People Over Pollution

Petrochemicals are a triple threat to climate progress, public health, and the environment.

Our mission is to block the expansion of petrochemical plants in communities across the U.S.

Horse in field right next to petrochemical facility.Numerous petrochemical tanks right next to waterway.
Enormous petrochemical processing facility.

A Growing Threat

Petrochemicals — which come from fossil fuels — are toxic chemicals used to manufacture many different products, including beauty products, household cleaners, and wasteful single-use plastics.

Homes, many with signs of recent storm damage, immediately adjacent to petrochemical facility.

A Bad Bet

As the U.S. works to transition to clean, renewable energy, the oil and gas industry has plans to expand its petrochemical footprint exponentially.

Playground equipment, yards away from petrochemical storage tanks.

Too Close for Comfort

New petrochemical plants are overwhelmingly proposed in communities of color and low-income areas that already face toxic pollution and higher risks of cancer, respiratory illness, and other life-threatening diseases.

Researchers consulting map.

Stopping the Expansion

Communities on the frontlines of petrochemical pollution are leading the effort to stop the spread of petrochemicals, and we are turbocharging their efforts.

    Petrochemical processing facility swathed in billowing steam.
    The Petrochemical Industry is Responsible for:
    $249B
    In Medical Costs
    per Year
    Source
    1
    Petrochemical Disaster Every 4 Days
    Source
    $9B+
    Tax Breaks and Subsidies
    Source
    U.S. map.

    Wins against petrochemical polluters

    And We're Just Getting Started

    Building on existing efforts led by frontline communities, Beyond Petrochemicals is committed to blocking the expansion of petrochemical plants concentrated in three target geographies — Louisiana, Texas, and the Ohio River Valley.

    Get The Facts
    Nacero Penwell Facility
    Penwell, TX

    Nacero canceled air permits for their massive Penwell Facility amid a lack of investor interest. If built, the plant would have emitted an estimated 5.7 million tons of carbon pollution each year.

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    IGP Gulf Coast Methanol Complex
    Myrtle Grove, LA

    LDEQ announced that permits had expired for the IGP Gulf Coast Methanol Complex, which would have been the largest methanol complex in the world and emitted more than 2.5 million tons of carbon pollution each year.

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    Nutrien Lima Nitrogen Plant
    Lima, OH

    Ohio EPA revoked permits to expand the Nutrien Lima Nitrogen Plant, which is currently the largest nitrogen fertilizer plant in the country.

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    Nutrien Geismar Ammonia Plant
    Ascension Parish, LA

    Amid falling prices and a bleak financial outlook, Nutrien canceled plans to build the largest ‘blue’ ammonia plant in the world, which would have produced over 500,000 tons of carbon emissions each year.

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    Gary Fulcrum Centerpoint Plant
    Gary, IN

    Communities organized to stop the Gary Fulcrum Centerpoint Plant, which would have emitted an estimated 300,000+ tons of air pollution each year into Gary communities, which already face some of the highest levels of industrial pollution in the country.

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    South Louisiana Methanol
    St. James, LA

    Community members stopped South Louisiana Methanol, which would have emitted over 2 million tons of carbon each year and choked the nearby playground, ball fields, and senior center with toxic pollution.

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    Mountaineer NGL Storage Facility
    Monroe, OH

    Mountaineer NGL storage facility would have constructed underground storage caverns to store ethane, butane, and propane, risking explosions and contamination to the Ohio River, which provides drinking water to 5 million people.

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    Big Lake Fuels Methanol
    Calcasieu, LA

    Big Lake Fuels requested to pull its permits for a proposed methanol plant, which would have released 2 million tons of carbon emissions into the Lake Charles community each year.

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    TopChem Ammonia Plant
    Grant, LA

    In 2022, TopChem Ammonia plant rescinded its permits to build a massive ammonia facility, which would have released an estimated 550,000 tons of carbon emissions each year.

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    PTT Global Chemical Ethylene Cracker Plant
    Belmont, OH

    The PTT Global Chemical ethylene cracker plant would have been one of the largest facilities of its kind in the U.S., emitting 1.8 million tons of carbon and 1,000 tons of air pollution each year into nearby homes, shops, and the Ohio River.

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    Encina Point Township Chemical Recycling
    Northumberland, PA

    Facing community-led opposition, Encina Development Group withdrew plans to build the largest chemical recycling facility of its kind, which would have risked poisoning the Susquehanna River waterway and exposing communities to toxic, cancer-causing chemicals.

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    Appalachian Storage Hub
    Braxton, WV

    The Appalachian Storage Hub was a proposed underground storage facility that would have stretched along the Ohio River from Kentucky to Pennsylvania, enabling massive petrochemical expansion across the Ohio River Valley.

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    Stopping the Spread of Petrochemicals
    106+
    Industry
    Proposals
    13
    Projects Defeated
    to Date
    37M
    Tons of Carbon Emissions Averted
    *Potential carbon emissions data is based on air pollution permit applications where available.

    Real Stories Real Impacts

    Voices from the Frontlines

    Those who are most impacted by petrochemical pollution are leading the effort for a better future.