To the Editor:

Re “Deluged by Plastics but Bustling to Make More” (front page, Aug. 12):

Supporters of a massive new petrochemical plant in the Ohio Valley, including President Trump, want us to believe that these projects would be good for Appalachia.

But they never mention the threat the Shell petrochemical facility poses to the f ive million people who depend on the Ohio River for clean drinking water, or to families living near fracking wells who suffer from an increased risk of cancer and other illnesses. When the president visited the site to crow about finding a use for more fracked gas, he didn’t mention that one of the largest existing petrochemical hubs, in southern Louisiana, is nicknamed “Cancer Alley” because the industry there has made so many people sick.

While Mr. Trump works to prop up this polluting industry, it will once again be our communities that bear the burden.

Cheryl Johncox

Richwood, Ohio

The writer is an organizing representative for the Sierra Club.

To the Editor:

Re “Union Workers at Shell Facility Faced a Choice: Attend Trump’s Speech or Lose Pay” (news article, Aug. 18):

Let me know if I have this correct. If workers at the Royal Dutch Shell facility being constructed in B eaver County, Pa., wanted to be paid for their day’s work last Tuesday, they had to attend a speech by Donald Trump? Their behavior would be monitored. Any sign of displeasure or protest was not permitted.