PTT Global Ethane Cracker Plant Air Permit Hearing

There will be a public hearing hosted by the Ohio EPA at 6 p.m. on November 27 to discuss the air permit. This ethane cracker is one of many proposed as part of the massive Appalachian Storage Hub/Petrochemical Complex in the Ohio River Valley.  This cracker plant, while in Ohio, has the potential of impacting air quality for Moundsville and Wheeling, WV, as well.  You can come to the hearing event if you don’t want to comment to stand in solidarity with community members.  If you do come to the hearing, please wear white if you can to symbolize clean air.

Where:  Shadyside Highschool, 3890 Lincoln Ave., Shadyside, OH

Deadline for written comments is December 3rd.

You can view the permit here.

Here are some points for comments:

Some examples of deficiencies found in the PTT Global Ethane Cracker Plant Draft Air Permit Issued by Ohio Environmental Protection Agency

  • No health risk assessment has been done, nor are there plans to do one, despite this being the clearest way to determine the impact of the facility to public health
  • Some of the air pollutants expected to be emitted from the facility that are known to negatively impact human health include particulate matter (PM [120 tons per year], PM 10 [89 tpy], PM2.5 [86 tpy]), Nitrous Oxides (164 tpy), and air toxics (VOCs)(396 tpy).
  • The facility is also expected to emit 1,785,043 tons per year of CO2 or CO2 equivalents.
  • The draft permit identifies “proper design,” “good combustion practices,” and “good operating practices” as the emissions control technology for most of these emissions, without setting any specific requirements.
  • The PTTG’s air permit application only assessed those air toxics that it anticipates emitting in excess of 1 ton per year. This is not a health-based (or science-based) threshold for determining the impact of toxic air contaminants.  A health impact assessment would be the proper way of doing that. 
  • Air toxics PTTG expects to emit in excess of 1 ton per year include hexane, ammonia, and ethyl chloride. There are numerous other toxic air contaminants that the facility will be emitting that were not assessed.
  • The proposed monitoring scheme for emissions from much of the facility is weak, relying on calculations and sporadic testing, with continuous monitoring in place only for NOx, CO2, and O2.
  • The draft permit requires an unusually low control efficiency for emissions from the cracking furnaces (the primary source of the plant’s combustion emissions), the draft permit requires they only have 90% control efficiency – this is significantly lower than what is typically required by air permits.
  • No fenceline monitoring is required, despite that being a known available and effective way to keep track of what is entering the surrounding community, and despite fenceline monitoring being implemented for the Beaver plant (as the result of litigation).
  • All air modeling in PTTG’s application is based on meteorological data from the Buckeye Cardinal Power Plant, 46 miles north, not data from the actual site.
  • Nothing in Ohio EPA’s review process appears to account for the fact that the PTTG facility is intended to increase oil and gas development and petrochemical development in the region, as well as plastics production, all of which will come with their own emissions of air contaminants of concern. In short, the cumulative impact of the petrohub on the Ohio River Valley’s air is not being assessed by OEPA or USEPA, nor is the cumulative contribution of GHGs.
  • The plant is to be located on top of the old R.E. Burger Power Plant site, which had significant environmental contamination issues that were allegedly addressed through Ohio EPA’s Voluntary Action Program, which means very little is known about what cleanup actually took place. Construction on that site could place groundwater at risk.  The public needs to know more about what type of remediation was done.

Ohio EPA Notice Info:  This facility will generate emissions including carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxide (NOx), volatile organic compounds (VOC), small sized particulate matter (PM10/PM2.5), and greenhouse gases (GHG). A public hearing and information session on the draft air permit is scheduled for 6 p.m., Tuesday, November 27, 2018, at Shadyside High School, 3890 Lincoln Ave., Shadyside, OH 43947. A presiding officer will be present and may limit oral testimony to ensure that all parties are heard. All interested persons are entitled to attend or be represented and give written or oral comments on the draft permit at the hearing. Written comments must be received by Ohio EPA/Southeast District Office by December 3, 2018. Comments received after December 3, 2018 may not be considered to be a part of the official record. Written comments may be submitted at the hearing or sent to Kimbra Reinbold, Ohio EPA, DAPC Southeast District Office (SEDO), 2195 East Front Street, Logan, Ohio, 43138. Fax number: (740) 385-6490. Further information concerning this application, which is available for public inspection, may be secured from Kimbra Reinbold, Ohio EPA DAPC, SEDO at the above address during normal business hours. Telephone number: (740) 380-5245. The permit and complete instructions for requesting information or submitting comments may be obtained at: http://epa.ohio.gov/dapc/permitsonline.aspx by entering the ID # or: Kimbra Reinbold, Ohio EPA DAPC, Southeast District Office, 2195 Front St., Logan, OH 43138. Ph: (740)385-8501. The public comment period will run until 12/03/2018 at 05:00 PM.

Comments are closed.

Select News by Month