For Immediate Release CONTACT: Susan Lamontagne
People Over Petro says policymakers should be working for people, not polluters, in response to SOMAR announcement
West Virginia – The People Over Petro Coalition called on policymakers to rethink their announcement welcoming SOMAR, a resin manufacturer, to Wood County.
“While we’re happy to see local investment, we hope that future job growth will be focused in areas unrelated to plastics or petrochemicals and the numerous harms they cause to our health, lived environments, and global climate,” said Eric Engle, Board President of Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action.
“The proposed site in Wood County is within communities that are federally defined as overburdened with health impacts from existing pollution,” said Heather Sprouse, Community Engagement Manager of the West Virginia Rivers Coalition. “It is unjust to add additional harmful emissions – as well as health risks- to this region.”
Exposure to resin, which is used in paint finishes and plastic products, carries significant health risks to communities and workers, including cancer, diabetes, behavioral issues, and even risks to fetal development.
“Appalachian governors need to start investing in people and not chemical industries,” said Cheryl Johncox, regional coordinator of the People Over Petro Coalition, a group of 50 member organizations in the West Virginia, Western Pennsylvania, and Eastern Ohio region working to protect communities from polluters. “There are plenty of manufacturing jobs that are not polluting. Let’s attract those,” added Johncox.
West Virginia’s Governor Justice recently announced that resin manufacturer SOMAR would bring 25 jobs to Wood County.
“The chemical and fossil fuel industries typically inflate the number of jobs in everything they do – and in exchange they contaminate our air and water and increase the risk of health problems, including cancer. It’s not a good deal,” said Johncox.
Jess Conard, Appalachia Director of Beyond Plastics added, “States across the nation are developing plastic packaging reduction bills and banning plastic bags. For plastic manufacturers to continue building new facilities that produce more pointless plastic is completely unnecessary — not to mention unsafe for West Virginia.”
The People Over Petro Coalition supports people in our communities to create a world that puts people’s health and well-being over fossil-fueled corporate profits.