Comments needed on water pollution potential of complex plastics industry

New Year Greetings from the Concerned Ohio River Residents (CORR), January 17, 2022 ~

As we are all weathering the winter storm and (hopefully) enjoying the snow, we ask that you take a couple actions to help protect the Ohio River today. The PTT Global Chemical ethane cracker/plastics plant proposed for Belmont County, OH (just 5 miles south of Shadyside) is still on indefinite hold.

They still have not announced a Final Investment Decision, and have been stringing along residents and decision makers for far too long – almost 7 years. Despite the fact that the future is still uncertain for this major polluting facility, they still have applied to renew their water pollution discharge permit with the state of Ohio – a move that does not necessarily indicate the project is moving forward.

We need you to take action today to help us tell the state of Ohio that enough is enough.

The Ohio River serves as a drinking water source for 5 million people with 23 water supply intakes located downstream from the proposed facility, including the drinking water intake for the city of Cincinnati. The closest water supply intake to the site of the proposed PTTGCA facility is in Sistersville, WV only approximately 30 river miles downstream.

Recent research has found that existing petrochemical facilities are already permitted to pollute 500,000 pounds of toxic discharge into the Ohio River. The PTTGCA plant would further exacerbate this problem. The Ohio EPA did not do an antidegradation review before issuing the permit the first time – something they should have done to see how the extra load of toxins would impact the River.

Additionally, the Ohio EPA put out the public notice for this water discharge permit renewal on December 20th – during the holidays – a time when people are not paying attention to these kinds of things, therefor we also need to ask for an extension to the comment period and for a public hearing.

Comments are due by this Wednesday, January 19th. Please submit your comment today. Click this link to open a document with a full comment that you can copy/paste into an email to the Ohio EPA.

Please insert your own unique comments as they carry even more weight than just submitting the generic comment. But, if you don’t have the time, just sending this language is helpful! Tell them your story about living along the Ohio River or why you care.

Send comment to the following three (3) email addresses: HClerk@epa.ohio.gov, Nicholas.McGovern@epa.ohio.gov, Ariel.Ruth@epa.ohio.gov

Please insert the following text into the subject line of the email:

Re: PTTGCA Application No.: OH0144967 Public Comment

Please also bcc our group so we know how many comments were submitted! Our email address is: general@concernedohioriverresidents.org

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SEE ALSO: PTTGC Ethane Cracker Project for the Mid-Ohio River Valley is Stalled, — FrackCheckWV.net, September 24, 2020

SEE ALSO: FIDdlesticks: Why PTTGC can’t make up its mind — Sean O’Leary, Ohio River Valley Institute, June 24, 2021

Dilles Bottom is in a deep valley with many residential areas nearby

From an Article of WTOV News 9, Steubenville, OH, November 10, 2018

The Ohio EPA is asking for input regarding the draft air permit for the potential construction of a billion-dollar ethane cracker plant in Belmont County.

The cracker plant would be built in Dilles Bottom. (This is in the Ohio River valley directly across the river from Moundsville in Marshall County, West Virginia.)

If approved, the permit would allow construction of the PTTGCA Petrochemical Complex that would use six ethane cracking furnaces and manufacture ethylene and polyethylene.

The EPA says different gases and pollutants could be emitted, however, its goal is to ensure air quality, and the maximum air emissions would be limited.

There will be a public hearing hosted by the Ohio EPA at 6 p.m. on November 27 at Shadyside High School to discuss the air permit.

The permit application may be viewed online here by entering permit number P0124972 or at the Ohio EPA Southeast District Office, 2195 Front St., Logan. See the PDF version of the draft air permit here. Call for an appointment: (740) 380-5245.

Ohio EPA values public input. Comments will be accepted both verbally and in writing at the hearing and may be submitted through December 11, 2018.

Written comments may be sent by mail to Kimbra Reinbold, Ohio EPA, DAPC Southeast District Office, 2195 East Front Street, Logan, Ohio, 43138 or emailed to kimbra.reinbold@epa.ohio.gov.

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PTTGCA Petrochemical Plant Complex — Permit Description

Initial installation permit for a world-scale petrochemical complex composed of ethylene and ethylene-based derivative plants to manufacture high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and linear low-density polyethylene/HDPE (LLDPE/HDPE) with the following design capacities: Ethylene Plant: 1,500 KT/year; HDPE Units: two (2) trains of 350 KT/year for each train; and LLDPE/HDPE Units: two (2) trains of 450 KT/year for each train. The petrochemical complex will also involve onsite railcar and truck loading, supporting utilities, infrastructure, storage tanks, logistics facilities, and facilities to produce and/or provide required natural gas, water, air, nitrogen, steam, and electricity to support the operation of process units.