FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 13, 2026
Contact:
Ben Hunkler
[email protected] | (740) 963-4458
Statement on Air Permit Approval for Clean-Seas Plastics Pyrolysis Plant
BELLE, W. Va. —— Despite strong public opposition, including a public meeting where dozens of residents voiced health and safety concerns about the Clean-Seas West Virginia plastics pyrolysis plant in Belle, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection approved an air quality permit for the facility earlier today. In response, Ohio River Valley Institute Chief of Staff Tom Torres said,
The state’s approval of this air permit represents a rollback of critical pollution safeguards put in place to keep families and children safe from the most damaging impacts of waste incineration. In addition to departing from decades of precedent, the decision also dismisses concerns of local residents and county officials. With this permit, Clean-Seas West Virginia has reached a critical milestone. However, If its parent company’s past performance and the industry’s track record are any indication, the facility likely faces an uphill climb towards successful commercial operation.
Plastics pyrolysis units can emit hazardous air pollutants including dioxins, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, an extremely toxic category of organic chemicals, and possibly even metals, exposure to which “can cause cancer, birth defects, and other catastrophic health harms.” The permit approval follows a letter from the two current members of the Kanawha County Commission asking the Department of Environmental Protection to suspend approval of the draft permit until residents’ public health and safety concerns were addressed. The letter also requested the company or state pay for fenceline air quality monitoring.
Our research shows that Clean-Seas West Virginia parent company Clean Vision Corporation has missed key revenue targets and numerous development milestones while accumulating a deficit of nearly $60 million:
- Since 2020, Clean Vision Corporation has announced at least fourteen separate facilities in eight different countries but has so far only initiated pyrolysis operations at two sites.
- The company’s accumulated deficit — its operating losses over time combined with other expenses — reached over $58 million by the end of 2025, a 77% increase from four years prior.
- Clean-Seas West Virginia’s Belle facility has experienced numerous delays since first being announced, at which time the company claimed operations would begin in 2024.
The company’s track record raises serious doubts about its ability to operate, maintain, and expand its Belle plastics pyrolysis facility. Moreover, recent shifts in the company’s disclosure practice, including the suspension of SEC filings, make it more difficult to track the company’s operations and financial standing. This research follows a 2024 report which found that the nascent commercial plastics pyrolysis industry has faced significant financial and operational challenges in the United States. As of June of this year, only eight chemical recycling facilities were in operation in the US, down from ten in 2024.
View and download the report at https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.org/a-deep-dive-into-clean-seas-rough-waters-for-belle-plastics-pyrolysis-facility/
Learn more about plastics pyrolysis and other forms of chemical recycling at https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.org/chemical-recycling-a-false-promise-for-the-ohio-river-valley/
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