An ethane cracker in western Pa. will soon start up. We answered your questions about it
You asked us questions about Shell's ethane cracker in Beaver County. We got answers about jobs, taxes, royalties, and of course, air pollution.
Pollution
Pa. needs to finish emissions regulations for oil and gas sites by December or face sanctions, EPA says
Pennsylvania could lose $500-$750 million in federal highway funds if it doesn't submit plans to EPA by Dec. 16 to reduce VOCs at oil/gas sites.
A new film connects the plight of hellbenders with concerns over gas development
"Hellbent" tells the story of a small, rural town trying to keep a frack waste injection well out of their community to preserve their drinking water and save a rare salamander.
How Allegheny County is trying to make air quality easier to understand
A new kind of report breaks down the science of how the department measures air pollution and shows how residents can get involved.
Researchers find spreading drilling wastewater on Pa. roads can lead to harmful runoff
Wastewater from oil and gas drilling has been used as a cheap dust suppressant in rural Pa. for years, but it can contain toxins.
Energy Transfer held criminally responsible for damage from Mariner East pipeline construction
The company will have a permanent criminal record for causing damage to drinking water, wetlands and waterways across Pennsylvania.
What to know about Pa.’s newest plan to reduce pollution to the Chesapeake Bay
It calls for reducing nitrogen, phosphorous and sediment by 2025. With a price tag of $324 million a year, paying for it could be a problem.
After years of contamination at Pittsburgh airport, nearby drinking water still hasn’t been tested
The airport has known about the potential PFAS contamination for years. Now, its $1.4 billion construction project could make it worse.
Why Pennsylvania and 15 other states are suing the U.S. Postal Service over lack of electric vehicles
Pa. Attorney General Josh Shapiro called the Postal Service plan to replace a only fraction of its fleet with EVs "hastily and sloppily done.”
New novel imagines a future where all we’re left with is our plastic pollution
Alison Stine’s "Trashlands" depicts a dystopian Appalachia, exploited for its last valuable resource, but also full of ingenuity and resilience.
