In social media posts and interviews with news media, officials from startup company Appalachian Resins Inc. have acknowledged that they are putting on hold plans to build a small-scale, regionally focused ethane cracker in Monroe County, OH. The company had hoped to construct a 15,000 b/d facility capable of producing 500 million pounds per year each of ethylene and polyethylene, which are key building blocks for plastics (see Shale Daily, May 2, 2014). Instead, the company is for now tabling the facility, saying larger projects such as Thailand-owned PTT Global Chemical pcl‘s plans for a nearly $6 billion cracker in Belmont County, OH, would likely absorb all available skilled labor (see Shale Daily, Sept. 3). Company officials said PTT’s plans to make a final investment decision in 2016 or 2017 would interfere with its timeline for construction.