Over the past decade, fracking has extracted more gas than consumers demand, so the fracking industry has begun converting the gas glut into petrochemical products like plastic. Here, we’re at the construction site Shell Ethane Cracker, a facility that will crack fracked ethane to make polyethylene plastic. This is the primary component of a wave of new petrochemical infrastructure proposed for this region we’re working to map. We’re also within a 2-mile radius of 23 schools and daycare centers, three hospitals, and many more homes. Residents and local groups, like the Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community, are working to shine a light on the serious environmental and public health effects this facility will have, and to encourage more sustainable projects in the county.

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