Hello, I am writing from my old home in Western Pennsylvania and welcoming you to Consider This*.
Once there was a hillside by a river. The hillside was blasted and a city was built. Well, not really a city, but the bright lights can be seen throughout the rolling hills all over Beaver County as night falls. No chance of star gazing here. It’s a multi story ethane plant, one that will feed on the Marcellus shale readily found in this state. Known as a cracker plant it will convert natural gas into ethylene and then into plastics. Pennsylvania will allow the release of 2.2 million tons of carbon dioxide each year. The deals were sealed with the American subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell in 2012, as most of the world understood the need to move towards renewable energy and to step away from plastics.
And what of the pipelines that will transport the natural gas to the plant? Well, in 2018 the Revolution Pipeline operated by Energy Transfer Partners breached when heavy rains caused a landslide that tore through it. One house was destroyed from the blast and other homes and vehicles were damaged.
I have family in the area. Emergency evacuations have always played a part due to the Shippingport nuclear site near-by, but now they have taken on new meaning. The oppressive air is noticeable and inescapable as will be the increase in breathing disorders. But those factors were not part of the agreement between the state and Shell.
Why am I telling you this? I’m telling you because everyday decisions are being made about our energy and the costs with little to no input to or from us. We carry on and pay the price – both in finance and in health.
It’s time we uncover the hidden costs of fossil fuels.
This photo was taken from the hillside behind my childhood home on November 8, 2022. Our home was located about twelve miles from the cracker plant. About 15 from the nuclear site (plum of smoke in the background). Numerous chemical plants like Valspar Corp. dot the area. This is a nuisance to all living beings in the area. And it will soon be shown to be unnecessary.
*Consider This is my 2 minute weekly commentary on WDRT, 91.9 FM Community Radio which airs Thursdays at 5:30 pm CST.
let kindness win 