T-L Photo/ROBERT A. DEFRANK Jim Morrison, left, talks with Belmont County Commissioner Josh Meyer on Wednesday. Commissioner J.P. Dutton, not pictured, updated the public about local preparations for a potential ethane cracker plant during the meeting.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Preparations continue for an ethane cracker plant that may be coming to the Dilles Bottom area, with state and local leaders meeting with company officials at the proposed plant site this week.

Belmont County Commissioner J.P. Dutton attended a meeting between government officials and representatives of PTT Global Chemical America LLC at the property along the Ohio River on Tuesday, but Dutton said he did not believe any announcement about the project is imminent.

“There was a meeting (Tuesday) but it was just informational in nature,” he said. “The company again has been very open with us whenever we have questions as to the process, and we’ve spoken at length about how complex this project is. It continues to move in a positive direction, but there’s still work to be done and we feel confident the company will continue on with that work. … Anything we can provide as local partners, we stand ready to assist.”

He said entities represented at the meeting included JobsOhio, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Dutton said the meeting lasted several hours and topics ranged from changes in the energy industry to state-level regard for the industry. He declined to comment on whether there might be further news in 2020.

“There’s work occurring on the site right now,” he said. “It’s very visible. … At some point, they’re going to get to that final investment decision. I feel confident that it will be a positive one,” Dutton said.

Among those present at the meeting was state Sen. Frank Hoagland, R-Mingo Junction.

“It was an update on the current condition and the work that they’ve done to this date … and a perspective of what the work is going to look like in the future to prepare the site. We had several PowerPoint presentation from various … state entities — capability briefings from the various departments throughout the state,” Hoagland said.

Hoagland added that participants also delved into local preparation.

“We really need to get the infrastructure ready for this when it does happen,” he said. “Our roads have taken some pretty heavy (hits) with the weather that we’ve had over the past few years, so road construction funding — that’s going to be a huge necessity so we can maintain the mobility and access, not only to Dilles Bottom but everywhere else. Up and down our district we’ve got a lot of road slips.”

He said expanding internet access is another priority.

“Who’s going to build in our district if they can’t get to and from work and they can’t call home? A lot of critical information was passed out yesterday. Where do we stand with our infrastructure? From our office’s perspective, we’re going to look at seeing how we can help facilitate in any way possible,” Hoagland added. “Any grants that the local communities are going to put together and put a request in, let us know. We’d be happy to help.

“My gut is, it’s going to happen. When this happens, we’ve got to be ready,” he said.

The potential cracker plant has been a subject of controversy. While many people have pointed to an expected economic and employment boom if the facility becomes a reality, others have expressed concern about environmental risks and impacts on local communities. On Tuesday, members of the faith communities on both sides of the river met to discuss their priorities as they advocate for best practices in the industry.

If the plant is built, it will convert ethane, which is plentiful in the local “wet” natural gas stream, to polyethylene — a component of plastics, household chemicals, textiles and many other products.