LESSONS. I’M JANELLE HALL TODAY WE’RE TALKING ABOUT THE SHELL CRACKER PLANT IN BEAVER COUNTY. SINCE OPERATIONS BEGAN LAST YEAR, THE PLANT HAS RACKED UP AIR POLLUTION VIOLATIONS WHILE PROVIDING HUNDREDS OF PERMANENT JOBS. IT’S ROLE HAS THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES DIVIDED. THIS REALLY IS A GAME CHANGER, NOT JUST FOR WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA, FOR BEAVER COUNTY, BUT FOR ALL OF PENNSYLVANIA, FOR OUR REGION. IT CAME WITH THE PROMISE OF NEW OPPORTUNITIES WHEN THE STEEL INDUSTRY COLLAPSED. WE’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR AN INDUSTRY THAT COULD SUSTAIN A LOT OF, WELL, GOOD PAYING JOBS IN 2016, THE SHELL CRACKER PLANT OFFICIALLY GOT THE GO AHEAD AFTER YEARS OF CONSTRUCTION. THE MASSIVE FACILITY CAME ONLINE LAST NOVEMBER. INSIDE WORKERS MOSTLY MADE PELLETS OF POLYETHYLENE, A COMMON PLASTIC SHELL SAID THAT THEY WANTED TO BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR. AND WE ARE HOPING THAT TO HOLD THEM TO THAT. BUT JUST FIVE MONTHS INTO OPERATIONS, THE PLANT HAS BEEN HIT WITH SEVERAL EMISSION VIOLATION NOTICES. I NEVER EXPECTED IT WAS GOING TO AFFECT US THE WAY IT DOES. PEOPLE NEARBY DEALING WITH LIGHT POLLUTION, NOISE AND STRONG ODORS EMISSIONS. THE DANGER IS INVISIBLE. ON APRIL 11TH, HYDROCARBON REMOVAL AT SHELL’S WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT LED TO A POTENT SMELL. THE INCIDENT LINING UP WITH INCREASED LEVELS OF BENZENE AROUND THE FACILITY. THE ORGANIC CHEMICAL IS A CARCINOGEN. THE CONCENTRATIONS OF BENZENE DETECTED AT THESE LOCATIONS WERE IN THE PARTS PER BILLION RANGE. SHELL’S TOXICOLOGIST SAYS THESE LEVELS ARE NOT LIKELY TO CAUSE PROBLEMS. BUT SOME NEIGHBORS HAVE HAD ENOUGH PRETTY MUCH EVERY LEVEL OF POLLUTION THAT YOU CAN ASK ABOUT, THEY’VE THEY’VE BROUGHT INTO OUR LIVES. THIS MORNING, WE HEAR FROM A FATHER TRYING TO PROTECT HIS FAMILY. PLUS, THIS IS A LONG TERM GAIN FOR PENNSYLVANIA AND FRANKLY, FOR THE TRI STATE AREA. FORMER GOVERNOR TOM CORBETT, WHO HAS SUPPORTED THE PLANT FROM THE START, AND ENVIRONMENTAL EXPERTS AND ACTIVISTS WORKING TO HOLD SHELL ACCOUNTABLE. SOME PEOPLE WHO LIVE NEAR THE SHELL CRACKER PLANT SAY THEIR LIVES HAVE CHANGED SIGNIFICANT SINCE IT WENT ONLINE. ONE NEIGHBOR TELLS US HE IS PLANNING TO RELOCATE BECAUSE OF IT. JOINING ME NOW IS LUCAS MASUDA. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. IT’S MY PLEASURE. YOU LIVE WITHIN THREE MILES, YOU SAY, OF THE PLANT. YOU’RE IN BEAVER COUNTY. SO IS IT BRIGHTON TOWNSHIP, BRIGHTON TOWNSHIP AND IN BEAVER. BEAVER, YES. TELL ME, HOW LONG YOU’VE LIVED THERE AND HOW YOU THINK YOUR LIFE HAS CHANGED SINCE THE PLANT HAS OPENED. WE’VE LIVED THERE 15 YEARS IN THE SAME PLACE. THE PLANT, WHEN THEY SAID IT WAS GOING TO COME IN, WAS A THE THING THAT WE DIDN’T THINK WOULD AFFECT US BECAUSE OF ITS LOCATION AND OURS. BUT AS THEY STARTED BUILDING IT AND IT’S I BELIEVE IT’S BEEN ABOUT A TEN YEAR PROCESS, THEY POLLUTE THE NOISE WITH NOISE, BUILDING IT. WE CAN FEEL THE PYLONS BEING POUNDED IN ALL THE TRUCKS AND THINGS MOVING ALL THE LIGHT WAS REALLY THE BIGGEST EFFECT THAT WE SAW IN THE BEGINNING BECAUSE THAT NIGHT WE USED TO BE ABLE TO SEE THE STARS WHERE WE LIVE AND THERE IS NO MORE OF THAT. IT’S IT’S A PRETTY MUCH A CITY OF LIGHTS THAT THEY’VE BROUGHT IN AFTER THAT, ONCE THEY STARTED OPERATIONS, THE DIFFERENT SMELLS, THE DIFFERENT COLORS IN THE SKY AT NIGHT, NOISES, I MEAN, PRETTY MUCH EVERY LEVEL OF POLLUTION THAT YOU CAN ASK ABOUT, THEY’VE THEY’VE BROUGHT INTO OUR LIVES TO THE POINT WHERE WE’RE GOING TO MOVE AT SOME POINT IN TIME. WE’RE JUST WAITING FOR OUR KIDS TO GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL SO WE’RE NOT UPROOTING THEM BECAUSE OF THIS. SO. SO IT’S NOT LIKE YOU LIVE RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE SHELL CRACKER PLANT. YOU’RE THREE MILES AWAY AND YOU’RE SAYING THAT IT’S SO BAD THAT YOU FEEL LIKE YOU NEED TO MOVE YOUR FAMILY. ABSOLUTELY. DESCRIBE FOR ME WHAT WHAT THE SMELL IS LIKE, WHAT THE SOUND IS LIKE, THAT IT’S WHEN THEY FLARE. THEY HAVE THEIR FLARING OPERATION WHEN THEY HAVE PROBLEMS. SO IT’LL LIGHT THE SKY UP ORANGE. AND IT SOUNDS LIKE A JET PLANE FROM THREE MILES AWAY. SO MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT THEY FIRE THAT THING UP. AND IT SOUNDS LIKE A JET PLANE IS FLYING OVER, JUST CONSISTENT FOR HOURS. THE SKY IS LIT UP LIKE IT’S DAWN. YOU KNOW, THE SUN’S RISING AND IT’S RIGHT OUTSIDE OF OUR BEDROOM WINDOW. IT LITERALLY LIGHTS UP OUR ROOM LIKE IT’S DAWN. SO, YOU KNOW, BLINDS DOWN DIFFERENT THINGS IN YOU CAN HAVE YOUR WINDOWS OPEN AND LOOK AT THE SKY FROM YOUR BED. IT’S BLIND DOWN. SO YOU’RE NOT HAVING THAT AS FAR AS THE SMELLS GO, IT DEPENDS ON THE WIND AND IT DEPENDS ON WHAT’S GOING ON THERE. BUT, YOU KNOW, IN MID-APRIL, THEY HAD A BENZENE LEAK. IT SMELT LIKE GARBAGE. IT’S IT WAS SO THICK THAT WE WOULDN’T OPEN OUR WINDOWS. WE DIDN’T KNOW, TRULY DIDN’T KNOW IT WAS COMING FROM THE CRACKER PLANT. AT FIRST WE THOUGHT SOMEBODY WAS BURNING GARBAGE. YOU KNOW. BUT THEN I DROVE PAST THE CRACKER PLANT, GOING TO A JOB SITE, AND IT IT WAS SO THICK. AND I REALIZED THAT, HEY, YOU KNOW, I CALLED MY WIFE, HEY, YOU JUST KEEP THE WINDOW SHUT AND THE FURNACE OFF SO IT’S NOT BLOWING OUTSIDE AIR IN AND SOMETHING’S BAD. SOMETHING BAD IS HAPPENING. YOU SAID YOU FELT LIKE YOU WANTED TO THROW OUT. OH, YEAH. I WAS DRIVING PAST. IT WAS SO THICK, IT MADE ME NAUSEOUS. YOU MENTIONED YOUR WIFE, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT SHE HAS SOME HEALTH COMPLICATIONS. HAS THAT CHANGED AT ALL WITH THE OPENING OF THE PLANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT, PLEASE? YES. SHE’S SHE USES A NEBULIZER. SHE HAS ASTHMA, USES A NEBULIZER. AND THE INHALER BOTH HAVE BEEN INCREASED SINCE THE PLANTS OPENED. SHE IS VERY SENSITIVE TO AIR POLLUTION IN THE AIR. AND SHE’LL TELL ME WHEN I DON’T REALIZE THAT THERE’S THINGS GOING ON. SO, YEAH, SHE’S. SHE’S DEFINITELY FELT THE EFFECTS I’VE NOTICED THE KIDS HAVE ALL BEEN AT SICK MORE OFTEN SICK FROM SCHOOL MORE OFTEN, LUNG COUGHING, ITCHY THROATS, PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING THAT COMES ALONG WITH THE POLLUTANTS THAT WOULD COME OUT OF THE PLANT. SO AS A HUSBAND AND AS A FATHER, WHAT HAVE YOU TRIED TO DO TO HAVE YOUR VOICE BE HEARD? AND DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOUR CONCERNS ARE BEING HEARD? I DON’T FEEL HEARD, BUT I DON’T THINK THAT ANYBODY’S GOING TO BE HEARD. I JUST FEEL THAT THAT COMPANY IS SO LARGE, THEY THEY APOLOGIZE FOR THEIR THEIR PROBLEMS. THEY APOLOGIZE FOR THE SMELLS AND THE NOISE. THEY APOLOGIZE FOR THE FLARING AND MOVE ON. THEY’VE HAD FINES. THEY’VE HAD. WELL, I DON’T ACTUALLY KNOW THAT THEY’VE HAD FINES, BUT THEY’VE HAD VIOLATIONS AGAINST THE DEP AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY AND AND I BELIEVE THEY’RE JUST SO BIG. THEY JUST MOVE ON. SO AS FAR AS BEING HEARD, IT’S YOU KNOW, I CAN TAG YOU ON FACEBOOK, I CAN TAG THEM. THE EPA, THE DEP, BUT THEY’RE NOT GOING TO CHANGE. THEY’RE NOT GOING TO MOVE. REALLY. I JUST WANT THEM TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR EMISSIONS. THE POLLUTION. THEY’RE NOT FAR FROM A HIGH SCHOOL. YOU KNOW WHERE MY KIDS GO. IT’S HARD. I’M SURE YOU DIDN’T EXPECT ANY OF THIS TO HAPPEN. AND YOU MENTIONED THAT, THAT IT’S LIKE A TOWN DIVIDED BECAUSE SOME PEOPLE ARE HAPPY WITH THE JOBS. BUT UNDERSTANDABLY, I CAN SEE IT IN YOUR EYES. YOU’RE CONCERNED ABOUT THE HEALTH. OH, YEAH. YEAH. THERE ARE LOCALS WITH GOOD JOBS. YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE GOOD JOBS NOW. AND I’VE BEEN TALKED TO, YOU KNOW, HEY, YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT WHERE I WORK. I AM. YOU KNOW, I KNOW YOU HAVE A GOOD JOB, BUT I HAVE A FAMILY. WHAT’S YOUR CONCERN WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR FAMILY AND THE HEALTH FOR THEM AND FOR YOU MOSTLY LONG TERM. YOU KNOW, LIKE I SAID, THEY APOLOGIZE ABOUT RELEASING BENZENE, BUT THEY SAY IT’S NOT AT TWO LEVEL THAT’S GOING TO AFFECT YOU KNOW, ANYBODY. IT CAUSES CANCER. IT’S KNOWN TO. IS THERE ANY LEVEL THAT IS ACCEPTABLE. I SMELL IT THREE MILES AWAY. YOU KNOW, IT’S A THAT’S A LARGE AREA OF PEOPLE BEING AFFECTED. A LARGE AREA OF KIDS BEING AFFECTED. WE INVITED SHELL TO BE PART OF THIS PROGRAM AND A SPOKESPERSON FOR THE COMPANY REFERRED US TO THE VIRTUAL COMMUNITY MEETING THE COMPANY HELD LAST WEEK. DURING THE MEETING, SHELL DID ACKNOWLEDGE THE PRESENCE OF BENZENE A CARCINOGEN. IN MID-APRIL. HOWEVER, SHELL’S TOXICOLOGY SAID HE DID NOT THINK IT WAS ENOUGH TO CAUSE THE ISSUES PEOPLE WERE REPORTING A SHORT TERM EXPOSURE TO THE PARTS PER BILLION BENZENE LEVELS SEEN AT THESE CANS. ONE AND CANS FOUR FENCELINE LOCATIONS WOULD BE UNLIKELY TO CAUSE TRANSIENT DISCOMFORT OR IRRITATION. SHELL LEADERSHIP ALSO SAID IT IS COMMITTED TO HANDLING THE PLANT ISSUES THE RIGHT WAY. IT’S NICE TRANSPARENCY. IT’S IMPORTANT RIGHT WHEN IT COMES TO BUILDING TRUST. SO THAT’S WHY WE REPORT ALL OUR MALFUNCTIONS TO THE REGULATORY AGENCIES AND WE COMMUNICATE TO THE PUBLIC AS SOON AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN, WHEN WE HAVE AN UNEXPECTED ISSUE ARISE. WE’VE ALSO REACHED OUT TO THE PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION FOR COMMENT, BUT DID NOT HEAR BACK BY OUR DEADLINE. STILL AHEAD, THIS IS A STORY THIS BUILDING IS STILL IN ITS START UP PROCESS. THERE GOING TO BE SOME BUMPS IN THE ROAD, ARGUING THE PROS OUTWEIGH THE CONS. WHY PENNSYLVANIA’S FORMER GOVERNOR SAYS OUR AREA NEEDS THE SHELL CRACKER PLANT. WELCOME BACK TO WTA LESSONS. ONE OF THE BIGGEST PROPONENTS FOR THE SHELL CRACKER PLANT OPENING IN BEAVER COUNTY WAS REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR TOM CORBETT. WE SAT DOWN WITH THE FORMER GOVERNOR TO LEARN WHAT HE NOW THINKS OF THE PLAN. JOINING ME NOW IS FORMER PENNSYLVANIA GOVERNOR TOM CORBETT, WHO SERVED FROM 2011 TO 2015. YOU WERE ALSO ATTORNEY GENERAL, OF COURSE, HERE IN THE COMMONWEALTH. THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US. IT’S MY PLEASURE TO BE WITH YOU. IT’S. SO AS WE TALK ABOUT THE SHELL CRACKER PLANT FOR FOR THOSE PEOPLE WHO MAY NOT BE FAMILIAR, TALK ABOUT THE ROLE THAT YOU HAD IN BRINGING THE PLANT HERE TO WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA. WELL, WHEN I RAN FOR OFFICE, AS GOVERNOR, WE WERE LOOKING TO GROW THE ECONOMY OF PENNSYLVANIA. AND SERENDIPITOUSLY, WE HAD OUR PEOPLE OUT LOOKING FOR BUSINESSES TO COME. AND THE ALLEGHENY CONFERENCE HAD BEEN TALKING TO PEOPLE DOWN IN THE HOUSTON AREA ABOUT BRINGING DIFFERENT FACILITIES TO PENNSYLVANIA BECAUSE OF THE NATURAL GAS, WHICH I’M A HUGE BELIEVER IN. IN MARCELLUS SHALE. AND SO I WALK INTO THIS AND THEY’RE ALREADY HAVING THE NEGOTIATIONS AND THEN SHELL FINALLY SAYS, WELL, WE MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN COMING UP. AND WE PUT A FULL COURT PRESS ON TO GET THEM THAT THERE WAS LONG NEGOTIATIONS, INCLUDING TAKING THE INDIVIDUAL WHO WAS GOING TO MAKE THE ULTIMATE RECOMMENDATION TO THE PEOPLE AT THE HOME FRONT THAT YOU SHOULD PICK PITTSBURGH OVER. THEY WERE LOOKING AT OHIO AND WEST VIRGINIA. AND IN FACT, I THINK WE KIND OF CLOSED THE DEAL WHEN WE TOOK THE GENTLEMAN TO A FOOTBALL GAME. HE WAS A USC GRAD AND A BIG SUPPORTER AND FAN OF TROY POLAMALU. AND AFTER THE GAME, WE TOOK HIM ON TO THE FIELD AND HE GOT TO MEET TROY AND I STOOD IN THE CENTER OF THE FIELD. IT WAS IN OCTOBER AND SAID, THIS IS WHERE YOU WANT TO BE. WE HAVE WORLD CLASS EDUCATION. WE HAVE WORLD CLASS HOSPITALS. WE HAVE A HUGE BUSINESS COMMUNITY HERE. THIS IS WHERE YOU WANT TO BE. IF YOU GO TO WEST VIRGINIA, YOU GO TO OHIO. NO OFFENSE TO THEM. THEY’RE PART OF OUR TRI STATE AREA. YOU’RE STILL GOING TO BE COMING HERE FOR EVERYTHING YOU NEED. SO YOU WANT TO STAY IN PENNSYLVANIA. WHY DID YOU MAKE ASSOCIATION? WELL, YOU KNOW, YOU’RE COMPETING AND WE DO STATES COMPETE WITH OTHER STATES. SIMILARITIES BETWEEN WEST VIRGINIA AND OHIO IN THE TRI STATE AREA, THEY COULD HAVE GONE ON THE OTHER SIDE. BUT WE HAD THE LOCATION WHICH HAD JUST BEEN ABANDONED BY A COMPANY CALLED HORSEHEAD. THEY WERE MOVING OUT. IT WAS AN OLD SMELTER, BUT WE HAD THE RIVER, WE HAD THE BRIDGES, WE HAD TWO RAILROADS AND HAD THE AIRPORT NEARBY. AND THEN YOU HAVE THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH, ALLEGHENY COUNTY AND EVERYTHING THAT WE HAVE TO OFFER BUSINESSES BECAUSE YOU’RE GOING TO BE BRINGING PEOPLE IN FROM EUROPE. THEY’RE GOING TO BE SETTING THE PLACE UP AND RUNNING IT AND REPORTING TO IT. BUT WE ALSO HAVE A WORKFORCE ACTUALLY, WE DIDN’T HAVE QUITE ENOUGH OF A WORKFORCE. WE HAD TO GO TRAIN WORKFORCE. AND SHELL PARTNERED WITH THE PEOPLE IN BEAVER COUNTY TO HELP BUILD THE WORKFORCE THAT THEY NEEDED FOR THE CONSTRUCTION AND THE WORKFORCE TO RUN THE OPERATION. AND BEFORE WE TALK MORE ABOUT THE ECONOMIC PIECE, I WANT TO GET YOUR REACTION TO SOME OF THE PUSHBACK THAT WE’VE BEEN HEARING LATELY. PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THE AIR QUALITY, THE SMELL, THE FUMES, THE DEP VIOLATIONS. DO YOU HAVE ANY REGRETS IN HEARING SOME OF THAT ABOUT PUSHING SHELL TO TO BUILD HERE? NO, NO, I WOULDN’T SAY I HAVE ANY REGRETS ABOUT IT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN’T TALK ABOUT THAT WITHOUT AT LEAST TAKING A LOOK AT THE ECONOMICS OF IT. SO I WON’T GO TO THERE FIRST. BUT WHEN IT COMES TO THESE ISSUES OF PROBLEMS, THIS IS A STARTUP, THIS BUILDING IS STILL IN ITS STARTUP PROCESS. IS THERE GOING TO BE SOME BUMPS IN THE ROAD? I KNOW SHELL WILL PROBABLY KNOW. I’M CONFIDENT SHELL WILL ADDRESS THESE AND TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION AND DO EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO HAVE THIS OPERATE RUNNING. NO OPERATION RUNS PERFECTLY, VERY, VERY WELL. THEY’RE GOING TO DO THAT. WILL THEY HAVE VIOLATIONS? EVERYBODY HAS SOME VIOLATIONS. I’M NOT DISMISSING THOSE DEP CHECKS ON IT. SHELL CAN WORK AT GETTING IT DONE. THEY’RE GOING TO HAVE TO PROBABLY TWEAK SOMETHING THERE THAT CAUSE THE SMELL. BUT THERE ARE OTHER INDUSTRIES THAT CAUSE SMELL TO WHEN YOU’RE BALANCING THE TWO. I’M GOING TO FALL INSIDE OF ECONOMICS. IT’S JUST PAPER. AND SO FOR PEOPLE WHO SAY, BUT I’M CONCERNED ABOUT MY HEALTH, YOU SAY, WHAT? WELL, I SAY DEP AND THE OTHER PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY CONSIDERED THAT. HISTORICALLY THE FACILITY THAT WAS ON THAT LOCATION WAS A ZINC SMELTER. WAS THERE FOR I DON’T KNOW, MAYBE 50, 60, 80 YEARS. EVERYBODY’S MORE CONCERNED ABOUT HEALTH TODAY THAN THEY WERE 50, 60, 80 YEARS AGO. THERE’S MORE TESTING. AND THEREFORE, I UNDERSTAND THAT. BUT THERE’S A BALANCING AND THEY ARE GOING TO DO EVERYTHING THEY CAN WITH THE EPA GUIDANCE, HELP ENFORCEMENT TO HAVE A PRODUCT THAT AND A FACILITY THAT THAT WILL HELP THEM EASE THEIR CONCERNS ABOUT THAT. IT’S A PERIOD OF GETTING TO KNOW AND I THINK A YEAR FROM NOW IT’LL BE A LOT BETTER. IT’S ONLY BEEN FULLY FUNCTIONING, I THINK SINCE DECEMBER, SO THAT’S ONLY 4 OR 5 MONTHS. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU BROUGHT ME TODAY WAS ROBERT MORRIS STUDY THAT TALKED ABOUT THAT ECONOMIC PUSH, WHAT THEY PREDICTED TO HAPPEN HERE IN THE AREA. AND THEY ESTIMATE THAT THE SHELL CRACKER PLANT WILL ADD NEARLY $4 MILLION A YEAR TO THE PENNSYLVANIA ECONOMY. THIS WAS THIS WAS A REPORT BACK IN 2021. SO KNOWING THAT THAT ECONOMIC PIECE OF THE PUZZLE WAS IMPORTANT TO YOU IN TERMS OF BRINGING THAT HERE, LET’S TALK ABOUT THE MONEY THAT IT’S BRINGING AND THE JOBS THAT IT’S BRINGING TO BEAVER COUNTY AND SO IF I REMEMBER THE NUMBERS CORRECTLY FROM MORE THAN EIGHT YEARS, EIGHT YEARS AGO, $1 OF INVESTMENT BY SHELL WAS EQUAL TO $18. AND WHAT I CALL THE RIPPLE EFFECT, YOU THROW SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE POND AND IT RIPPLES OUT DRIVERS, WORKERS, RESTAURANTS, ENTERTAINMENT HOUSES ALL HAS INCREASED DURING THAT PERIOD OF TIME. THE TAXES FOR THE TWO COMMUNITIES, THE TWO TOWNSHIPS WHERE IT’S LOCATED, CENTER AND POTTER FOR ALLEGHENY COUNTY FOR BEAVER COUNTY, FOR THE STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA CONTINUES TO GROW. AND AS THAT FACILITY GROWS AND AS NEW COMPANIES COME IN TO BUILD ALONG THE RIVER, TO TAKE THE PLACE WHERE ALIQUIPPA STEEL USED TO BE, YOU’RE GOING TO SEE CONTINUED GROWTH IN THAT RESPECT. IF YOU REMEMBER TEN YEARS AGO, THAT AREA WAS VERY DEPRESSED. I DON’T WANT TO SAY DEPRESSED, BUT IT WAS NOT ECONOMICALLY IN GOOD SHAPE. IT’S GETTING IT MUCH BETTER SHAPE. THIS IS A LONG TERM GAIN FOR PENNSYLVANIA. AND FRANKLY, FOR THE TRI-STATE AREA, BECAUSE PEOPLE DO COME IN FROM THE OTHER TWO STATES TO WORK HERE. STILL AHEAD, WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT SHELL IS OPERATING SAFE AS POSSIBLE AND HAVING THE LEAST AMOUNT OF IMPACT, TAKING AIR MONITORING INTO THEIR OWN HANDS. THE ENVIRONMENTAL EXPERTS AND ACTIVISTS KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON SHELL. WELCOME BACK TO WTA LESSONS. THERE IS AN EFFORT IN BEAVER COUNTY TO ORGANIZE SO RESIDENTS CONCERNS ARE HEARD. WE SPOKE TO SOME OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL EXPERTS AND ACTIVISTS HOLDING SHELL ACCOUNTABLE COMMUNITY NEEDS INFORMATION QUICKLY WHEN EMERGENCIES HAPPEN. ANNA HOFFMAN IS THE DIRECTOR OF AIR QUALITY ENGAGEMENT AT CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY’S CREATE LAB. SHE SAYS DATA SINCE THE PLANT’S OPENING IS CONCERNING. ACCORDING TO DATA FROM SHELL BENZENE REACHED 110 MICROGRAMS PER CUBIC METER AS A TWO WEEK AVERAGE, THE FIRST FEW WEEKS OF APRIL THAT NUMBER IS INSANELY HIGH COMPARED TO WHAT I’VE SEEN FROM THIS SAME TYPE OF BENZENE MONITORING IN THE REGION. AND FOR CONTEXT, THE HIGHEST READINGS I’VE SEEN IN A TWO WEEK AVERAGE OF BENZENE AROUND THE CLAIRTON COKE WORKS WERE 16 MICROGRAMS PER CUBIC METER. SO 110 AND 16 IS REALLY DIFFERENT. AND IT INDICATES THAT THERE’S DEFINITELY A BENZENE LEAK PROBLEM HAPPENING AT SHELL. SHELL SAYS THESE LEVELS ARE NOT PROBLEMATIC, BUT THAT’S WHY HOFFMAN AND OTHERS THINK SHELL’S MONITORING ISN’T ENOUGH. I ABSOLUTELY THINK THERE SHOULD BE MORE MONITORING, BOTH KIND OF FUNDED AND OPERATED BY SHELL, NOT JUST AT THE FENCE LINE, BUT IN THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE THE ELEVATED FLARES ARE SO HIGH UP THAT OFTEN POLLUTION FROM THOSE ELEVATED FLARES GOES AND IS DEPOSITED IN THE COMMUNITY WITHOUT BEING CAPTURED BY THE FENCELINE, MONITORING SYSTEM. HOFFMAN IS PART OF A NETWORK OF PEOPLE WATCHING SHELL’S EVERY MOVE. THERE’S NO JUSTICE. THERE’S NO DETERRENT TO THIS TYPE OF POLLUTION THAT’S HARMING PEOPLE JUST TO GIVE THEM A FINE AND THEY BUILD TO SOMEBODY ELSE IN. IT’S BUSINESS AS USUAL. THE NEXT DAY IS NO CORRECTIVE ACTION. BOB SCHMETZER IS WITH THE BEAVER COUNTY MARCELLUS AWARENESS COMMUNITY. HIS GROUP, ALONG WITH EYES ON SHELL AND OTHERS, PROVIDE ACCESS TO DATA AND TOOLS, INCLUDING A NETWORK OF COMMUNITY OWNED PURPLE AIR MONITORS AVAILABLE ON THE FREE PURPLE AIR APP AND THE BREATHE CAM, WHICH MONITORS THE PLANT DAY AND NIGHT. SCHMETZER SAYS THEY’VE STEPPED UP TO WATCH SHELL BECAUSE OFFICIALS, THEY BELIEVE, AREN’T DOING ENOUGH. WE’RE VERY CONCERNED THAT I THINK GOVERNMENT IS NOT REALLY DOING THEIR JOB. SCHMETZER AND OTHER ORGANIZERS SAY THE PLANT’S RISKS OUTWEIGH THE REWARDS. RESIDENTS OF BEAVER ARE BEING EXPOSED TO THIS BREATHING IN THESE VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS 24 OVER SEVEN, 365 DAYS, AND NO ONE REALLY KNOWS WHAT THAT KIND OF A CONTINUOUS EXPOSURE CAN DO AS FAR AS YOUR HEALTH. DR. CLIFFORD LOUGH, A CHEMIST LEADING A CITIZEN AIR MONITORING PROJECT, SAYS THE HUNDREDS OF JOBS THE PLANT PROVIDES JUST AREN’T WORTH IT. YOU CAN HAVE BETTER OPPORTUNITY FOR JOBS IF WE PUT IT INTO MORE GREEN TYPE JOBS AND THE THE AREA WILL BE MUCH BETTER OFF AND NOT HAVE AN IMPACT ON THE RESIDENTS HEALTH LIKE THIS LAW WORKED TO PREVENT THE PLANT FROM OPENING IN THE FIRST PLACE. AND HE SAYS HE HOPES THE PLANT WILL CLOSE. BUT IF THAT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN, THEN WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT SHELL IS OPERATING AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE AND HAVING THE LEAST AMOUNT OF IMPACT ON THE PUBLIC. IF YOU’RE WATCHING, LISTENING. WE’LL BE RIGHT BACK. WELCOME BACK TO WTA LESSONS. WHETHER YOU LIVE IN ONE OF PITTSBURGH’S NEIGHBORHOODS OR ANY SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES, TELL US WHAT’S WRONG AND WHAT’S RIGHT IN YOUR AREA. SO WE CAN LISTEN. YOU CAN SEND US AN EMAIL TO WTA LESSONS AT HEARST. COM. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US THIS MORNING. HAVE A GOOD WEEK.