By: Rachel Meyer, Ohio River Valley Field Organizer
Date: June 25, 2026
About: Draft Plan Approval PA-63-01001B, ETC Revolution Cryogenic Gas Processing Plant
To: Citizen Public Hearing
My name is Rachel Meyer and I am the Ohio River Valley Field Organizer for Moms Clean Air Force, a community of moms and caretakers with over 109,000 members in Pennsylvania united to protect children’s health from air pollution.
ETC’s Revolution Cryogenic Gas Processing Plant has been an egregious contributor to air pollution. Given the history of the Christmas Day 2022 explosion, flaring in violation of permit restrictions, and additional noncompliance with DEP requirements, the proposed draft plan approval must be highly scrutinized and more protections put in place to protect the environment and people’s health.
The Revolution gas processing facility impacts already overburdened and sensitive communities. It is in an environmental justice area, with high rates of asthma, heart disease, and cancer, bearing a disproportionate pollution burden from a massive amount of oil and gas operations. There are families stuck in the middle of this, all while ethane from the plant is sent overseas to make plastic, in no way benefiting them. Tragically, children are uniquely vulnerable to the negative consequences of the industry’s pollution. Emissions listed in the draft plan approval, including volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter, can increase the risk of health impacts such as developmental problems, asthma, and cancer. The proposed operations have the potential to cause additional harm to their health and cognitive development. Only about two miles away, where we are tonight, is where 963 Burgettstown School District students spend a large portion of their time in their schools and on the sports fields. There are also children living in the immediate vicinity of the plant who may be exposed to high levels of pollution 24 hours a day.
The December 25, 2022, explosion at the ETC Revolution gas processing facility is another reminder of what is at stake as residents were forced to flee their homes and told to shelter-in-place for the nearly 11-hour duration of the fire. Energy Transfer’s dangerous history of noncompliance at its other Pennsylvania facilities have also increased public concern about their operations.
Just as the industry’s requests are heard, so should the people be listened to. Article 1, Section 27 of the Pennsylvania Constitution giving us the right to clean air and pure water should not be overlooked. The permit should require and specify the best available technology for all applicable Leak Detection And Repair monitoring with no exceptions being made without adequate justification. The permit must require continuous testing to make sure that the facility is in compliance with pollution limits. The permit also needs to include enforceable emissions limits and monitoring of VOCs at the outflow of the thermal oxidizer to ensure that it meets the 99% control efficiency that ETC claims it will. This facility should also have fenceline monitoring so that those living nearby know what is in their air, and I urge the DEP to adopt using the
Breathe Camera created by Carnegie Mellon University to monitor black smoke events and other violations and to require immediate corrective action. If the DEP does not utilize CMU’s Breathe Camera, then Energy Transfer’s cameras should be made publicly available and accessible at all times.
It is critical that these protections and more are in place for the sake of the entire community and especially those most vulnerable such as our children.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment.