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On June 10, the PA Environmental Council sent a letter to the members of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee supporting House Bill 2384 (Vitali-D-Delaware) that bans road dumping of oil and gas wastewater.
The text of the letter follows--
Dear Representatives,
I am writing to convey the Pennsylvania Environmental Council’s support for House Bill 2384 (P.N. 3244), which would prohibit road spreading and land application of production brine and wastewater by the conventional oil and gas industry.
This legislation will be considered by the House Environmental Resources & Energy Committee on Tuesday, June 11th.
Research from the state, academia, and industry itself has shown that this activity poses adverse health and environmental impacts, with no discernable public benefit. These findings were reinforced in detail at today’s hearing on the issue.
It’s time to end this irresponsible practice. The conventional industry should be held responsible for the safe management and proper treatment and disposal of their waste.
The citizens of the Commonwealth should not bear the impacts of this industry’s inadequate practices. House Bill 2384 is one of many steps needed to rectify this unjust shifting of burden.
We urge you to support House Bill 2384. Thank you for your consideration.
John Walliser
Senior VP, Legal & Government Affairs
Pennsylvania Environmental Council
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NewsClips:
-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Road Dumping Oil & Gas Wastewater For Dust Suppression Called Into Question
-- Bradford Era: Rural Road Dust Suppression Technique Using Oil & Gas Wastewater Called Into Question
-- StateImpactPA - Rachel McDevitt: PA House Effort Seeks To Ban Spreading Conventional Oil & Gas Wastewater On Roads
House Action/Hearing On Road Dumping:
-- House Committee Reports Out Bills To Ban Road Dumping Conventional Oil & Gas Wastewater; Prohibit Use Of PFAS 'Forever Chemicals’ In Consumer Products [PaEN]
-- House Hearing: Shapiro Administration Supports Bill Banning Road Dumping Oil & Gas Wastewater, Prohibiting Its Use As Coproduct Under Residual Waste Regulations [PaEN]
-- House Hearing: Penn State Expert Says ‘Pennsylvania Should Ban Road Spreading Of Oil & Gas Wastewater;’ Contaminants Exceed Health, Environmental Standards [PaEN]
-- House Hearing: Penn State Center For Dirt & Gravel Road Studies Says Road Spreading Oil & Gas Wastewater Is Not An Effective Dust Suppressant, Does Not Meet Environmental Testing Standards [PaEN]
-- House Hearing: A First-Hand Account Of How Repeated, Unlimited Road Dumping Of Oil & Gas Drilling Wastewater Is Tearing Apart Dirt Roads And Creating Multiple Environmental Hazards [PaEN]
-- House Hearing: Protect PT - Road Dumping Oil & Gas Wastewater ‘Is Disproportionately Responsible For Negative Impacts On Human Health,’ Especially From Radioactive Radium [PaEN]
-- House Hearing: On Road Dumping Oil & Gas Wastewater - ‘We Studied This For Nearly 30 Years And The Conclusions Are The Same - The Wastewater Contains Harmful Contaminants’ [PaEN]
-- House Hearing: PA State Assn. Of Township Supervisors Opposes Ban On Road Dumping Conventional Oil & Gas Wastewater Saying It’s Only Affordable Option For Dust Suppression [Plain Water Works Just As Well] [PaEN]
-- House Hearing: Conventional Oil & Gas Industry Trade Groups Oppose Bill Banning The Road Dumping Their Wastewater Saying It’s ‘Effective And Safe’ [PaEN]
-- PA Environmental Council Supports Bill To Ban Road Dumping Oil & Gas Wastewater [PaEN]
Road Dumping Intimidation:
-- Week 10: Illegal Dumping Of Conventional Oil & Gas Wastewater Continues Unabated On Paved, Dirt Roads, Before It Rains, It Doesn’t Matter In Warren County [PaEN - 5.30.24]
-- Illegal Wastewater Dumping Continues, Even On Mothers Day, Conventional Oil & Gas Well Owners’ Campaign Of Intimidation Of Senate Witness; Now Dumping Before It Rains, On Paved Roads [PaEN - 5.14.24]
-- Two Months: Road Dumping Conventional Oil & Gas Wastewater Continues To Surround The Home Of A Senate Witness Who Opposes The Illegal Practice [PaEN - 5.7.24]
-- Road Dumping Continues At Will As Conventional Oil & Gas Well Owners Get Rid Of Their Wastewater [PaEN - 4.5.24]
-- Spring Road Dumping Season Underway As Conventional Oil & Gas Operators Get Rid Of Their Wastewater [PaEN - 3.19.24]
Resource Links - Senate April 17 Hearing On Road Dumping:
-- 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]
-- Do You Live In An Oil & Gas Wastewater Disposal Facility? Public Roads In 84 Municipalities In PA, One County In NY Are Being Used As Disposal Areas For Wastewater [PaEN]
-- DEP: 86% Of Conventional Oil & Gas Well Owners Did Not Comply With Waste Disposal, Production Reporting For 33,505 Wells In 2023 [PaEN - 3.29.24]
PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:
-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - June 8 to 14 - Abandoned Conventional Well Violations Now Top 512, Equaling All Of 2023 [PaEN]
-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - June 15 [PaEN]
-- DEP’s June 7 Weekly Workload Report: Zero Shale Gas Wells Drilled In PA, 2 New Permits Issued, Only 1 New Shale Gas Application Received, Only 1 Under Review [Gas Industry Cutting Back To Raise Prices]
-- DEP Posted 74 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In June 15 PA Bulletin [PaEN]
NewsClips This Week:
-- Warren Times Guest Essay: DEP Has Been Chronically Understaffed For Years, Unable To Fulfill Its Basic Mission - By Rep. Greg Vitali (D-Delaware)
-- StateImpactPA - Rachel McDevitt: PA House Effort Seeks To Ban Spreading Conventional Oil & Gas Wastewater On Roads
-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Road Dumping Oil & Gas Wastewater For Dust Suppression Called Into Question
-- Bradford Era: Rural Road Dust Suppression Technique Using Oil & Gas Wastewater Called Into Question
-- The Guardian: Rare Cancers, Full-Body Rashes, Death: Did Fracking Make Their Kids Sick? [Pennsylvania]
-- Marcellus Drilling News: Update On PA Oil & Gas Subsurface Trespass Cases, Good News For Mineral Rights Owners
-- Public Source: There Is Something Wrong Under New Freeport, Greene County After EQT Shale Gas Fracking
-- Public Source: DEP Takes Measured Approach To Private Water Supply Complaints Related To Oil & Gas Drilling
-- The Energy Age Blog: EQT Gives Act 14 Notices In Washington County For 8 More Wells In Union Township
-- Marcellus Drilling News: Update On PA Oil & Gas Subsurface Trespass Cases, Good News For Mineral Rights Owners
-- Marcellus Drilling News: PA DEP Customer Service Advisory Council Has No Customers On It
-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rigs - No Change From Last Week: 21
-- PUC Approves 69% Rate Increase For Small Natural Gas Distribution Utility In Jefferson County
-- Bloomberg: LNG Gas Markets Brace For Price Spikes During Turbulent Summer
-- Reuters: Europe's Natural Gas Surplus Narrows As LNG Gas Shipments Redirected To Asia, China
-- Bloomberg: China’s Binge On US Oil, Natural Gas Liquids Biggest Demand Driver, IEA Says
-- TribLive Guest Essay: Federal Rules Put PA’s Hydrogen Future At Risk - By PA Chamber Of Business & Industry
-- Beaver County Times Guest Essay: Why RiverWise Did Not Pursue Shell Mitigation Penalty Funds - By Daniel Rossi-Keen
-- The Allegheny Front: Safety, Health Doubts Linger As Mountain Valley Gas Pipeline Gets Approval To Start Service
-- WESA/AP: FERC OKs Operation Of Mountain Valley Natural Gas Pipeline
-- Bloomberg: Pipeline Operators’ Brawl Slows $2 Billion Worth Of Pipeline Construction, Not Litigation From Environmentalists
-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: With ARCH2 Hydrogen Hub Planned For Western PA, Some Decisions Are Malleable, Others Are Already Made
-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Hydrogen Hub Boosters Promise Major Jobs, Opponents, Demand More Transparency
-- TribLive Guest Essay: Federal Rules Put PA’s Hydrogen Future At Risk - By PA Chamber Of Business & Industry
[Posted: June 10, 2024]
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