This is the 11th blog in our Examining Climate series, where CCJ staff members and others will be sharing their favorite (or least favorite) climate solution, looking at the benefits and the costs in the hope of sparking an honest conversation about how we address the climate crisis and keep our focus on environmental justice. This blog was written by CCJ Community Advocate Nina Victoria.
Recently, Representative Bud Cook (50-Washington; Greene) introduced a bill to clarify that tire pyrolysis is considered advanced recycling in Pennsylvania. This is in an effort to bring jobs and investment to our communities—specifically, Allenport, Pennsylvania, a small town in the Mon Valley home to a former Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Plant.
Advanced recycling and tire pyrolysis may sound like a good, but when the details are analyzed, it becomes clear that they are false solutions like so many others that are being proposed in Pennsylvania.
Essentially, pyrolysis is burning plastic. “Advanced recyclers” take plastic waste, in this case waste tires, and heat them without oxygen. This breaks down the tire molecules into liquid and gas compounds and additional waste. After the tires are burned, operators have options for what to do with the components. They could turn the produced oil into plastics or use it as fuel, both of which come with dangerous health impacts and unreliable economics.
The Center for Coalfield Justice was told that the plant in Allenport would create no pollution because it is a “closed system”. The oil produced from burning tires would be used to power the facility. There are three problems with this.
First, this proposal isn’t recycling and isn’t accepted as such by international and domestic standards. They are burning tires simply to be able to burn more tires. Additionally, the “fuel” produced can’t be used to start up the reactor, so an external heat source is needed. Considering our region, this external heat source is likely to be natural gas or coal, which is an additional exposure for the community. So, not only is no new product being put on the market, but the facility needs additional polluting resources to run.
Second, in order for there to be “no pollution,” this plant needs to operate perfectly and run continuously 100% of the time. When there is a malfunction, and during start and shut down, the plant is likely to release toxic emissions such as dioxins, carbon monoxide, VOCs, and heavy metals through flaring. Exposure to VOCs alone can irritate the eyes, nose, and throat, make it difficult to breathe, damage organs and our central nervous systems, and cause cancer.
According to the state definition, Allenport itself is not an environmental justice area, however, several communities nearby are. Allenport does still have more environmental burdens than much of the rest of Pennsylvania. Residents are in high percentiles for ozone exposure, toxic water emissions, and lead risk. They are exposed to risks from railroads, legacy coal mining, hazardous waste storage, and flooding. This community is home to many people over 64, a sensitive population, with high rates of cancer and heart disease. Allenport, and the surrounding communities, should not be put at further risk.
Finally, tire pyrolysis isn’t economically viable without subsidies. The initial investment in the plant is expensive, potentially over $1 billion, and to stay open the plant will need a consistent supply of tires which they are paid to burn. All 10 chemical recycling facilities in the United States have been less economically viable than their initial plans. The first plant in the United States closed within five years, leaving workers without jobs and communities without another employer, and a planned project in the Ohio River Valley was cancelled before it began. Private investors are not betting on pyrolysis because of the risks, and Pennsylvania shouldn’t either.
There are better options for Allenport and the Mon Valley. Our area has been subject to pollution for over a century to help the United States become a world power, and is one of the reasons the Clean Air Act exists. Our communities deserve new jobs and economic prosperity through industries unlikely to harm their health.