Since the company’s plans were first announced, the plant has conjured hope as well as fear for many in Beaver County. Some hope for good jobs, while others fear a return of toxic skies and waterways that plagued western Pennsylvania during the steel era.

Count Skip Homan in the former group. “I see the light [of the plant] at night from my house,” said Homan. “And no, I’m not bothered… I have a high degree of confidence that Shell will be good for the environment here.”

But some are not so happy. Joyce Hanshaw lives across the Ohio River from the plant in the town of Vanport. She and her husband Don, a retired steelworker, used to have bonfires in their backyard but stopped since the plant was constructed. “The whole area here is all lit up all the time. So there’s no really no nighttime here,” said Hanshaw, 72.

Hanshaw and her husband bought their house in 1973. She doesn’t want to move, mostly because the house is paid off. She says she’s already heard strange sounds coming from the plant. “You heard this whoooo – and didn’t even know what the devil was going on. I thought it was a train coming down the street,” she said.

Hanshaw, who uses an inhaler to help her breathe because of a lung condition, says she’s worried about what kind of health problems the plant might cause when it goes online. “I’m just wondering for health reasons,” Hanshaw said, “what’s it going to be like?”

https://www.alleghenyfront.org/in-beaver-county-a-mix-of-hope-and-fear-over-startup-of-shells-ethane-cracker/