In June 2016, Shell announced plans to build a multi-billion-dollar ethane plant in Pennsylvania’s Potter township, 30 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. The plant, which will manufacture plastics using ethane by-products... [ view full abstract ]
In June 2016, Shell announced plans to build a multi-billion-dollar ethane plant in Pennsylvania’s Potter township, 30 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. The plant, which will manufacture plastics using ethane by-products from natural gas extracted from the Marcellus Shale, is likely to engender multi-scalar economic, social and environmental transformations, few of which are presently understood. Drawing on growth machine literature, this paper describes a case study analysis of the plant, situated in a rural, de-industrializing community experiencing long-term economic and population decline. We discuss the ways in which narratives of rural economic growth, historical industrial culture, and local determination clash with narratives from urban and environmental activists, and how these narratives overlap with regulatory processes that enable permitting. This case study of the proposed plant draws on interviews with key government, industrial, and civil society stakeholders that gather data on stakeholder perceptions of the plant, including perceptions of multidimensional risks and benefits, and viewpoints on how to improve decision making tools. In addition to key informant interviews, this case study incorporates commodity chain and governance mapping analysis as well as information on the specific social, economic, and environmental context for the proposed plant, including the history of the township, the experience with extraction and chemical manufacturing in the area, local environmental issues and concerns, and the specific history of the plant and permitting processes. It also evaluates relevant local, state, and national planning, economic, and environmental laws that will regulate the plant. Ultimately, this case study maps, evaluates and integrates the multi-scalar and temporal impacts of this plant, and will help to inform the development of a broadened impact assessment framework that better incorporates temporal, scalar, and socio-environmental systems perspectives.
