PA Environment Digest Blog: DEP Issues Air Quality Plan Approval For As-Built Air Pollution Controls, Wastewater Treatment Plant At Shell Petrochemical Plant In Beaver County

Saturday, September 26, 2026

DEP Issues Air Quality Plan Approval For As-Built Air Pollution Controls, Wastewater Treatment Plant At Shell Petrochemical Plant In Beaver County

On September 25, 2026, the Department of Environmental Protection released a copy of a September 22 Air Quality Plan Approval and comment/response document it issued for the Shell Petrochemical Plant in Potter and Center Townships, Beaver County.

The permit covers multiple sources of air pollution at the facility, including ethylene emissions and air pollution controls on ground flares, the wastewater treatment plant and as-built air pollution controls.

The permit is now being reviewed by community and citizen groups who raised a series of concerns about ongoing environmental and health impacts and the poor compliance record of the facility. Read more here.

The Shell facility has been fined $27.6 million for air pollution violations since the plant opened. On September 4, DEP announced $15 million in penalties. Read more here.

DEP said it received 952 public comments on the draft permit. Here, in brief, are DEP’s responses to a few of the comments from the comment/response document--

-- Poor Compliance Record: “The Department addressed violations and compliance matters separately on a parallel path from its technical evaluation of Shell’s application for a plan approval. This plan approval application review focuses on whether Shell’s application satisfies the requirements for issuance of a plan approval.”

-- Allowing Increases In Nitrogen Oxide Emissions: “This Plan Approval would not reward Shell. The plan approval modification simply recognizes that following rigorous review by the Department, Shell’s proposed NOx emission limit increase is lawful under the Clean Air Act (CAA) and Air Pollution Control Act (APCA). The additional emissions will not cause or contribute to violations of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) or cause an impermissible risk to human health.”

-- Allowing Increase In Carbon Monoxide, Particulate, Sulfur Dioxide, Carbon Dioxide: “The Department shares your concerns. As such, the Department required Shell to address health impacts from the proposed modification, and carefully reviewed Shell’s submissions. Based on this rigorous review, increased emissions from the proposed modifications do not present health concerns.”

-- DEP Must Do A Cumulative Impact Assessment Of Air Emissions That Fall Disproportionately On Environmental Justice Communities: “The Department agrees with the commenter that contributions from other emission sources cannot be ignored in ambient air modeling and risk assessment. In fact, emissions from other sources were taken into account as appropriate."

“The Department confirmed that Shell conducted a cumulative impact analysis for pollutants determined to have the potential to cause or contribute to violation of NAAQS or PSD increment following the EPA’s recommendations in 40 CFR Part 51, Appendix W.”

-- DEP Must Do An Evaluation Of How The Emissions Will Impact Public Health: “Shell conducted an inhalation risk assessment on 83 chemicals of potential concern (COPC), including benzene, which are potentially emitted from the facility. DEP thoroughly reviewed Shell’s inhalation risk assessment and concluded that the excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR), chronic noncancer risk, and acute noncancer risk would not exceed DEP’s benchmarks.

These are just a few of the 72 comments/response DEP included in the document from the public, although they are not linked to specific commenters.

DEP also provided 25 pages of responses to Shell on the comments the company made on the draft permit.

DEP said it initiated these changes in the final permit--

-- Added 1,3-butadiene, naphthalene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, and chromium VI in required reporting by Shell and notification if any exceed emission rates in the permit.

-- Added 1,3-butadiene, benzene, naphthalene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, and chromium VI notification for wastewater treatment plant for exceedances above 12-month emission rate within 30 days of the exceedance.

Other changes were made in some testing, monitoring and recordkeeping requirements.

Click Here for a copy of the Air Quality Plan Approval, the comment/response document and the Department initiated changes to the permit.

DEP will formally publish notice of this action in the Pennsylvania Bulletin and anyone aggrieved by this action has 30 days from that notice to file an appeal with the Environmental Hearing Board.

DEP normally also posts permit-related and comment/response documents on its Shell Petrochemical Complex Facility Information webpage for public review.

Other Related Permits

In a separate action, Shell submitted an application for the first Title V Air Quality permit for the Shell Petrochemical Plant on June 19, 2024 and DEP accepted the application as administratively complete on July 2, 2024. Read more here.

DEP is still reviewing the application.

On December 18, 2024 DEP said the agency will review the Shell Petrochemical Plant Title V Air Quality Permit application under the “enhanced public participation process” established in its Environmental Justice Policy holding local stakeholder meetings, one or more public meetings and a hearing. Read more here.

DEP finalized the Environmental Justice Policy on January 3, 2026. Read more here.

DEP is now accepting comments on the renewal of the NPDES Wastewater Permit for the Shell Petrochemical Plant. Comments are due October 12. Read more here.

Resource Links:

-- DEP: Shell Petrochemical Plant Pays Another $15 Million In Penalties For Latest Air Pollution Violations In Beaver County; Air Pollution Penalties Total $27.6 Million Since Plant Opened [PaEN]

-- Beaver County Residents Tell DEP To Enforce Existing Shell Petrochemical Plant Air Pollution Limits, Not Give Them A New Permit Increasing Pollution [PaEN]

-- The Allegheny Front: DEP Proposes Shell Petrochemical Plant Air Permit With Higher Emission Limits In Beaver County [PaEN]

PA Oil & Gas Industry, Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Snapshot - September 19 to 25 [PaEN]

-- DEP Issues Violations To Mifflin Energy Resources LLC For Abandoning, Not Plugging 16 Conventional Oil & Gas Wells In Greene County [PaEN]

-- DEP: Tank Truck Releases Contaminated Water On Access Road Leading To EQT ARO LLC DCNR Shale Gas Well Pad In Lycoming County [PaEN]

-- DEP: Complaint Inspection Finds Slope Failure, Erosion & Sedimentation Violations Along Equitrans Water SVC (PA) LLC [EQT] Shale Gas Water Pipeline In Washington County [PaEN]