Remember all that talk about how the Shell cracker plant in Beaver County would lead to economic growth in the region?
Well, turns out the plant is not the moneymaker that many predicted, at least according to a new study.
New data from the Ohio River Valley Institute shows that Beaver County is lagging behind the rest of the state, and the nation, in nearly every measure of economic activity since the project was announced in 2012.
“Shell was granted the largest subsidy in Pennsylvania history to construct this plant and tax payers have paid for it and this is what they’ve received so far, a history of air emissions violations and really a lack of economic development,” said Ohio River Valley Institute’s Ben Hunker.
The report appears to contradict a Robert Morris University study - commissioned by Shell back in 2021, that found the plant is expected to produce hundreds of millions of dollars in annual economic activity.
The Ohio River Valley Institute has been described “left of center” on the political spectrum.
Part of the institute’s “vision” is for “clean energy” in the region.