Being Prepared For Cracker Plant
If it comes to Belmont County, the proposed PTT Global Chemical ethane cracker plant will be very big for the region’s economy. Wheeling officials are right to begin planning for it now.
Preparations for construction of the plant, along the Ohio River south of Shadyside, already are in progress. The old R.E. Burger power plant at the site is being demolished.
A final decision on whether to proceed with the cracker should be made by early next year, according to PTT officials. Once that happens, events could proceed quickly.
Construction of the plant may require more than 1,000 workers. Though many will be from our area, a substantial number may come here temporarily for the project.
Operation of the main plant itself should provide hundreds of jobs. Many more could be available in spin-off businesses and industries.
Opportunities — and challenges — regarding the PTT facility, if it is constructed, will affect this entire region of the Ohio Valley. Wheeling, as the area’s population center, is positioned to enjoy much of the benefit, while having to cope with many of the unpleasant side effects.
Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott revealed this week he is forming four new committees, with one of them focused on regional economic development. It will be led by Peter Holloway of Hazlett, Burt and Watson.
Holloway already has thought about the potential for Wheeling if the cracker plant is built. He is right to be concerned about issues such as housing and infrastructure. As he put it, “We do not want to be Williston, N.D.”
He referred to the North Dakota town that was the center of an energy drilling boom and experienced dramatic, not always well-managed growth.
Realistically, local officials’ options in preparing for economic expansion such as the cracker would bring are limited. For example, there is little they can do to ensure affordable, adequate housing is available for all those construction workers. Identifying such challenges and mobilizing local resources to meet them as effectively as possible will be the task facing Holloway’s committee.
Even with the limits to local government action, however, Wheeling can maximize benefits and avoid some pitfalls by adopting the Boy Scout motto: Be prepared.
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