Two environmental groups filed an intent-to-sue notice on Feb. 2 against Shell Chemical, saying the company has “blown through” emissions limits at a cracker plant outside Pittsburgh.
The Environmental Integrity Project and Clean Air Council claim the Shell Chemical Appalachia plant in Potter Township has repeatedly violated permitted amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
The groups say that in September 2022, the plant, called Shell Polymers Monaca, emitted 512 tons of VOCs, nearly reaching the 12-month permitted limit of its approved VOC emissions (516.2 tons of VOCs in any consecutive 12-month period) over the course of a single month. At that rate, the plant is “all but guaranteeing ongoing VOC permit violations deep into 2023,” the groups claim.
The groups also say Shell emitted nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide from sources at the plant in the final months of 2022 at rates that exceed permit limit and that the company released soot and other “visible emissions” that violate limits in its permit and the Clean Air Act.
The law prohibits visible emissions from flares and incinerators at Shell’s plant that exceed 0% opacity, including plumes of black smoke, for more than five minutes during any consecutive two-hour period, the groups say.
“Shell has blown through permit limits in the first few months of operation, putting nearby communities in harm’s way,” said Sarah Kula, Attorney for the Environmental Integrity Project. “Shell must be held accountable under the law and take appropriate steps to prevent illegal pollution going forward.”
Under the federal Clean Air Act, plaintiffs must send notices of intent to sue at least 60 days before filing a complaint in federal court.
