Beaver County, PA. - A Shell plastics plant in the Ohio River Valley has been issued three new High Priority Violations (HPVs) as of June, bringing the facility to a total of six violations in 2025, already surpassing the previous year, according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports.

The EPA defines HPVs as a "subset of violations of regulations authorized by the Clean Air Act that warrant additional scrutiny" to ensure state and local agencies respond to them in an appropriate manner.

Though the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) told 21 News that HPVs are "typically not items that pose an imminent threat to the public," the EPA additionally describes the violations as "most likely to be significant for human health and the environment."

The latest violations state that Shell exceeded the legal limits for nitrogen oxides, toulene, benzene, formaldehyde and other fine particulate matter. DEP described these violations as "exceedances of Shell’s Twelve Month Rolling Total limit for nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions from the facility" and told 21 News that "these exceedances are a subject of a plan approval application that DEP is currently reviewing."

Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community (BCMAC) stated in a Tuesday press release that the public, especially residents in the surrounding area, have been left in the dark about Shell's recent violations and the potential health risks they pose. 

"Shell violated air pollution laws in a way that the federal government itself considers a 'high priority' but no one prioritized informing our communities. Real people live near this plant. Families. Children. People deserve transparency from the billion-dollar corporation polluting their air and from the regulators whose
job it is to protect us," BCMAC Executive Director Hilary Starcher-O'Toole said in the release.

DEP told 21 News that it is not required by law to provide public notice of permits, violations or inspections but does so anyway as a "public courtesy." According to DEP, information on the Monaca Shell facility can be found on the department's public E-Facts page and on the southwest community information page of their website.

In 2023, DEP sought to hold Shell accountable for the facility exceeding its emissions limits. The oil company agreed to pay $10 million to the state, including roughly $5 million in civil penalties and $5 million toward funding local environmental projects.

Since construction of the Monaca facility began in 2017, Shell has accumulated nearly 50 Notices of Violation, according to BCMAC. However, the company has not been issued a formal monetary penalty for the noncompliance since May 24, 2023, when the company was fined $4,935,023 by the EPA for Clean Air Act violations.