Shell’s construction company has applied for a waiver to resume construction at the Beaver County cracker plant, according to union officials. A dozen local community organizations sent an open letter on Thursday urging Shell to protect plant workers and the broader Beaver County community.

Shell’s construction company has applied for a waiver to resume some cracker plant work amid the COVID-19 shutdown, according to union officials representing workers.

The company has petitioned Gov. Tom Wolf for a waiver to his ban, allowing limited construction to resume at the site, with 400 to 800 worker returning if the waiver is approved. Employees would be subject to temperature checks and social distancing.

A dozen local community organizations sent an open letter to Shell Chemicals on Thursday urging the company to protect plant workers and the broader Beaver County community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some union officials and county elected leaders also oppose the possible reopening.

The letter, signed by groups including Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community, Beaver County United, Clean Air Council and Pennsylvania’s Sierra Club chapter, asks Shell to publicly commit to a complete stoppage of all construction of the ethane cracker plant in Potter Township until the pandemic is over.

It also demands the company pay all workers impacted by the stoppage 100 percent of their contracted wages and benefits throughout the entirety of the shutdown and financially support COVID-19 response efforts in Beaver County “due to the additional risk imposed on workers and the community due to a slow response time in adhering to CDC guidance.”

On March 18, Shell temporarily suspended construction activities at Beaver County’s ethane cracker plant to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 amid public pressure. The move came two days ahead of Gov. Tom Wolf's order to stop all non-life-sustaining businesses, including most construction activities.

The petrochemical complex will undergo a deep cleaning and leadership will install measures aligned with U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance.

About 95 percent of the site’s workforce has been cut at this point, although Shell representatives said a staff of roughly 300 are on site to keep the plant sanitary and safe.

The groups are pressuring Shell to remain closed for the duration of the ban and resist restarting construction too early in the interest of public health, as well as compensate workers for the duration of the construction ban.

“Each and every one of us deserves access to safe shelter, nutritious food and health care — especially during the COVID-19 global health crisis,” said Dean Williams of Beaver County United. “Those of us who have had our incomes reduced or outright lost due to this crisis still have to pay our rent, our mortgages, our student loans and our car payments. We’re calling on Shell Pennsylvania Chemical to do the right thing in supporting their employees both physically and financially during this challenging time.”

The letter calls on Shell to financially support COVID-19 response efforts in Beaver County, including testing and related healthcare costs.

A local doctor last week said Beaver County could be more susceptible to the novel coronavirus due to the region’s strong manufacturing community, something health and environmental groups have cited as a chief reason for putting additional pressure on the company.

Dr. Stacy Lane, founder of Central Outreach Wellness Center, said Beaver County is more vulnerable to COVID-19 due, in part, to the ethane cracker plant because it has brought a significant transient population to the region.

“You have a lot of transient people who are coming and moving here, traveling back and forth from where they came — places like Georgia, Ohio — because it’s such a good job,” Lane said.

Many of those workers have since left Beaver County, opening up hotels and motels in the region for those without homes during sweeping stay-at-home orders.