To: The Ohio State House, The Ohio State Senate, and Governor Mike DeWine
Keep Fracking Wastewater Brine Off Ohio Roadways
Radioactive fracking wastewater brine should not be used on Ohio roadways as a cheap way to suppress dust and melt snow.
Why is this important?
This is really unbelievable.
Thirteen states--including Ohio--allow municipalities to use drilling and fracking wastewater brine from conventional, non-shale gas wells on roads to keep down dust or melt snow.
Spreading wastewater from non-shale oil and gas drilling and fracking on unpaved roads is a cheap way for municipalities, many of which are smaller townships and rural communities, to suppress dust and melt snow.
However, a 2018 Penn State University study showed that the wastewater contains salts, radioactivity and organic contaminants “often many times higher than drinking water standards.”
The toxicity of the wastewater is a concern because rain can wash heavy metals, oils and radium, a carcinogen, from roads into nearby water sources, the study said.
In fact, a leaked Ohio Department of Natural Resources report in 2017 found high levels of radioactivity in the product currently being applied to our Ohio roads.
After 2017 report became public, members of the Ohio state legislature rejected the findings and instead introduced a law in 2018 that would ease regulations on fracking brine wastewater, treating it as a "commodity" rather than toxic waste derived from oil- and gas-drilling operations.
Now is the time to act! The Ohio 2019 State Legislative Session is just kicking off and we're saying enough is enough!
Radioactive fracking waste water brine should not be used on Ohio roadways as a cheap way to suppress dust and melt snow.
Sources:
https://www.post-gazette.com/business/powersource/2018/06/14/PSU-study-pans-roadway-brine-drilling-wastewater/stories/201806130183?fbclid=IwAR1fwsLa8xCJd9zaE2HMoP0b_5GKPi9Yqx_gPJYWXwqO7H4rW0E2o2bIvis
https://www.cleveland.com/metro/2019/02/ohio-legislature-prepares-to-address-law-for-radioactive-road-deicer.html
Thirteen states--including Ohio--allow municipalities to use drilling and fracking wastewater brine from conventional, non-shale gas wells on roads to keep down dust or melt snow.
Spreading wastewater from non-shale oil and gas drilling and fracking on unpaved roads is a cheap way for municipalities, many of which are smaller townships and rural communities, to suppress dust and melt snow.
However, a 2018 Penn State University study showed that the wastewater contains salts, radioactivity and organic contaminants “often many times higher than drinking water standards.”
The toxicity of the wastewater is a concern because rain can wash heavy metals, oils and radium, a carcinogen, from roads into nearby water sources, the study said.
In fact, a leaked Ohio Department of Natural Resources report in 2017 found high levels of radioactivity in the product currently being applied to our Ohio roads.
After 2017 report became public, members of the Ohio state legislature rejected the findings and instead introduced a law in 2018 that would ease regulations on fracking brine wastewater, treating it as a "commodity" rather than toxic waste derived from oil- and gas-drilling operations.
Now is the time to act! The Ohio 2019 State Legislative Session is just kicking off and we're saying enough is enough!
Radioactive fracking waste water brine should not be used on Ohio roadways as a cheap way to suppress dust and melt snow.
Sources:
https://www.post-gazette.com/business/powersource/2018/06/14/PSU-study-pans-roadway-brine-drilling-wastewater/stories/201806130183?fbclid=IwAR1fwsLa8xCJd9zaE2HMoP0b_5GKPi9Yqx_gPJYWXwqO7H4rW0E2o2bIvis
https://www.cleveland.com/metro/2019/02/ohio-legislature-prepares-to-address-law-for-radioactive-road-deicer.html