Living near Shell's ethane cracker and East Palestine, one student came to a realization: "I was like, ‘Oh, wait a minute, stuff is actually serious.'"
Shell's ethane cracker in Beaver County has had air pollution problems since it started up in the fall. Now, some of its supporters are beginning to question its ability to be a good neighbor.
The federal lawsuit had asked for $42 million fine for U.S. Steel under the Clean Air Act. The fire knocked out pollution controls for more than 100 days.
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 recently received a fellowship from MIT's Environmental Solutions Initiative.
