The Shell Pipeline Co. and a contractor will pay $670,000 for violations that released chemicals into local waterways, including the Ohio River.
The state Department of Environmental Protection, Shell and its contractor, Minnesota Limited, agreed to the settlement.
The DEP said in a release that 67 inspections showed repeated violations from 2019 and 2021 during the construction of the 45-mile Falcon Pipeline. The pipeline pumps liquid natural gas from Houston, Pa. to Shell Chemical Appalachia’s new petrochemical plant in Beaver County.
Violations included the release of chemicals into streams, including Raccoon Creek, and other protected wetlands.
One instance released over 48,000 gallons of drilling fluids.
Shell also failed to notify the DEP of spills as required under state law.
Shell Pipeline and Minnesota Limited could not be reached for comment about the fines or violations.
The state’s Clean Water Fund will get just under $480,000 of the fine, according to the DEP.
The plant, which was awarded $1.5 billion in tax breaks by the state, will be used to produce up to 1.6 million metric tons of plastic pellets per year when it is fully operational, according to Shell.
