Company agrees to settle with environmental groups on permit

ST. CLAIRSVILLE, Ohio – One of the companies planning an ethane “cracker” plant in Ohio has agreed to settle an appeal filed by environmental groups over an air permit the state granted in December.

PTT Global Chemical America and South Korea’s Daelim Industrial Co. propose building a multibillion-dollar plant along the Ohio River in eastern Ohio’s Belmont County to convert ethane into raw plastic used to manufacture products ubiquitous in modern life.

Ethane is a byproduct of natural gas drilling.

Monday’s agreement with Sierra Club, Earthworks and Freshwater Accountability Project calls for additional air stack testing, enhanced leak detection and repairs and a commitment to make public all information reported to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, which approved the permit.

The companies haven’t made a final decision on whether they’ll build the plant.