Fracking/Gas and Oil Production
States drag their feet on Congressman's frack waste investigation.
A Pennsylvania congressman wanted to know how his state and two neighboring states
oversee the disposal of the often toxic waste generated by fracking oil-and-gas wells. Now,
Matthew Cartwright has some answers, and he finds them late–and lacking. InsideClimate
News
Cartwright finds responses from Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia too
little and too late.
A Pennsylvania congressman wanted to know how his state and two neighboring states oversee the
disposal of the often toxic waste generated by fracking oil-and-gas wells.
Now, Matthew Cartwright has some answers, and he finds them late–and lacking.
Cartwright, a Democrat from eastern Pennsylvania, launched the investigation in his state last
October. A month later, he expanded his inquiry to Ohio and West Virginia.
Responses from two states failed to provide substantive, detailed information to the congressman
while one state has ignored the request.
Among the issues Cartwright raised:
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How each state inspects oil-and-gas waste facilities.
What information the states require to pinpoint what's in the waste.
An explanation of the process for handling complaints regarding fracking waste disposal.
Answers to those questions are important for both residents and the environment in regions that are
disposing of huge quantities of fracking waste, Cartwright said in an email interview.
"States continually argue that this is a state's issue and they can best handle it," Cartwright said. "We
are simply asking states to please provide a little more insight into how they handle this issue and
more importantly, how they enforce their own regulations.
"We believe that these states may not be adequately disposing of potentially hazardous waste."
A representative of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency did not respond to InsideClimate
News calls and questions about why the agency has failed to reply to Cartwright. The agency was
given a Dec. 3 deadline.
West Virginia officials recently assured Cartwright they are properly monitoring oil-and-gas waste.
Pennsylvania administrators met the deadline but provided only broad answers.
In a two-page letter to Cartwright sent after InsideClimate News inquired about why a Dec. 3
deadline was missed, a West Virginia official told the congressman that the waste ends up in
properly regulated facilities.
Randy C. Huffman, cabinet secretary for the state's EPA, did not specifically address Cartwright’s
questions or provide data sought by the congressman.
"West Virginia has several regulations in place to address proper disposal of the waste associated
with oil and gas operations," Huffman told Cartwright.
In the letter, Huffman briefly explained to Cartwright that drilling waste must be disposed of in landfill
cells specifically constructed for oil-and-gas waste, and the agency has established limits on the
amount of toxins allowed in the waste.
Huffman also told Cartwright his agency is working with the West Virginia Department of Health and
Human Resources on a study of radiation levels of drilling waste. That information will be provided to
the state legislature later in the year, Huffman said.
Huffman's letter did not indicate the agency intends any further response to Cartwright.
A Deadline, a Dearth of Details
Pennsylvania officials met Cartwright's Nov. 12 deadline with a five-page response that provided the
state’s policy positions on many of his questions. The agency generally explained its reporting
requirements for the following: oil-and-gas waste facilities; mandatory chemical analysis of waste;
and state inspection standards for waste facilities. It also included an explanation of enforcement
rules.
"Pennsylvania's residual waste regulations provide a comprehensive approach for managing waste
from the point of generation to transportation, processing, recycling and disposal," said the letter
signed by Dana Aunkst, the former acting secretary of Pennsylvania’s EPA. (He is now the agency’s
executive deputy secretary for programs.)
Aunkst explained that it would take considerable time to provide specific answers to Cartwright’s
questions, but pledged cooperation if more information was required.
The replies have prompted Cartwright, a member of the House Subcommittee on Economic Growth,
Job Creation and Regulatory Affairs, to seek meetings with committee staff in the coming weeks to
discuss ways to get the information, according to a Cartwright staff member.
As a minority member of the committee, Cartwright must rely on the voluntary cooperation of the
state agencies. To compel disclosure through subpoenas would require the support of the
Republican majority, assistance that seems unlikely.
Cartwright identified the three states as objects of his Congressional investigation because they
generate waste from hydraulic fracturing––or fracking––as well as accepting waste from other states.
Fracking is the process of blasting a mixture of water, chemicals and sand down a well to break open
shale to extract fossil fuels.
Cartwright's growing inquiry mirrors the increasing national concern about the disposal of oil-and-gas
waste generated by fracking.
In letters to the heads of the three states' environmental protection agencies, Cartwright said fracking
waste can "cause harm to human health and the environment" if not properly handled.
Cartwright, who is beginning his second term, also wants to determine whether the three states are
following the federal Clean Air Act, which mandates protection from airborne contaminants.
Cartwright cites a 2011 minority staff report of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. It
identified 29 chemicals found in fracking waste that are possible human carcinogens, and are
regulated under both the Clean Air Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act for their risks to human
health.
The report identified benzene, toluene, xylene and ethylbenzene as being among the chemicals
found in fracking products. Each of those compounds is a contaminant under the Safe Drinking
Water Act and a hazardous air pollutant under the Clean Air Act. Benzene also is a known human
carcinogen.
An investigation published last year by InsideClimate News found that in most states where fracking
is taking place, air emissions from oil-and-gas waste are among the least regulated, least monitored
and least understood components in the extraction-and-production cycle.
No Mandate, No Monitoring
The representative also wants answers to more than a dozen other questions related to the way the
states ensure health and environmental safety.
"The Subcommittee minority is conducting this oversight to determine if state regulations and
monitoring of fracking waste are sufficient to ensure accuracy, completeness and compliance with
applicable environmental laws," Cartwright said in the letters.
But the request has not elicited the answers Cartwright sought.
David Brown, a toxicologist at the Southwest Pennsylvania Environmental Health Project, said he
suspects one of the reasons for the snub is that the state agencies simply don't have the information.
"You hope someone is paying attention to things like this," he said, "but that's not always the case."
Brown suggests one of the reasons for some of the states' indifference is an absence of federal
requirements for tracking and regulating the waste.
Consequently, he said, states don’t closely regulate oil-and-gas waste because such oversight is not
mandated. And in many cases, even if they wanted to undertake the job, they don’t have adequate
resources, he said.
Not regulating the waste is a huge failing, Brown said.
"It's important to know what’s in this material because some it can be highly toxic," Brown said. "If
these toxic substances get into the ground water or into the air, they can be very dangerous."
Some of the compounds in oil-and-gas waste have been linked to cancer, or contribute to respiratory
and neurological illnesses.
It's dangerous to remain uninformed of the exact makeup and concentrations of chemicals in oil-andgas waste, Brown said. He cites leaded gasoline as an example.
It took decades for the threat to human health posed by the toxicity of leaded fuel became known, he
said.
"The implication of exposing the population to chemicals that you don't know much about is a
dangerous thing," Brown said. "From a public health perspective, they ought to know what’s going
on."
-----------------Wastewater pipelines often leak in North Dakota.
Large breaches in pipelines that carry water away from the oilfields are not uncommon in
North Dakota, and the consequences can be devastating. But watchdogs say it doesn’t have
to be that way. High Country News
------------------------Proposed frac sand mining operation could be biggest in Minnesota.
A proposed silica sand mining project in southeastern Minnesota could change the nature of
the industry in the state. Or not. Forum News Service
Miffed at the fracking ban, these New York towns hope Pennsylvania might adopt them. Some New
York towns, desperate for economic development, are thinking about seceding from the state.
Washington Post. 20 February 2015.
‘Scientific fact’ should decide fracking policy. The 2015 Edinburgh International Science Festival
launches today with a call for a “new Enlightenment” – with policy decisions on controversial issues
such as Scotland’s North Sea oil, fracking and climate change to be based on hard scientific fact
rather than hype. Edinburgh Scotsman, United Kingdom. 19 February 2015.
Fracking waste must be dealt with responsibly. Fracking waste should be deemed as hazardous
and, thus, placed under a more restricted threshold of whether it can be dumped - and how.
Poughkeepsie Journal, New York. 19 February 2015.
Wastewater pipelines often leak in North Dakota. Large breaches in pipelines that carry water away
from the oilfields are not uncommon in North Dakota, and the consequences can be devastating. But
watchdogs say it doesn’t have to be that way. High Country News. 18 February 2015.
States drag their feet on Congressman's frack waste investigation. A Pennsylvania congressman
wanted to know how his state and two neighboring states oversee the disposal of the often toxic
waste generated by fracking oil-and-gas wells. Now, Matthew Cartwright has some answers, and he
finds them late–and lacking. InsideClimate News. 17 February 2015.
Statistical realism for the shale oil boom. A former geologist with the Geological Survey of Canada,
David Hughes does not preach about the environmental evils of fossil fuels or the moral imperative
of protecting the planet for future generations. Instead, he argues with the math. High Country News.
17 February 2015.
Congressional Democrats seek to step up fracking oversight. Democrats on a congressional
oversight panel are stepping up their investigation into how well states are regulating the disposal of
oil and gas waste, citing continuing public concern about the potential environmental and health risks
of hydraulic fracturing. Associated Press. 17 February 2015.
Proposed frac sand mining operation could be biggest in Minnesota. A proposed silica sand mining
project in southeastern Minnesota could change the nature of the industry in the state. Or not. Forum
News Service. 16 February 2015.
Study: Oklahoma's daily small quakes raise risk of big ones. Small earthquakes shaking Oklahoma
and southern Kansas daily and linked to energy drilling are dramatically increasing the chance of
bigger and dangerous quakes, federal research indicates. Associated Press. 16 February 2015.
Germany moves to legalise fracking. Germany has proposed a draft law that would allow
commercial shale gas fracking at depths of over 3,000 metres, overturning a de facto moratorium
that has been in place since the start of the decade. The Guardian. 16 February 2015.
The holdouts. Three families who took a pass on the fracking boom - and what it cost them (Part 2).
Texas Observer, Texas. 16 February 2015.
Fractivists target Denver to build support. Oakwood Homes of Green Valley Ranch in Denver,
Colorado, held onto and later the mineral rights beneath the houses, allowing the developer to cash
in on energy development. Homeowners often figure this out only after they move in. High Country
News. 15 February 2015.
Amid a lack of fracking data, California should halt new operations. The resources division, which
has failed at the job of providing information about fracking and protecting the state's water
resources, must move swiftly to close wells that were supposed to be protected. Los Angeles Times.
13 February 2015.
Fracking will be allowed under national parks, UK decides. Fracking companies will be allowed to
drill horizontally under national parks and other protected areas if the wells start just outside their
boundaries, after the UK government rowed back on its earlier acceptance of new environmental
protections. The Guardian. 12 February 2015.
Ban, don’t delay, fracking in Maryland. We believe the issue of fracking has been studied enough,
and enough evidence exists of the illnesses, air pollution and water contamination in other states
that Maryland should go ahead and ban fracking altogether, rather than just stall it. Frederick NewsPost, Maryland. 12 February 2015.
High levels of benzene found in California fracking waste water. Testing results from hundreds of
wells showed, on average, benzene levels 700 times higher than federal standards allow, according
to a Times analysis of the state data. Los Angeles Times. 11 February 2015.
Fewer trade secrets for Wyoming fracking fluid. A court settlement will make it harder for companies
to hide chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing. High Country News. 11 February 2015.
Grangemouth threatened by fracking moratorium, says Ineos. The Grangemouth petrochemicals
plant, Scotland’s most important industrial complex, is unlikely to survive in the long term without the
development of local shale gas resources, its owner Ineos has warned. Financial Times, United
Kingdom. 11 February 2015.
Research shows strong correlation between quakes, oil activity. New research is zeroing in on a
significant correlation between oil and gas waste disposal and earthquakes in a two-county area in
northern Oklahoma. EnergyWire. 10 February 2015.
Ineos in Grangemouth warning over fracking ban. The massive Grangemouth petrochemical plant is
“unlikely” to have a long-term future if Scotland turns its back on fracking, a senior figure from its
owner Ineos has warned. Edinburgh Scotsman, United Kingdom. 10 February 2015.
Marcellus Life: A Native American protest to stop a Pennsylvania pipeline. Fearing damage to
artifacts and burial sites, a natural gas pipeline extension project meets strong Native American
opposition. Public Source, Pennsylvania. 9 February 2015.
Thousands march and rally in Oakland to call for ban on fracking. Thousands of people from up and
down California marched in Oakland on Saturday for the largest protest to date against the state's
use of hydraulic fracturing to harvest oil and natural gas. Contra Costa Times, California. 9 February
2015.
Climate talks in Geneva open to 'urgency' pleas but muted expectations. The modest but challenging
goal of week-long talks is to produce a more "manageable and negotiable text" to form the basis of a
new climate treaty. InsideClimate News. 9 February 2015.
Protesters march in Oakland, push for Jerry Brown to ban fracking. Thousands of antifracking
activists took to Oakland’s streets Saturday to call for Gov. Jerry Brown to change his stance and
ban the controversial practice, which uses large amounts of a pressurized water mixture to crack
subterranean rocks and release oil or natural gas. San Francisco Chronicle, California. 9 February
2015.
Frack foes: Drill waste sent to NY landfills. While environmental activists were delighted when the
Cuomo administration banned hydraulic fracturing, many now say they are perplexed and
disappointed the same administration is not doing more to curb the shipment of waste from
Pennsylvania to New York landfills. Oneonta Daily Star, New York. 9 February 2015.
Thumbs Down: Officials OK fracking fluid into aquifers. Regulators have been rumbling down a
dangerous path in a state suffering through a serious drought. Palm Springs Desert Sun, California.
8 February 2015.
N.Y. landfills taking tons of Pa. drilling waste. At least 460,000 tons and 23,000 barrels of waste from
Pennsylvania drilling operations have been taken in by a handful of New York landfills since 2010,
according to a new analysis Thursday. Ithaca Journal, New York. 7 February 2015.
New York landfills accept 460,000 tons of Pennsylvania drilling waste. At least 460,000 tons and
23,000 barrels of waste from Pennsylvania drilling operations have been taken in by a few New York
landfills since 2010, a new analysis Thursday indicates. Lower Hudson Valley Journal News, New
York. 6 February 2015.
Prospects for fracking in Britain are "bleak" as the industry loses ground. In the last two weeks,
Scotland, Wales, and 40 per cent of the English land offered for fracking have been officially put offlimits. The Telegraph, United Kingdom. 6 February 2015.
Fracking moratorium sought in Maryland. Public health and environmental advocates gathered in
Annapolis Thursday to push for a long-term moratorium on hydraulic fracturing for natural gas.
Baltimore Sun, Maryland. 6 February 2015.