Fracking for Ethane to Ethylene to Polyethylene to Plastics

From Press Release, Keith Weller, UN Environment, New York, September 25, 2018

To launch the UN Environment’s Global Plastics Platform, UN Environment and the European Commission hosted an event alongside the UN General Assembly. The network will encourage new commitments to reduce plastic pollution and,supporting the transition to a more circular economy.

To build on the growing momentum around the plastics agenda, UN Environment and the European Commission jointly hosted an event at the United Nations HQ today to launch UN Environment’s Global Plastics Platform. Member States, businesses, the European Commission and UN Environment showcased their initiatives, learned from each other, and committed to fight plastic pollution together.

The event, hosted on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, offered the opportunity for governments to officially join a ‘Race to the Top’ through the Global Plastics Platform, a network that will encourage new commitments to reduce plastic pollution and explore innovative ways to change the habits of design, production, consumption and disposal of plastics around the world, supporting the transition to a more circular economy.

Many countries across the world have made ambitious commitments to beat plastics pollution during 2018. On World Environment Day 2018, India announced to ban all single-use plastics by 2022. Plastic bags bans have been announced in Chile, Botswana, and Peru, while Nigeria will set up recycling plants across the country, Brazil will announce a new national plan on plastics and Wales will commit to be the first “refill nation.”

The aim of the Global Plastics Platform is to provide support to countries and cities who made these ambitious commitments, by facilitating the sharing of experiences, the establishment of new policies and inspiration for new commitments.

“The Global Plastics Platform is exactly the kind of initiative we need to bring countries together in the fight against millions of tonnes of plastics that end up in our oceans each year,” Head of UN Environment Erik Solheim said. “No one can solve the problem of plastic pollution alone, but together we will fuel global change.”

European Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans said: “The European Commission has already taken action this year to deal with the plastic items we find most often on our beaches, and to transform the business model of the European plastics industry and reduce economic and industrial waste. But we share responsibility for this planet and its protection with others. A cross-border problem requires multilateral efforts, and that is why I am delighted to partner with UN Environment to tackle the different sources and effects of plastic waste together.”

Head of UN Environment Erik Solheim and First Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans were joined by renowned marine biologist Sylvia Earle, who underlined the urgent need for bold, decisive action on the plastic pollution that is troubling the world’s oceans.

Government representatives and leaders from the public and private sector got to share their experiences, best practices and concerns around the phasing out or regulation of plastic products at the event, moderated by Editor-in-Chief of National Geographic magazine Susan Goldberg, Goldberg also helped to illustrate the impact of the plastic challenge with original photography and film content first published by National Geographic this year.

The UN Environment Global Plastics Platform will build on and further advance the efforts made by the European Union, the G7, the G20, the UN Environment Assembly and existing initiatives and partnerships, such as the Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy, supported by the World Economic Forum, the New Plastics Economy of Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and the work of the Regional Seas Conventions across the world.

UN Environment has played a leading role in positioning plastics pollution at the top of the global agenda, placing the theme at the centre of the world’s attention for World Environment Day 2018. By increasing global awareness and highlighting circular economy as its solution, the issue was propelled it to the top of the agenda for member states, the public and the private sector.

About UN Environment

UN Environment is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. UN Environment works with governments, the private sector, the civil society and with other UN entities and international organizations across the world.

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Fighting plastic pollution – EU @ UNGA 2018

European Union at the United Nations General Assembly

September 26, 2018

The Mon Valley Clean Air Coalition presented the following statement to the Morgantown City Council this evening regarding the two Marcellus wells at the Morgantown Industrial Park:

“In summary, continuous emission monitoring is needed at the site, and ambient monitors at upwind and downwind locations are needed to verify that off-site concentrations do not cause health or environmental impacts. Appropriate control technology is available to significantly reduce emissions, and regulations in some states already require these. But until the WV Legislature passes a Marcellus bill with stringent air pollution requirements, until WV-DEP adopts rules to implement that legislation, and until the needed inspectors and enforcement programs are in place to assure compliance, the air in Monongalia County remains at risk, and no one is watching.  City Council should retain the current ban and contact the Legislature and the Governor to support Marcellus regulations.”

The City Manager has prepared a draft letter to the WV Legislature containing 24 resolutions, seeking protection for drinking water, air quality, land, roads, etc. We expect to post the list here later this week. The Mayor has proposed removing the ban on fracking passed earlier this year and overturned by the Circuit Court, but some members of Council and a number of citizens wish to keep the ban on the books.

The City Planner is now at work, with the City Planning Commission, to develop zoning ordinance(s) that would limit and regulate drilling within the Morgantown city limits. These activities will extend into the new year.

The City of Morgantown is still under pressure to ban fracking within the City limits and out one mile, given the voices of the residents at the last City Council meeting and the Morgantown Dominion-Post editorial “We respectfully object, your honor.”  The local newspaper says that the City should appeal the decision of the Monongalia Circuit Court of August 12th that overturned the City ordinance.  Surely municipalities can regulate activities within their own borders, one would think.

Next, Sen. Doug Facemire, D-Braxton, said Wednesday that emergency rules ordered last month by acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin – which are not yet in effect – will be enough to tide the state over until lawmakers meet early next year. He is co-chair of the Joint Legislative Select Marcellus Gas Committee.  The other co-chair, Delegate Tim Manchin, D-Marion, says that the Committee should meet and ask for a Special Session to put permanent Marcellus regulations into force yet this year.

Drilling and fracking are continuing here in West Virginia and in many of the counties of Pennsylvania that border West Virgina, mainly Washington, Greene and Fayette Counties.  Most of the Marcellus gas is “wet” containing ethane and higher hydrocarbons.  Gov. Tomblin, the Legislature, and County Commissioners are promoting a petrochemical plant in West Virginia that would crack the ethane into ethylene, then react the ethylene to make many different products. Many gas companies are planning pipelines to send the ethane to the Gulf Coast (and perhaps on to foreign countries) or to Canada for cracking and petrochemical production.

So what is the rush to drill for gas?  Haven’t we learned anything from our past mistakes? These questions are asked by Dr. Bernard Goldstein, MD, of the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Public Health. The health effects of drilling, fracking, pipelining, cracking, etc., are still a serious consideration. It is not reasonable to turn off wells that are already extracting natural gas. “But, recognizing that the risk to our health and natural resources (water, land, air) increases with every new well, that information and technology is on the way to lower the risk and that the natural gas will not go anywhere, Pennsylvania should join other states, including New York and Maryland, in not drilling new wells for now.”

Bernard D. Goldstein, M.D., is a professor of Environmental and Occupational Health at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and the school’s former dean. He is the former assistant administrator for research and development at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and he is an elected member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.

On August 12th, Circuit Judge Susan Tucker of Monongalia County overturned the fracking ban of the City of Morgantown, which extended one mile beyond the City limits, according to the Morgantown Dominion-Post.  “The ordinance passed by the City of Morgantown,” she concluded, “is pre-empted by state legislation and is invalid.”

Northeast Natural Energy has already started two Marcellus gas wells in the Morgantown Industrial Park on behalf of Enrout Properties LLC, which owns the well pad surface and co-owns the mineral rights. Morgantown City Manager Terrence Moore said he is reviewing and discussing the ruling with city attorney Steve Fanok, in order to develop a response to the ruling.
 
At the July scheduling hearing, Tucker ordered the parties to prepare arguments to address her question: “Can a municipality adopt an ordinance that trumps WV-DEP rules?” Tucker now has ruled on that question; State code gives the Department of Environmental Protection (WV-DEP) sole discretion regarding the exploration, development, production, storage and recovery of oil and gas, she wrote. There is no exception to that carved out in the municipal home rule statute.

“Governmental entities are required to supplement and complement the efforts of the state by coordinating their programs with those of the state,” she wrote. Where there’s a conflict, the state Supreme Court has ruled, “the municipal ordinance must yield.”  State regulations, she wrote, “do not provide any exception or latitude to permit the City of Morgantown to impose a complete ban on fracking or to regulate oil and gas development and production.” 

The legal issues in the case, she claims, do not give her authority to consider environmental issues, which acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin addressed in the recent executive order to the WV-DEP.  This executive order is to be put into effect this coming week, according to reliable sources.

New Martinsville passed a ban on drilling within the city limits on July 6.  Now The Intelligencer /Wheeling News Register reports that Michael McCown, president of the West Virginia Independent Oil & Gas Association, has threatened a ban on commerce between the IOGA group and New Martinsville businesses.

At fifteen minutes until midnight on Tuesday, June 21^st, the City Council of Morgantown approved the following motion (second reading) after three minor amendments were made to strengthen the language:

“An ordinance repealing Article 721 of the City of Morgantown’s Business and Taxation Code and replacing it with a new Article 721, which prohibits oil and gas drilling operations which involve horizontal drilling with fracturing or fracking within the City, and the operation of wells that utilize horizontal drilling with fracturing or fracking within one mile of the Morgantown City limits.” (The first reading was adopted on June 7, 2011.)  The vote was 6 in favor and 1 opposed.

One amendment added code sections to justify the ordinance, one added a definition for “horizontal drilling”, while the third changed the language from “horizontal drilling and/or fracturing” to “horizontal drilling with fracturing”.

This five hour meeting of City Council included interviews to fill a position on the Board of the Morgantown Utility Board, a public hearing on a smoking ban in public places as well as a public hearing on the horizontal drilling with fracking ban described above.