Climate-damaging methane emissions, as well as volatile organic compounds from Pennsylvania’s shale gas industry are on the rise, while other harmful air pollutants have decreased, according to new data released Thursday by the state Department of Environmental Protection. The methane uptick is largely due to growth in the number of facilities filing reports, the agency says, [...]
Air pollutants from Pennsylvania’s natural gas production sites increased from 2013 to 2014, according to data released Wednesday by the Department of Environmental Protection. The air inventory data for shale gas production relies on information submitted by the industry, and includes emissions from compressor stations that utilize gas from coal beds, conventional, and unconventional wells. [...]
Jon Hurdle / StateImpact PA Environmentalists and community activists fixed flowers to the perimeter fence at Philadelphia Energy Solutions during a demonstration calling on the refiner to rethink its plans to expand at the proposed Southport marine terminal. Environmentalists and community activists called on Philadelphia Energy Solutions on Tuesday to withdraw a proposal to build [...]
The oil giant Shell on Tuesday gave the final go-ahead for construction of a major petrochemical complex in western Pennsylvania where ethane from the Marcellus and Utica shales will be used to make ethylene for the manufacture of plastics. The long-awaited multi-billion-dollar plant will be built in Potter Township, Beaver County, about 30 miles northwest [...]
Pennsylvania is stepping up its monitoring of air contamination by fine particulates at sites near natural gas compressor stations. The move comes on the heels of a federal government study of one site in Susquehanna County, which found levels of the particulate matter known as PM2.5 that researchers say could be harmful for people who [...]
State environmental regulators are planning a major expansion of air quality monitoring, which will be focused on Marcellus Shale natural gas infrastructure. “We heard the concerns of shalefield residents, and we are responding,” John Quigley, head of the state Department of Environmental Protection said in a teleconference announcement Wednesday. “We have been looking at the [...]
An environmental advocacy group is accusing the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office of failing to conduct a promised investigation into allegations that the state’s Department of Health neglected complaints from people who said their health had been damaged by fracking. Food & Water Watch said the AG’s office agreed about a year ago to look into [...]
Environmentalists are suing Pennsylvania in an effort to force the adoption of updated building codes that would result in significant energy savings and help the state meet new federal standards on CO2 emissions. The suit by the Clean Air Council against the Department of Labor and Industry says a department-administered panel that reviews national building [...]
Shell Chemical moved a step closer to the possible construction of a major petrochemical plant in western Pennsylvania on Friday when it received four permits for air quality and water management from the state’s Department of Environmental Protection. Four years after announcing it was considering building the multi-billion-dollar plant in Beaver County about 25 miles [...]
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection recently released data on air emissions from the shale gas industry in 2013. PublicSource looked into the data and built a series of interactive charts so you can more easily explore the information. Overall, the data showed emissions from the shale gas industry increased from 2012 to 2013 for [...]
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