The recent Beaver County Chamber of Commerce State of the County event made one thing clear: our local leaders are more focused on defending corporate interests than addressing the real challenges facing our community.
During the event, State Rep. Josh Kail blamed permitting regulations for slowing down a supposed manufacturing job boom. Yet, rushing permits comes with consequences—as we’ve seen with the Shell Plastics Plant, which has already racked up multiple violations and malfunctions. If the permitting process were truly a roadblock, Shell wouldn’t be operating while still lacking an approved Title V permit or have been able to begin operations without an approved Plan Approval Permit (D). The reality is that environmental oversight isn’t the problem—corporate accountability is.
Meanwhile, County Commissioner Jack Manning took aim at a recent Ohio River Valley Institute (ORVI) report, which analyzed the economic impact of Shell’s presence in Beaver County. Rather than engaging with the data, Manning dismissed the report as “utterly useless and disparaging to the hard-working people of Beaver County.”
As a taxpayer and lifelong resident, I find this response deeply insulting. This report reminds us of something too often ignored: Shell received a $1.6 billion tax break to build here, in exchange for promises of job growth and economic revitalization. Yet, Beaver County’s economy has shrunk by 12% since 2012, while both Pennsylvania and the nation have experienced economic growth.
Where is the boom we were promised? Instead of thriving local businesses and lasting job creation, we’re left with empty apartment buildings and hotels built for temporary workers—now sitting half-vacant. The economic model we’ve been sold is failing, and dismissing research that exposes this truth only deepens the problem.
For too long, corporate interests have dictated our future while leaving residents to pay the price. We cannot keep footing the bill for tax breaks that don’t deliver. It’s time for real accountability.
I urge my fellow community members to demand transparency from our leaders. Attend public meetings. Ask tough questions. Push for policies that invest in sustainable economic growth—not giveaways to corporations that fail to deliver.
If we don’t speak up now, we will continue to bear the costs of broken promises. Beaver County deserves better.
We invite you to join us on February 26 at 7 PM for an open discussion on ORVI’s latest report and what it means for Beaver County’s future—register here.
Hilary Starcher-O'Toole
Executive Director, Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community (BCMAC)