Groups Petition Pennsylvania to Reduce Water Pollution from Shell Chemical Plant

Allies Urge PA Department of Environmental Protection to Strengthen Permit for Shell Chemical Plant in Beaver County to Better Protect Water, Health, and Environment  

Beaver County, PA – Today, the Environmental Integrity Project, Three Rivers Waterkeeper, Mountain Watershed, Clean Air Council, and Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community submitted a petition asking the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to make changes to the water discharge permit for the Shell Monaca chemical plant in Beaver County, PA, to improve oversight and reduce water pollution. 

For years, chemicals have leaked from the Shell Monaca plant, located northwest of Pittsburgh, into nearby rivers and lands, including the Ohio River, which supplies drinking water to millions of people. The roughly $6 billion plant transforms a product of natural gas (ethane), extracted through hydraulic fracturing in the region’s shale formations, into tiny plastic pellets used to manufacture single-use plastic goods like soda bottles and plastic packaging. 

“Pennsylvania’s waters and downstream communities deserve better protection from Shell’s chemical plant than the current weak permit,” said Meg Parish, Senior Water Quality Attorney with the Environmental Integrity Project.  “We need Pennsylvania to step up and significantly strengthen this water pollution control permit.” 

Heather Hulton VanTassell, Executive Director of the Three Rivers Waterkeeper, said: “While this is a new facility, the Shell Monaca Plant was built over a highly contaminated site that was once a zinc smelting site. The self-reporting data by the plant show a serious issue with contaminated stormwater discharging into Racoon Creek and the Ohio River most likely from legacy site pollution. Now is the time to improve oversight and reduce water pollution – not when it is too late.” 

Hilary Starcher-O’Toole, Executive Director of Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community, said: “The Shell plant’s history of water pollution poses an ongoing threat to the health and safety of Beaver County residents and the millions of people who rely on the Ohio River for drinking water. For too long, communities like ours have borne the brunt of unchecked industrial pollution. Strengthening the water discharge permit is a necessary step to hold Shell accountable and to protect our water, our environment, and the people who live here.” 

The petition asks for monthly testing and stricter discharge limits for dangerous chemicals including lead, arsenic, aluminum, zinc, and PFAS. It also requests more frequent stormwater inspections to help prevent harmful chemicals from migrating undetected into waterways, and a solid plan to clean up polluted groundwater already existing on the site.  

The Shell plant also has a history of air pollution violations. In 2023, the Environmental Integrity Project and Clean Air Council filed a federal lawsuit against Shell for repeatedly violating permitted air pollution limits. The lawsuit called for strict penalties and a halt to the illegal release of smog-forming pollutants, including nitrogen oxide (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOC), which also contribute to asthma attacks and lung disease. 

The facility has also shaken the surrounding community by releasing clouds of black smoke from its flares during malfunctions and odors that have caused residents to feel sick. 

Click here for a copy of the petition.

The Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting public health and our natural resources by holding polluters and government agencies accountable under the law, advocating for tough but fair environmental standards, and empowering communities fighting for clean air and clean water. 

The Mountain Watershed Association (MWA) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to protect, preserve and restore the Youghiogheny River watershed and its broader communities through conservation, recreation, education, and advocacy. 

Three Rivers Waterkeeper (3RWK) was founded in 2009 and works to improve and protect the water quality of the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers. 3RWK is both a scientific and legal advocate for the community, working to ensure that our three rivers are protected and that our waters are safe to drink, fish, swim, and enjoy. 

Clean Air Council is an environmental nonprofit founded in 1967 that works through public education, community action, government oversight, and enforcement of environmental laws to protect everyone’s right to a healthy environment. 

The Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community seeks to protect the residents of Southwestern Pennsylvania, with emphasis on those in Beaver County, by informing them about the health, safety, environmental and economic impacts of fracking infrastructure, including the petrochemical buildout; and by supporting sustainable alternatives to carbon-based energy sources and economic development strategies in Beaver County.  

Media contact: Ari Phillips, Environmental Integrity Project, (202) 263-4456 or aphillips@environmentalintegrity.org