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Powerful Industry’s Torrent of Manure Overwhelms State Regulators Cause of Michigan’s worst water pollution is too much waste spread on too little land. In every other industry, point source permits require polluters to treat their wastes to dramatically reduce contaminants. By Keith Schneider, Circle of Blue. Photographs by J.
Countries that commit to the pledge are asked to take comprehensive domestic actions to achieve that global target, focusing on standards to achieve all feasible reductions in the three main methane emitting sectors: energy, waste, and agriculture.
On September 30, DEP told the Low-Level Waste Advisory Committee shale gas fracking operations in Pennsylvania sent nearly 236,00 cubic feet of radioactive TENORM waste to out-of-state low-level radioactive waste facilities for disposal, more volume than all the industries combined in the four-state Appalachian Low-Level Radioactive Waste Compact.
On August 19, Kurt Klapkowski, Director of DEP’s Bureau Of Oil and Gas Planning and Program Management, told the PA Grade Crude [Oil] Development Advisory Council DEP is looking to develop the data to defend the development of a program to allow the road dumping of drilling wastewater across the state under new conventional drilling regulations.
With every spill, every fine for violating environmental rules, every increase in emissions, and every lobbying push for subsidies and looser environmental regulations, Edwards cements his place as a true master of fossil-fueled villainy. Let’s just say “safety first” isn’t quite their motto. The province and taxpayers of B.C.
On September 20, Ali Tarquino Morris, Director Of DEP’s Bureau of Waste Management, told the Citizen Advisory Council conventional oil and gas operator plans to dispose of their wastewater by dumping it on dirt and gravel roads as a dust suppressant continue to fail to meet the state’s Residual WasteRegulations. Read more here.
But the scare wasted city resources and left water customers on edge for weeks. The Clean Water Act, a landmark federal pollution control law passed in 1972, cleaned up American waterways once fouled by industrial waste. Since the discovery, Ann Arbor has spent $1.5
On June 7, the Better Path Coalition reported the Department of Environmental Protection has removed the co-product category from its waste disposal reporting database for conventional oil and gas well owners, according to documents the Coalition received in response to a Right-To-Know request.
On January 5, the Department of Environmental Protection reported their inspections found 4,386 violations of environmental regulations at conventional oil and gas operations during 2021 -- nearly two and a half times the violations reported just two years ago in 2019 and 337 more than in 2020. Read more here.] .: Read more here.]
million penalty against Halliburton Energy Services for 255 violations of the state Solid Waste Management Act; -- $1.5 Here are j ust a few examples of the penalties imposed by DEP against Big Shale Gas and related industries include-- -- $939,553 penalty against Chevron related to fatal gas well fire in Greene County; -- $1.1
On November 30, the Environmental Quality Board voted 15 to 2 to approve the emergency regulation setting VOC/methane emission limits for conventional oil and gas facilities. Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler) voted no on the regulation. Representatives for Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Lycoming) and Rep. Read more here. Read more here. Read more here. “We
On September 29, DEP told the Low-Level Waste Advisory Committee shale gas operations in Pennsylvania sent 138,336 cubic feet of radioactive TENORM waste to the Waste Control Specialists low-level radioactive waste facility in Texas for disposal. Click Here for DEP table on TENORM waste. Read more here.
Wolf directed the Department of Environmental Protection to conduct an evaluation of how it regulates conventional oil and gas wells to prevent new abandoned wells, tighten review of permit transfers, review compliance with environmental safeguards and make recommendations for changes and actions, including criminal sanctions. Read more here.
million gallons of toxic, radioactive drilling waste on unpaved roads in the Commonwealth. Feridun’s attempt to use the Oil and Gas Division’s Oil and Gas Reporting Electronic (OGRE) system to track where the waste has gone revealed many problems with the system’s design and entries that should set off alarms but don’t.
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is considering amendments to its Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) regulation, but indicated they have no plans to address the problems caused by counter-productive subsidies for manure biomethane. California’s transportation fuel policy is knee deep in cow poop, and it’s not a good look.
trillion litres of toxic industrial waste to accumulate for over five decades, but now wants us to believe a steering committee with no decision-making power can resolve the issue. per cent of the oil sands have received a formal reclamation certificate from the provincial regulator (AER). The Alberta government has allowed 1.4
Hess, Former Secretary Department of Environmental Protection The information submitted to DEP’s Bureau of Waste Management from eight conventional oil and gas companies to justify allowing them to dispose of millions of gallons of wastewater by spreading it on dirt roads fails to meet the requirements of DEP’s 25 Pa Code Chapter 287.8
When California voters legalized cannabis in 2016, a key argument for legalization was that legalization would benefit the environment. Only a relatively small fraction of cannabis cultivators are believed to have entered into the legal, regulated market, leaving many cultivators still in the black market.
Sara Innamorato (D-Allegheny) co-chaired a hearing by the Senate Democratic Policy Committee on the environmental and health dangers associated with oil and gas drilling waste in Pennsylvania. We are concerned because radium-226 and radium-228, both present in oil and gas waste, can cause bone and connective tissue cancer.
PA Bulletin, page 4159 ) -- The Department of Environmental Protection published notice in the July 20 PA Bulletin saying a major Waste Permit Modification was issued to Waste Management of Fairless, LLC for the lateral expansion of the landfill in Falls Twp., Notice of new technical guidance documents and regulations?
The tide of waste was generated by animals from 132 CAFOs in Indiana and Ohio. Operators are required to “manifest” or document the quantity and location where waste is spread. million more gallons of liquid waste and 50,000 more tons of solid waste were manifested in the two counties. Carl Ganter/ Circle of Blue.
Five other violations involved illegal disposal or handling of liquid or solid waste. Failure To Report Waste Disposal Over 56 percent of conventional well operators-- 1,886-- failed to report not only their oil and gas production, but also how much liquid and solid waste they produced and how it was disposed of as required by state law.
It has left Benton Harbor with a water treatment plant in such disarray that regulators say it can’t reliably produce clean water, even before that water is shunted into a delivery system that includes pipes made of toxic metal. State and federal regulators note they’re not yet recommending any particular course of action.
Klapkowski explained that for more than two years, DEP has been in the process of updating conventional oil and gas environmental protection and waste disposal and handling standards, after the last comprehensive update was “abrogated” by the General Assembly in 2016. Read more here. Read more here. Read more here. Read more here.
A 2020 study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that wetland losses in Florida between 1996 and 2016 resulted in an additional $430 million in property damage from Hurricane Irma in 2017. The prime ones are erosion and flood control, waste treatment, water purification, recreation, and tourism.
April 8 PA Bulletin, page 2016 ) Read more here. -- The Department of Environmental Protection published notice in the April 8 PA Bulletin that Chuwi Innovation and Technology is not in compliance with the state electronics waste recycling law and is prohibited from selling its products in Pennsylvania. ( Click Here to sign up.
On January 20, the natural gas industry and Senate Republicans launched an effort to unleash the industry by reducing regulations, requiring automatic approval of permits and limiting opportunities for public review of permits at a hearing of the Senate Republican Policy Committee in Pittsburgh. Read more here. Read more here.
In an effort to further protect Pennsylvania’s waterways and drinking water, the Department of Environmental Program announced it will soon require all Pennsylvania landfills – including those that accept unconventional oil and gas waste – to conduct quarterly testing of leachate for radiological contaminants.
What the DEP staff did not address or mention was another office in DEP-- DEP’s Bureau of Waste Management-- allows the road dumping of conventional oil and gas drilling wastewater as a dust suppressant under its co-product regulations and this practice continues. From 1991 to 2017 over 240.4 Read more here.
DEP reported in its Right To Know response just 76 conventional companies were assessed penalties for their violations over the last six years by the agency totalling $2,524,973-- between 2016 and 2021. Read more here.
In addition to this uptick in production, at the same time, we had a big increase in waste production. So actually about 98% of waste production from fracked wells is in the form of produced water. Where does this waste actually go? Are There Disproportionate Exposures From Waste? It has several different outlets.
On December 12, the Better Path Coalition delivered signatures from 65 organizations , institutions, and businesses, and more than 2,700 individuals on a letter and petition calling on Governor-Elect Shapiro to ban road spreading of conventional drilling waste. Pennfield has obtained a Co-Product status instead of Waste with our brine.
The Department of Environmental Protection has advised 18 municipalities where road dumping of oil and gas wastewater has occurred the practice is illegal and considered waste disposal. DEP labels a total of 84 townships as “waste facilities” where road dumping of the wastewater has occurred. Read more here. Read more here.
On May 4, 2016, environmental groups sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), seeking to compel EPA to “fulfill long-delayed nondiscretionary duties” under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) by issuing revised regulations governing oil and gas wastes. See Appalachian Voices v. McCarthy , 989 F.
You may have heard about a miracle cure for plastic waste that creates green energy in the process—the mystical waste incinerator. We know how many people want to rid the world of plastic waste and shift to sustainable energy. But there really is no miracle cure for waste. It almost sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it?
The Marcellus Shale Coalition challenged DEP’s 2016regulations setting environmental and safety standards for unconventional shale gas drilling saying the Oil and Gas Act (Act 13) did not authorize DEP to further define public resource agencies and public resources and the regulations contained a potentially overly broad definition of playgrounds.
DEP records show conventional oil and gas companies were issued over 4,270 notices of violation for attempting to abandon oil and gas wells without plugging them between 2016 and 2021. The bill also provides well plugging companies with civil immunity from any damage it causes and for any violations of environmental laws and regulations.
From April 22 to 28, DEP’s Oil and Gas Compliance Database shows oil and gas inspectors filed 729 inspection entries that resulted in reporting 48 violations of environmental regulations-- 32 violations by the conventional oil and gas industry and 16 violations by the unconventional shale natural gas industry. It was not. Cranberry Twp.
Wolf, Senate, House Republicans Again Fail To Hold Conventional Oil & Gas Drillers Accountable For Protecting The Environment, Taxpayers On Hook For Billions [7.19.22] -- Conventional Oil & Gas Drillers Reported Spreading 977,671 Gallons Of Untreated Drilling Wastewater On PA Roads In 2021 [8.31.22] -- Penn State Study: Potential Pollution (..)
Background As recently as September 20, DEP told the Citizens Advisory Council road dumping conventional oil and gas drilling wastewater still does not meet the state’s residual wasteregulations and remains illegal. Read more here. Read more here.
“One of your first acts when you take office must be a ban on road spreading of ALL drilling waste.” Pennfield has obtained a Co-Product status instead of Waste with our brine. Additionally, that same company routinely lists the same amount of waste spread for each of its entries in a county. Click Here to sign petition.
The study included test results for 17 different dust suppressants for dirt roads and winter road treatments, including five different sources of brine water pumped from conventional oil and gas wells-- three conventional well brine waters regulated by DEP and two sources of brine water pumped from played-out conventional wells.
Wolf directed the Department of Environmental Protection to conduct an evaluation of how it regulates conventional oil and gas wells to prevent new abandoned wells, tighten review of permit transfers, review compliance with environmental safeguards and make recommendations for changes and actions, including criminal sanctions. Read more here.
Final VOC/Methane Limits The meeting packet includes a three-page list of questions for DEP on the final regulation setting VOC/methane emission limits on conventional oil and gas operations for discussion. Read more here.] Read more here.] Because of that litigation, it is unlikely DEP will be able to respond to those questions.
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