Trading Sense for Cents: Marcellus Shale Coalition and International Recycling Group in Erie

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Erie will soon welcome executives from Marcellus Shale, a fossil fuel trade association and lobbying entity, for a conference on the future of fracking in our region. Former City Councilperson Susannah Faulkner expresses her disappointment in the short-sightedness of this vision and explains why continued reliance on fossil fuels is backwards thinking for the future of Erie.

As local students settle into the new school year, Erie yet again stands at several key crossroads towards our collective future. Discontent and discord are mounting with the International Recycling Group project, while the region's largest fracking conference makes its way to our bayfront later this month. With over a third of our city's youth growing up in poverty, their futures are up for sale to the highest bidders. The illusion of progress is painful to those willing to take a deeper look. 

Youth activist Greta Thunberg said it best: "Solving the climate crisis is the greatest and most complex challenge that Homo sapiens have ever faced. The main solution, however, is so simple that even a small child can understand it. We have to stop our emissions of greenhouse gasses." By investing in fleeting environmental solutions to maximize corporate return, our local leaders are robbing our youth of health, livelihood, and opportunity. 

First, a brief primer on fracking, fossil fuels, and plastics. Both fracking and plastics rely on the extraction and use of fossil fuels, have significant health and environmental impacts, and play critical roles in the economy. Fracking involves drilling into the earth and using a high-pressure fluid to release and collect oil or natural gas from deep rock formations. While natural gas has been lauded as a bridge to a more sustainable energy usage, it is still a fossil fuel. A major concern with natural gas is methane leakage from pipelines and facilities, which can significantly contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. 

Plastics are synthetic materials derived from natural resources like oil and natural gas. Around 5 percent of all plastic products are effectively recycled in the U.S., and new businesses are arising to repurpose plastics. One such example is the proposed International Recycling Group plant planned for our city's east side to convert plastic into new products to be used in manufacturing as well as burned as fuel for steelmaking. There remains countless unknowns with this process, including the toxic release of up to 16,000 chemicals that can be found in plastics. 

While claiming to support economic growth, U.S.-produced energy, and the environment, fracking and plastics are a shortsighted solution for Erie. Such initiatives and investments offer no true bridge to a more resilient and sustainable future. Reducing reliance on fossil fuels overall and investing in renewable energy sources remains essential for addressing climate change effectively. Instead, our local leaders are playing ball with corporations further profiting from fossil fuels and false promises. 

After advocates in Pittsburgh pushed them out, the Marcellus Shale Coalition's Shale Insight Conference has found a new home in Erie. From Sept. 24 through 26 at the Bayfront Convention Center, the conference will bring together policymakers, business leaders, politicians, regulators, stakeholders, and media to chart the future of fracking in the region. Their reception has been distinctly warm from our local elected officials, with County Executive Brenton Davis delivering a welcome address. Mayor Joe Schember was previously scheduled to deliver the address, but backed out in late August due to a scheduling conflict. Notably, many local advocates demanded him to step down, citing the irony of him speaking at a tour visit from Clean Energy Revolution on Aug. 28. That campaign stands for an effective energy transition from fossil fuels to a mix of renewables and nuclear power – a far cry from the goals of the conference. 

The Marcellus Shale Coalition is the most powerful fossil fuel trade association or lobbying entity in Pennsylvania and the region – advocating for a continued reliance on fracked gas and fossil fuels. Pennsylvania remains the fourth-largest emitter of carbon dioxide and the second-largest producer of fracked gas. As a state, we are not on pace to reach the emissions reduction goals in our Climate Action Plan, and the Marcellus Shale Coalition stands at the center of advocacy for maintaining the status quo and expanding natural gas usage. Studies attest that fracking produces an excess of toxic wastewater, pollutes groundwater and surface water, emits huge amounts of methane, threatens the health and safety of workers and communities, and releases toxic air pollutants. Beyond that, the health concerns are clear, disturbing, and undeniable. Studies, including in Pennsylvania specifically, showed associations between those living near fracking sites and negative health outcomes like pregnancy complications, cancer, and asthma.

It's hard to miss the irony that this conference is taking place right on our beautiful bayfront. Decades of waterfront restoration efforts have birthed new life into Erie, from the public gem of the Blasco Library to a new wave of tourism. However, the future of our most precious resource, Lake Erie, is fragile. Pennsylvania ranks among the worst in the U.S. for clean air and clean water, both of which are exacerbated by the climate crisis. Our state is warming faster than average, and a recent study ranked Erie as the seventh fastest warming city in the U.S. Climate change will continue to wreak havoc on our lake from lack of ice cover, longer and larger harmful algal blooms, and more volatile and extreme weather.

The irony deepens when we add the International Recycling Group (IRG) facility into the mix. The plant is slated to become the largest plastics recycling initiative in the country, with seemingly endless truck traffic carrying upwards of 350 million pounds of plastic waste annually from a 750 mile radius. The location? 1565 East Lake Road next to Boys and Girls Club. The plant will emit particulate pollution, which is the minuscule particles that are easily inhaled and harmful to human health. On Aug. 12th, IRG received news from the state environmental protection department that its permit application was technically deficient, lacking clarity on pollution controls and emission limits. While a community benefit plan has been drafted, there is a concerning amount of unknowns with the project, leading 106 organizations to sign on to a letter to revoke the $182 million loan to IRG from the Department of Energy. Living near the site isn't simply bad luck, it is by design from decades of neglect. After the continued and persistent promise of economic development and sustainable solutions, this is yet another bad deal for Erie. 

While Schember and Davis have murky environmental stances at best, how do our other politicians stack up? State Representative Bob Merski touts IRG as "a beacon of hope for a cleaner, greener future" in a recent press release with fellow Representative Pat Harkins. During his time as Chair of the Senate Republican Policy Committee, Senator Dan Laughlin fought to reduce regulations and limit public comments for the natural gas industry. Since 2023, National Fuel Gas Pennsylvania Political Action Committee (PAC) has contributed to both sides of the political aisle, including Bob Merski, Pat Harkins, Ryan Bizzarro, Dan Laughlin, Joe Schember, Kyle Foust, and Ed Brzezinski. 

This status quo environmental policymaking disrespects our natural resources, local history, and promise of the future for our youth. Will we discard the lessons of the last century of environmental degradation, restoration, and advancement? Or will we choose to protect and grow the natural resources that are our collective inheritance and endowment to Erie's youth? Common sense economic and environmental leadership is needed now more than ever. Are we ready to stand together for a better future?

Susannah Faulkner can be reached at susannah.faulkner@gmail.com.

Image by: Kelly Killz