For steel-making communities, plastic-burning pollution is headed your way. The Department of Energy has proposed a $182 million taxpayer loan for a company that will build a plastic trash plant in Erie that would turn plastic waste into pellets to be used in blast furnaces for steel mills. The residents of Pittsburgh, Clairton and Braddock are threatened by this unproven technology.
The DOE supporting this project, which has yet to undergo a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review, puts all steel-producing communities at risk. Burning plastic releases toxic waste, dioxins and the same chemicals that were burned in East Palestine, Ohio. Why is the DOE ignoring the health and safety of residents?
Burning plastic to fuel steel production creates more waste, perpetuates plastic overproduction and encourages old, dirty steel-making technologies. It doesn’t solve the plastic pollution problem; it merely substitutes one fossil fuel for another. Plastics are made from fracked gas. The carbon footprint of fracking is immense. We cannot waste taxpayer money allocated for climate solutions from the Inflation Reduction Act to incinerate plastic and harm our communities.
Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm cannot willy-nilly approve this on the way out the door. She must immediately revoke this loan. I urge Pennsylvania residents to oppose this public health threat by reaching out to Granholm and telling her that you do not consent. Taxpayer dollars should be used to pay for sustainable projects that grow communities in ways that are healthy.
Jess Conard
East Palestine, Ohio
The writer is Appalachia director of Beyond Plastics.