|
Starting on March 12, Siri Lawson has taken photos and gotten physically ill from the illegal, repeated road dumping of conventional oil and gas wastewater on the road running past her home and on every dirt and paved road she has to travel to get groceries, go to the doctor and take the normal trips anyone would make in Warren County.
She has filed complaints on everything she sees with the Department of Environmental Protection, sent them copies of photos of the dumping and has talked to inspectors on the phone as well as a in-person site visit to her home.
On April 4 and 15, Lawson said wastewater was dumped on the road in front of her house for the first time in six years.
On April 17 she provided testimony to a Senate Committee on the issue of road dumping and on April 19-- “I left [home], I believe it was quarter of nine in the morning and I returned at like ten-thirty. And so there was about an hour and a half, hour and 45 minutes I was gone. And it was during that time period they [dumped again].”
On April 30, the dumpers hit the road in front of her home again, along with the nearby Scranton Hollow Road.
Each time, Lawson said she experienced the symptoms typical of past exposures to oil and gas wastewater-- “burning sinuses, a burning mouth and respiratory issues” and her voice gets hoarse because of the irritation of the vocal cords, which can last for days.
Click Here for just some of the photos she took + a map of the area.
Report Violations
To report oil and gas violations or any environmental emergency or complaint, call DEP at 800-541-2050 or visit DEP’s Environmental Complaint webpage.
(Photos: Lawson’s road; top right- Scranton Hollow Road (straight start line for dumping); right bottom- Another part of Scranton Hollow Road)
Resource Links:
-- Senate Hearing: The Case For An Immediate, Total Ban On Road Dumping Conventional Oil & Gas Wastewater [PaEN]
-- Senate Hearing: Penn State Expert: ‘No More Research That Needs To Be Done’ To Justify A Ban On Road Dumping Conventional Oil & Gas Wastewater [PaEN]
-- Senate Hearing: First-Hand Account Of Health, Environmental Impacts From Road Dumping Conventional Oil & Gas Wastewater - ‘Inhaling Oil & Gas Wastewater 24-Hours A Day’ [PaEN]
-- Senate Hearing: 3.5 Million Gallons Of Conventional Oil & Gas Wastewater Dumped On PA Public Roads Since DEP’s ‘Moratorium’ On Dumping Started 6 Years Ago [PaEN]
-- Senate Hearing: DEP Still Evaluating The Data On Road Dumping Conventional Oil & Gas Wastewater; Asks Public To Report Road Dumping [PaEN]
Special Link:
-- We’re Heard This Before: ‘We’re Providing Jobs - Stopping Pollution Threatens Jobs’ - A Brief Review Of Pennsylvania’s Conservation History [PaEN]
PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:
-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - May 4 to 10 - 32 More Abandoned Conventional Well Violations; Failure To Cleanup Spills; Failure To Get Permits [PaEN]
-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment - May 11 [PaEN]
-- DEP Posted 80 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In May 11 PA Bulletin [PaEN]
Related Articles This Week:
-- Hundreds Of Residents Warn Against Impacts Of Shale Gas Development In Cecil Township, Washington County [PaEN]
-- Two Months: Road Dumping Conventional Oil & Gas Wastewater Continues To Surround The Home Of A Senate Witness Who Opposes The Illegal Practice [PaEN]
-- Moody & Associates Study Finds Discharge Of Conventional Oil & Gas Wastewater To The Ground Surface ‘Not A Viable Management Practice'; Supports Ban On Road Dumping; Onsite Disposal [PaEN]
-- DEP To Propose Changes To Coproduct Determination Process In Residual Waste Regulations; Conventional Oil & Gas Well Owners Tried To Use This Process To Legalize Road Dumping Their Wastewater [PaEN]
-- Sen. Yaw To Introduce Bill To Punish Counties That Seek To Protect Their Residents From Impacts Of Natural Gas Thru Lawsuits [PaEN]
-- PUC Approves Settlement In Peoples Gas Pipeline Over-Pressurization Failure That Damaged Hundreds Of Furnaces, Water Heaters [PaEN]
-- Sen. Comitta, Sen. Santarsiero, Rep. Friel-Otten, Rep. Abney Introduce Gov. Shapiro's Clean Energy/Climate Plan Bills [PaEN]
-- PJM Interconnection: Concerns Remain On Grid Reliability With Final EPA Rule Setting Tougher Air Pollution Standards On New Gas, Existing Coal-fired Power Plants [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Abandoned Conventional Oil & Gas Wells Are Everywhere In PA; An Influx Of Funding Gives DEP New Urgency To Find, Plug Them
-- Post-Gazette Editorial: When A Current Conventional Oil & Gas Operator Buys Wells They Assume All The Liabilities, While Not Passing Costs Of Plugging To Taxpayers; State Could Pay Some Of Costs
-- PA Capital-Star/Capital & Main: Oil/Gas Companies Must Set Aside More Money To Plug Wells On Federal Land Rule Says, But It Won’t Be Enough
-- StateImpactPA - Rachel McDevitt: PA Senate Passes Bill To Change Permit Review For Energy Projects
-- WHYY: Plan To Move LNG Gas By Tanker Truck From PA To Proposed NJ Export Facility Moving Forward
-- WTAE: Concerns Over Fracking In Cecil Township, Washington County
-- KDKA: Cecil Township Residents Raise Concerns About Potential Fracking Plans
-- Cleveland.com: Oil And Gas Wastewater Injection Wells Owned By Ohio Senator Are Leaking; State Paid $1.3 Million To Clean It Up
-- Marcellus Drilling News: Mountain Valley Gas Pipeline Ruptures In Water Pressure Test Near Roanoke, Virginia
-- The Guardian: Vermont Poised To Become First US State To Charge Big Oil For Climate Damage; Modeled On Federal Superfund Cleanup Program
-- Reuters: US Natural Gas Output To Decline In 2024 As Producers Cut Drilling Activities, While Demand Rises To Record High - EIA
-- Bloomberg: Europe Braces For Billions In Writedowns In Stranded Gas Assets As Fossil Fuels Are Phased Out
-- Bloomberg: Build Out Of Approved US LNG Gas Export Terminals Delayed By Construction ‘Hiccups’
-- Reuters: Chinese Look To Buy Stake In Canadian LNG Gas Export Facility
[Posted: May 7, 2024]
|
