Left: To mark Shell Polymers Monaca's anniversary, or "birthday," lifelong activist Dianne Peterson talked to local residents about Shell's pollution while handing out “birthday” cupcakes. Photo by Maren Cooke. Right: Last summer, commu- nity members gathered for a rally before delivering a petition to Shell with over 70,000 signatures calling for transparency and accountability. Photo by Mark Dixon / Blue Lens.
>New Shell Plant - continued from Page 2
You are holding Shell accountable! — but the fight continues Because of you, Food & Water Watch and our allies have been able to fight against Shell and hold them accountable for their pollution. Last spring, Shell agreed to pay $10 million for its permit violations. Half of that will pay for environmental projects in Beaver County through the Environmental Mitigation Community Fund. This fund is one of the largest in state history. Thank you for making this possible! But this isn’t the end. Shell Polymers and other plastic- producing plants continue to
pollute our planet and sacrifice people’s health for profit. Together, we can and must stop plastic at the source, by stopping the production of so much plastic in the first place.
of plastic pellets yearly. Much of them will become single-use plastics, feeding into our already crisis-level
Not-So-Fun Fact 90% of plastics produced worldwide come from fossil fuels.
You can take action against plastic pollution
We all deserve freedom from harmful pollution.
plastic pollution problem. Additionally, this plant will drive more drilling and fracking because these pellets are made from natural gas. Duquesne University’s Center for Envi- ronmental Research estimates that a plant this size would need 1,000 natural gas wells to supply it.
Scan this QR code and tell your Congressperson to support the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act.
fwwat.ch/no-plasticpollution
ON THE GROUND
An Awful Anniversary You Can’t Forget
This February marked the one-year anniversary of Norfolk Southern’s toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. This crash sparked the region’s ongoing environmental nightmare because of its dangerous cargo — vinyl chloride, a petrochemical ingredient of a common plastic called PVC (polyvinyl chloride).
Food & Water Watch’s Pennsylvania State Director, Megan McDonough, says,
Because of you, we can continue to demand justice alongside all the people Norfolk Southern has harmed.
Megan McDonough Thank you for fighting so all of us can have a safe, clean environment to call home.
3 | SPRING 2024
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