 Permit For A Seneca Resources Co 16-Inch Shale Gas Water Pipeline Running Through Farmington & Chatham Townships, Tioga County [PaEN]
-- Energy Transfer Asks PUC To Dissolve Sunoco Pipeline Company And Transfer Assets To 2 New Companies-- One For Natural Gas Liquids Pipelines Like Mariner East Pipelines And Another For Refined Petroleum Product Pipelines [PaEN]
-- DEP published notice in the July 11 PA Bulletin inviting comments on a Mothball Plan notification received from PEI Power, LLC concerning a Title V Air Quality Permit for two landfill gas fired turbines in Archbald Boro, Lackawanna County. (PA Bulletin, Page 4180)
-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Hearing July 30 On Water Withdrawal Requests, Including 2 Related To Shale Gas Development [PaEN]
-- DEP Posted 63 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In July 11 PA Bulletin [PaEN]
-- DEP Restarts Comment Period On Corrected Major Amendment To Homer City Generation Data Center Project Industrial Wastewater Facility Permit In Indiana County [PaEN]
-- DEP To Hold Aug. 4 Hearing On Major Modification To Waste Permit For Blythe Recycling & Demolition Waste Site Landfill In Schuylkill County [PaEN]
Related Articles This Week:
-- State Dept. Of Health Environmental Health Indicators Map Is Now Available To Show Potential Health Risks Near You, Including Oil & Gas Facilities & How To File A Report On A Health Concern [PaEN]
-- Delaware RiverKeeper Alert: Amendment In Congress Would Strip Delaware River Basin Commission Of Its Authority To Enforce The Ban On Oil & Gas Fracking In Delaware Watershed [PaEN]
-- FracTracker Alliance, Halt The Harm Network Now Accepting Nominations For 2026 Community Sentinel Award [PaEN]
-- Protect PT, Partners To Host July 23 Webinar On Landfill Leachate Radiation Hazards From Oil & Gas Waste [PaEN]
-- PA House Republican Proposes Bill To Strip Citizens Of The Right To Request A Suspension Of A DEP Permit To Prevent Irreparable Harm From Occurring While An Appeal Is Heard Before The Environmental Hearing Board [PaEN]
-- Guest Essay: Weighing The Pros And Cons Of KeyState Energy’s Natural Gas-Based Fertilizer Plant In Karthaus Twp., Clearfield County - By Ben Hoffman, Farmer, Karthaus Township [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- WHYY - Zoe Read: Nicetown Residents In Philly Want Answers After PUC Finds Philadelphia Gas Works Not Responsible For Deadly Natural Gas Explosion
-- Ohio River Valley Institute: Shell Petrochemical Plant Promised On Economic Renaissance, Beaver County Is Still Falling Behind
-- PennLive Guest Essay: PA Lawmakers Shouldn’t Overturn PA Supreme Court Decision Restoring Oil & Gas Property Rights To Their Rightful Owners - By Sherman Powell, Member Of Proctor Family Who Regained Their Property Unlawfully Taken
-- KDKA: Allegheny County DA Investigating 35 Cases Of Deed Fraud, Deeds Transferred To An LLC Without Homeowners’ Knowledge [Also Happens With Oil & Gas Property Rights]
[Posted: July 8, 2026] PA Environment Digest
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