We suspect it is no coincidence that the Thai company considering construction of an ethane cracker plant in Belmont County announced yet another delay in revealing its decision at about the same time it became clear federal government policies regarding energy and the environment will undergo a dramatic shift.
Just days after the Nov. 3 presidential election, PTT Global Chemical America, owned by the firm in Thailand, announced another delay. Previously, the company had forecast a decision on the cracker plant during the first quarter of 2021. No new timetable has been revealed.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine told The Intelligencer and a group of other newspapers last week that he remains optimistic the cracker plant will be built. He admitted he is "more than a little bit" concerned about the outlook for that, however.
DeWine is right. Construction of the cracker would be "a big deal" not just for East Ohio but for our entire region. For several years, the prospect of such a project has appeared very promising.
But President-elect Joe Biden has pledged there will be sweeping changes in federal government policy on energy and the environment. The list of people he plans to appoint to top-level posts in agencies and departments with power to set such policies -- with little or no oversight by Congress -- may well worry executives of companies such as PTT.
It is highly unlikely the Biden team will be swayed by localized concerns about the economic impact of rejecting proposals such as that for the cracker plant. The incoming president appears to be solidly in the camp of those who want to ban all use of fossil fuels.
Let us hope he can be persuaded projects such as PTT Global's would have minimal effect on the environment, while contributing to the economic resurgence the entire nation will need in the wake of the COVID-19 epidemic. Whatever his administration's stance, specifics of how the Belmont County cracker proposal will be treated should be revealed as quickly as possible.