The shale gas boom on the Gulf Coast has had a trickle down effect for the region's petrochemical industry. Could the same happen in western Pennsylvania?
As a petrochemical industry boom looms, Pennsylvanians could learn a lot from chemical capitals like Houston about how to keep air pollution under control.
It's not every day that a major corporation agrees to move an entire community out of the path of pollution from one of its facilities. But a retired Louisiana school teacher was able to get Shell to do just that.
That's if they're getting fined at all. The new report from PennEnvironment found only 17 percent of violations resulted in penalties, and the median fine was around $5,000.
In the latest chapter of Allegheny County's struggle with air pollution, four environmental groups say they are suing the county and a steel plant for violations of the Clean Air Act.
The decision to switch to a cheaper, less-effective treatment chemical was likely a major contributor to the recent spike in lead levels in Pittsburgh's drinking water.
Shell's ethane cracker may prove to just be an opening act. A new state-commissioned report says that by 2030, Pennsylvania could be a major hub for the nation's petrochemical industry.
A film airing this month at the Carnegie Mellon International Film Festival explores whether humans' impact on the planet goes far deeper than global warming.
Reid R. Frazier covers energy for The Allegheny Front. His work has taken him as far away as Texas and Louisiana to report on the petrochemical industry and as close to home as Greene County, Pennsylvania to cover the shale gas boom. His award-winning work has also aired on NPR, Marketplace and other outlets. Reid is currently contributing to StateImpact Pennsylvania, a collaboration among The Allegheny Front, WESA, WITF and WHYY covering the Commonwealth's energy economy.
