Why I oppose “cracker” plants in Greene County
In past articles, I have talked about ethane gas and the role it plays in plastics. I have also mentioned the moving of “cracker” plants from the Gulf Coast inland into the Ohio Valley.
I mentioned how the industry will sell this move as one that supplies jobs for the area and the tax breaks the industry will receive, but there is more to the story. In the following, I will explain more of what will be associated with these plants that the industry may not want you to know.
These plants will be introduced to the public as the most wonderful thing since sliced bread. The Marcellus gas drilling was also sold as a safe industry. Now, the negative effects of the gas drilling are coming to the surface.
Currently, Attorney General Josh Shapiro is taking testimony in Pittsburgh from people who have been harmed by the oil and gas industry. Sealed testimony is being opened in the investigation and if the results are released, I will forward that information to you.
Will these “cracker” plants follow suit? I feel the answer is yes.
The Markwest plant in Houston, PA, has illustrated the dangers of these plants. These plants need ethane to produce plastics.
There has been talk of using Greene County to store the ethane. This may sound good, but let us take a closer look at this concept.
Over 40% of the plastics manufactured are only used once. After use, this plastic is discarded into landfills or oceans. Plastic does not degrade rapidly. The ethane needed to produce the plastic must be stored for use.
If the ethane is stored in underground caverns, they are highly subject to leak. These caverns were created when the natural gas (methane) was removed. These caverns were depressurized, leaving the walls of the caverns compromised. This will allow the ethane to escape into the surrounding areas and eventually move into aquifers. In time it will be in our drinking water supplies.
We already have methane in our drinking water if we have wells to supply our water. After this comes the transportation of the ethane to market. This will require many miles of pipelines. We have already noticed failures of these pipelines with traumatic results. During the actual process of making the plastic, tons of air pollutants will enter our atmosphere. This will add to global warming and yes, global warming is real. If you doubt it, check our current weather conditions. The last two years have shown stranger weather changes. Over a period of time, it will prove climate change.
Is there a solution to the plastic problem? The answer is yes. We can go back to glass containers and recycle or we can look at a possible new method to produce containers. This may seem stranger, but hemp could be the answer and no, I am not talking marijuana.
There are many forms of hemp; marijuana is just one species of it. The oils from the seeds of some of these hemp plants are being used as a topical pain reliever with rather surprising results. The non-marijuana plants can be made into a paper-like material that can be used for containers, paper and animal food. If discarded, the materials will biodegrade much faster than plastic.
These containers can also be used as fertilizer. Raising hemp is very renewable. Unlike using trees for paper, which takes years to renew, hemp can be renewed annually. The production of products from this source is very environmentally friendly. Vermont is already experimenting with using hemp for making many products that could replace plastic container use.
Another thought to keep in mind is that all these proposed “cracker” plants are west of our area. Any accidental toxic emission from these plants will be in the air we breathe. With all this in mind, I must raise my opposition to these plants and to using Greene County as an ethane storage field.
An update on the Mon River problem in Charleroi, highlighted in my column from two weeks ago: Extensive testing is now being requested on the contents of the leachate materials entering the river at Belle Vernon.
As I always say, keep your faith and the truth will surface. Trust and believe and things will work out.