Full Title: A Cautionary Tale of Petrochemicals from Pennsylvania
Author(s): Eric de Place, Molly Kiick
Publisher(s): Ohio River Valley Institute
Publication Date: November 30, 2021
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Description (excerpt):
Beaver County, Pennsylvania is a real-time case-study in the local economic impacts of petrochemical development. It is home to the construction site of a Shell petrochemical facility estimated to cost $6 billion. First announced in 2012, the project is nearing completion and is likely to open in 2022 or 2023. Since the project’s inception, industry executives and government officials have argued that it would spur local economic growth, renewed business investment, and the creation of tens of thousands of jobs.
Yet, so far, prosperity has not arrived. Since the petrochemical project was announced, the most recent available data show that Beaver County has fallen behind both the state and the nation in nearly every measure of economic activity.