For Immediate Release
Media Contact
Hilary Flint, Director of Communications and Community Engagement, BCMAC, hilaryfflint@gmail.com
Shell Plastics Plant Racks Up More Violations, Still No New Fines
BEAVER COUNTY, Pa. (August 5, 2025) — The Shell Plastics Plant in Beaver County received three new High Priority Violations (HPVs) in June 2025, bringing the total for this year to six—already surpassing the five HPVs issued in all of 2024. Since construction began, Shell has accumulated almost 50 Notices of Violation, revealing a clear and ongoing pattern of environmental noncompliance. Shell has not been issued a formal monetary penalty since May 24, 2023, when the company was fined $4,935,023.
All of Shell’s current HPVs are for violations of the State Implementation Plan for National Primary and Secondary Ambient Air Quality Standards program. These violations all include exceeding legal limits for nitrogen oxides (NOx) and in June, Shell also exceeded limits for several other hazardous pollutants: toluene, benzene, formaldehyde, particulate matter (PM10), and fine particulate matter (PM2.5).
2025 High Priority Violations:
Clean Air Act Violation Report 6.25.25
Clean Air Act Violation Report 6.18.25
Clean Air Act Violation Report 6.17.25
Clean Air Act Violation Report 3.25.25
Clean Air Act Violation Report 2.19.25
Clean Air Act Violation Report 1.23.25
HPVs are significant violations of a federally-enforceable regulation by major and synthetic minor Clean Air Act (CAA) stationary sources. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) policy states that HPVs should be addressed (formal enforcement action taken) or resolved (compliance achieved) within 270 days. According to a report by the EPA Office of Inspector General, if HPVs are not addressed in a timely manner, continued emissions from facilities may result in significant environmental and public health impacts, deterrence efforts being undermined, and unfair economic benefits being created.
Yet the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA-DEP) has been consistently late in posting updates to Shell’s facility page. As a result, the public has been left in the dark, with no timely access to critical information about potential health risks. The delay in disclosure has reignited calls for greater transparency and accountability.
“Shell violated air pollution laws in a way that the federal government itself considers a ‘high priority’ but no one prioritized informing our communities. Real people live near this plant. Families. Children. People deserve transparency from the billion-dollar corporation polluting their air and from the regulators whose job it is to protect us,” said Hilary Starcher-O’Toole, executive director of the Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community (BCMAC). “Shell and the PA-DEP must provide real-time notifications when malfunctions and violations happen. Anything less is negligence.”
Shell is currently in the process of obtaining its Plan Approval and Title V air permits, which determine how much pollution the facility is legally allowed to release into the environment. The company is also expected to submit an updated National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit application, which regulates how it discharges wastewater into local waterways. These permits are among the most important tools the public has to hold polluters accountable. But that only works if the community is fully informed and able to participate — which makes Shell’s ongoing violations and lack of transparency all the more alarming.
“People in our community are tired of being strung along. We’re consistently neglected — always the last to know when something goes wrong at the Shell site, even when it involves excessive releases of hazardous compounds. Many of my neighbors don’t use Facebook, yet that seems to be Shell’s only method of communication during these events. There’s a clear lack of transparency from Shell and a troubling absence of timely, effective enforcement from regulators. Without that, there’s no real protection for public health and no path to true environmental justice in a region like ours. When local representatives, commissioners and government agencies can’t even respond to your emails, your voice is left unheard. That’s the reality for hundreds, if not thousands, of concerned residents in Beaver County,” said Skyler Brimmeier, a resident of Beaver.
Shell’s ongoing violations could pose significant risks to public health. Exceedances of nitrogen oxides, benzene, formaldehyde, and particulate matter are associated with a range of serious health conditions, including respiratory illness, cardiovascular disease, and certain types of cancer. These impacts are especially concerning for vulnerable populations such as children, older adults, and individuals with preexisting health conditions. Despite the known dangers, delayed communication and limited enforcement continue to undermine efforts to protect community health.
“At times, it feels like I’m fighting a losing battle,” said Christine Rockwell, a resident of Beaver County. “Many people either don’t understand or refuse to acknowledge the harm Shell is causing to our environment and our community. I’ve felt the impact personally. I was diagnosed with HER2-negative breast cancer, which means it is not hereditary. That raises serious concerns about the role environmental exposure may have played in my illness. When fines go unmonitored and regulators remain silent, it allows those in power to take advantage of the system. Until the DEP, EPA, local leaders, and the broader community recognize the severity of this issue, we will not be able to make meaningful change. Our lives matter. Public health should never be sacrificed for corporate profit.”
BCMAC continues to call for stronger enforcement, improved monitoring, and timely public disclosure of any pollution events or violations associated with the Shell facility. In the lead-up to Shell’s pending permit hearings, BCMAC will work with partners to ensure community members understand what these permits mean and how they can make their voices heard. In the meantime, residents are encouraged to download the FracTracker app, join BCMAC’s Eyes on Pollution campaign, and attend the upcoming virtual event, Eyes on Pollution: Mapping the Harms Around Us, on Wednesday, Aug. 6 at 7 p.m., which will include a walkthrough of how to use the app to document and report pollution.
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The Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community seeks to protect the residents of Southwestern Pennsylvania, with emphasis on those in Beaver County, by informing them about the health, safety, environmental and economic impacts of fracking infrastructure, including the petrochemical buildout; and by supporting sustainable alternatives to carbon-based energy sources and economic development strategies in Beaver County.