Shell Agrees to Pay $10 Million for Air Pollution at Massive New Pennsylvania Petrochemical Plant
Shell has agreed to pay $10 million to resolve allegations that it polluted the air around its massive new petrochemical refinery in western Pennsylvania, the administration of Gov. Josh Shapiro announced Wednesday.
Shell acknowledged that the plant, located along the Ohio River about 30 miles outside of Pittsburgh, violated air emissions limits, officials said. The multibillion-dollar facility opened in November, only to be shut down months later after the company said it identified a problem with a system that’s designed to burn off unwanted gases.
Shell said it has made repairs and planned to restart the plant on Wednesday.
Under an agreement with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Shell Chemicals Appalachia LLC—a subsidiary of British oil and gas giant Shell plc—will pay a civil penalty of about $5 million, a portion of which will go toward environmental projects in Beaver County. The company will funnel a total of $6.2 million to the community, according to state officials….