Landfills

Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Landfills | Ohio | Statewide OH | Supply Chain | Utica Shale

OH Anti-Drilling Nutters Prevent Safe Disposal of Drill Cuttings
March 5, 2014March 5, 2014

Score a win for the anti-drillers in Ohio. They have successfully blocked a promising new technology by lying about what it does and can do for the drilling industry. Last September MDN told you the story of an innovative new Ohio company–Ohio Soil Recycling (OSR)–that has figured out how to turn shale drill cuttings (leftover rock and dirt) into clean fill dirt–in 24 hours flat (see OH Company Turns Drill Cuttings into Clean Fill Dirt in 24 Hours). Because some drill cuttings (some, not all) contain very low levels of naturally occurring radioactivity, a fanatical group of nutters called Radioactive Waste Alert (RWA) went on a PR rampage using a big, lying billboard ad to try and suppress this promising new technology (see Radioactive Bilge Emanates from ‘Radioactive Waste Alert’ in OH).

Once again headlines and soundbites rule the day as RWA now claims they have successfully stopped OSR. It’s a sad day–the RWA has made everyone in Ohio less safe than they could have been. But such is the twisted worldview of anti-drilling nutters like those in the RWA. Here’s the “we’re crowing about screwing OSR” announcement from RWA:
Read More “OH Anti-Drilling Nutters Prevent Safe Disposal of Drill Cuttings”
About MDN | Industrywide Issues | Landfills | MDN Resources | Wastewater

ShaleNavigator Service Adds Frack Waste Facilities Layer to Maps
March 5, 2014March 5, 2014

As many MDN readers know, MDN editor Jim Willis partners with Ed Camp from ShaleNavigator, using ShaleNavigator’s top-notch mapping software to create the marvelous maps found in the Marcellus and Utica Shale Databook series. Ed maps the most recent round of permits issued (over the previous four months) on county maps, showing driller name and location for each volume of the Databook. But the maps show a lot more than just permit locations–like major natural gas pipelines, the locations of compressor stations and over a dozen other “layers” available to users of the ShaleNavigator service.

You can now add one more layer to the service: the location of waste facilities used by Marcellus and Utica Shale drillers. You may also recall that the most recent volume of the Databook, Volume 3, contains that very information: a complete list (with addresses and phone numbers) for waste facilities. Ed has used the location data for those waste facilities and added a new layer for users of his excellent service. The press release is below. Be sure to give ShaleNavigator a try by signing up for a free 7-day trial account…
Read More “ShaleNavigator Service Adds Frack Waste Facilities Layer to Maps”
Industrywide Issues | Landfills | Regulation | Statewide WV | West Virginia

Will WV Lawmakers Have Guts to Tackle Cuttings in Landfills Bill?
March 3, 2014March 3, 2014

Two weeks ago MDN told you about a House Bill (HB) 4411, actively under consideration by the West Virginia state legislature, that would codify into law the right for landfills in the state to accept Marcellus and Utica Shale drill cuttings (see WV Bill to Allow More Drill Cuttings in Landfills Faces Opposition). At the time a parade of speakers spoke against the bill with one speaker (from the Independent Oil and Gas Association of West Virginia) speaking in favor. The bill would codify into law the right for landfills to accept larger amounts of cuttings, which anti-drillers object to because it encourages more drilling.

What we didn’t know at the time is why the WV Dept. of Environmental Protection is supporting the bill: because it will codify into law the protections they drafted as a temporary measure (now in place). Yes, protections, like separating the cuttings into their own cell within a landfill, the use of special liners, and lechate monitoring. The DEP is keeping a close eye on this issue and believes the proper place to have the debate about it, along with a resolution to the debate, is in the state legislature–if they have the intestinal fortitude to address it…
Read More “Will WV Lawmakers Have Guts to Tackle Cuttings in Landfills Bill?”
Industrywide Issues | Landfills | Regulation | Statewide WV | West Virginia

WV Bill to Allow More Drill Cuttings in Landfills Faces Opposition
February 20, 2014February 20, 2014

MDN told you in stories both yesterday and today about WV House Bill (HB) 4558 that would allow forced pooling in the state–a bill that seems headed for defeat. However, there is a second House Bill actively under consideration related to the Marcellus/Utica drilling industry in the state. HB 4411 would establish in law that WV municipal landfills can legally accept over the current legal monthly maximum limit of drill cuttings for disposal (full copy of the bill is embedded below). Last year the WV DEP issued a directive that allows landfills to accept drill cuttings over the maximum 10,000 tons, something that some landfills have done since that time (in some cases landfills are accepting up to 40 tons per month). Apparently HB 4411 will codify the DEP directive into law, meaning future administrations can’t arbitrarily decide to rescind the more generous directive in place now.

A House hearing was held yesterday on HB 4411. Of the 20 speakers who addressed the House panel, 19 of them spoke against the law. The sole supporter was Charlie Burd, executive director of the Independent Oil and Gas Association of West Virginia. Here’s more of the story on disposing of drill cuttings (leftover rock and dirt) in municipal landfills…
Read More “WV Bill to Allow More Drill Cuttings in Landfills Faces Opposition”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Chemung County | Industrywide Issues | Landfills | New York

Setting the Record Straight on PA Drill Cuttings Going to NY Landfill
February 17, 2014February 17, 2014

Every now and again it’s necessary to run around and clean up the poopy mess made by reckless and inaccurate claims from anti-drillers. It’s a distasteful but necessary job that needs to be done, otherwise the mental feces they leave strewn all around would begin to pile up.

With respect to inaccurate claims made by anti-drillers (with faux outrage) over drill cuttings (leftover rock and dirt) from PA shale wells that go to the Chemung County Landfill just across the border in NY, Chemung County Executive Tom Santulli is on clean-up duty. Hey, somebody has to do it, so with plastic bag in hand…
Read More “Setting the Record Straight on PA Drill Cuttings Going to NY Landfill”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Landfills | Ohio | Regulation | Washington County (OH) | Wastewater

Tackling a Serious Issue: Low Level Radioactivity in Drill Waste
February 5, 2014February 5, 2014

There are a number of problems to be addressed and resolved when it comes to shale drilling–issues like truck traffic, noise, lights at night and yes, wastewater and drill cuttings (leftover rock and dirt from drilling). MDN has never shied away from discussing those issues–we need to discuss them openly and honestly for that’s the only way we solve them. Simply saying those issues are unsolvable and therefore drilling should never happen is an unreasonable and intellectually dishonest position, yet that’s what many anti-drillers do. Case in point: a single anti-driller’s objection to Washington County, OH company Envirotank Clean’s request to handle and blend semi-liquid drill cuttings that have low levels of naturally occurring radioactivity to make it safe for disposal at certified landfills ready to take it.

Envirotank wants a permit from the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources to begin accepting what is called TENORM, or technologically-enhanced naturally-occurring radioactive material. In a self-defeating argument a single, solitary anti-driller who will no doubt recruit more to her side, says any amount of radioactive material is unsafe. We hate to tell her, but she may want to stay away from the local hospital where there’s lots of radioactive material–material that often sets off radiation alarms at landfills. Should hospitals ban cancer treatments because it produces TENORM material? According to her logic, yes…
Read More “Tackling a Serious Issue: Low Level Radioactivity in Drill Waste”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Landfills | Regulation | Wastewater

CT DEEP Wants Frack Waste Reclassified Hazardous to Keep It Away
February 4, 2014February 4, 2014

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is concerned that fracking waste–both wastewater and drill cuttings–may end up coming to the state. So DEEP has asked CT legislators to consider a bill that will reclassify fracking waste as hazardous waste–even though the federal government itself doesn’t consider fracking waste “hazardous.” Apparently the DEEPers are afraid that those wily shale drillers will sneak across the border and contaminate the pristine wilds of CT, so they want to put severe restrictions on frack waste hauling with the aim of just keeping it away.

Here’s the DEEPer story:
Read More “CT DEEP Wants Frack Waste Reclassified Hazardous to Keep It Away”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Landfills | Mahoning County | Ohio | Wastewater

Glow-in-the-Dark Bob Hagan: Shrill and Nutty
January 29, 2014January 29, 2014

Ever notice that when anti-drillers can’t seem to convince the public of their views, they get nuttier? They start spinning wild yarns, like all that fracking waste is radioactive and we’re going start glowing in the dark any day now. That’s the kind of wild tale being spun by Youngstown, OH Rep. Bob Hagan (Democrat).

Because not enough Ohioans are turning against Utica Shale drilling, it’s time to ratchet up the rhetoric and old Bob is ready to pour it on. Here’s his latest glow-in-the-dark warning…
Read More “Glow-in-the-Dark Bob Hagan: Shrill and Nutty”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Landfills | Ohio | Statewide OH | Wastewater

Glow in the Dark: Are We Being Irradiated by Frack Waste?
January 27, 2014January 27, 2014

The fear-mongering continues by those who oppose shale drilling. One of the scare tactics used by anti-drillers is to say that frack wastewater and drill cuttings (leftover rock and dirt) are loaded with radiation and by disposing of it in landfills and via wastewater recycling facilities we’ll all end up irradiated, dying long slow deaths from cancer. Or worse yet, we’ll all become radioactive zombies. Hey, maybe someone could make a movie about that! (Unbelievably, they already have: see Friday Foibles: The Scientific Link Between Fracking and Zombies.)

The Ohio EPA and Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR) is not much impressed by all these radioactivity claims. Neither are we. One of the favorite drive-by media claims is that drill cuttings are setting off radiation alarms at landfills in record numbers (“hundreds” of times a year). Thing is, those same alarms go off when medical waste is hauled in too–they’re that sensitive that even radioactive dyes are picked up by them. It proves NOTHING. Yet you see that argument often used–fracking dirt contains radition! Whatever. Here’s the latest drive-by attempt to scare people with radioactive waste concerns, this one emitted by the Columbus Dispatch…

Read More “Glow in the Dark: Are We Being Irradiated by Frack Waste?”
Industrywide Issues | Landfills | Statewide WV | West Virginia

WV Anti-Drillers Continue to Harp on Drill Cuttings in Landfills
December 27, 2013December 27, 2013

Anti-drillers in West Virginia continue to beat the drums about drill cuttings (leftover rock, dirt and mud from shale drilling) being disposed of in landfills. The claim they make is that the state “quietly” carved out a “loophole” earlier this year that allows untold mountains of radioactive dirt to be dumped willy-nilly in the nearest landfill and as a result we’ll all be glowing in the dark any day now. Of course it’s bupkis, but it makes for great headlines.

Here’s the latest “keep the radioactive dirt issue alive” story from the AP, from a few weeks ago:
Read More “WV Anti-Drillers Continue to Harp on Drill Cuttings in Landfills”
Berkeley County | Industrywide Issues | Landfills | Statewide WV | West Virginia

WV Residents Express Concerns over Drill Cuttings in Landfills
December 13, 2013

Drill cuttings (leftover rock and dirt from drilling wells) sometimes contains low levels of naturally occurring radiation–that’s a fact. The typical way of disposing drill cuttings is via landfill. Loads are tested for radiation to be sure it doesn’t exceed safe limits, but any time you use the “r” word folks understandably get a little bit antsy. Visions of nuclear waste dumps run through their heads. Recently a rash of media-manufactured stories have appeared that West Virginia has a “loophole” that allows dumping of “radioactive shale waste” in local landfills. That’s not happening, and as stated, when/if there’s radioactivity in the cuttings, it’s usually so low it’s below that of medical waste that goes to the landfill.

But the media has now done it’s job and people are in a dither about this issue. So it’s no surprise that in an area of WV where there is no shale drilling–the eastern panhandle–folks turned out in large numbers to express concern over drilling in general and landfilling of cuttings in particular that may (or may not) be happening in their area…
Read More “WV Residents Express Concerns over Drill Cuttings in Landfills”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Landfills | Ohio | Soil | Statewide OH

Radioactive Bilge Emanates from ‘Radioactive Waste Alert’ in OH
October 16, 2013October 16, 2013

Unfortunately the old Chinese proverb has come true: We live in interesting times. We live in a day and age when thinking, contemplation and logic are foreign concepts to many people. Instead, we get the pablum of headlines, sound bites and billboards. The latest pristine example of non-thinking comes from a billboard near Columbus, OH that targets a business doing great work for the shale drilling industry by recycling drill cuttings–the leftover dirt and rock from drilling a bore hole.

The billboard (see our Pinterest pics on right) says, “Don’t Frack My Water – Protect Columbus” and is sponsored by “RadioactiveWasteAlert.org” with a picture of a girl drinking what appears to be contaminated water from a bottle with a radioactive symbol on the side. It’s aimed at stopping Ohio Soil Recycling from doing the important work that they do (see OH Company Turns Drill Cuttings into Clean Fill Dirt in 24 Hours). What’s the average Columbus commuter going to think? Hopefully at least some of them won’t fall for this cheap shot–this un-thinking gimmick–from a fringe group of anti-fossil fuel nutters…
Read More “Radioactive Bilge Emanates from ‘Radioactive Waste Alert’ in OH”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Landfills | Ohio | Statewide OH | Supply Chain

OH Company Turns Drill Cuttings into Clean Fill Dirt in 24 Hours
September 13, 2013September 13, 2013

An intriguing supply chain story that caught MDN’s eye: An Ohio company has figured out a way to speed up the work of Mother Nature in decomposing the nasty stuff that contaminates “drill cuttings”–the rock and soil left over from drilling natural gas or oil wells. Drill cuttings are typically hauled off to a landfill where it takes Mother Nature hundreds (sometimes thousands) of years to fully break down the chemicals (naturally and not-naturally occurring) in drill cuttings.

Ohio Soil Recycling greatly speeds up the natural process and turns drill cuttings into soil suitable for use as “clean fill dirt” in as little as 24 hours!…
Read More “OH Company Turns Drill Cuttings into Clean Fill Dirt in 24 Hours”
Industrywide Issues | Landfills | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Revisiting the Radioactive Shale Cutting Issue in PA
August 22, 2013August 22, 2013

Because of ongoing concerns about the radioactivity of leftover rock and dirt (“shale cuttings”) being dumped at PA landfills, the state Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) began a 12-14 month study of the issue this past January (see PA DEP Announces New Study of Radiation in Shale Drilling). A new update on their efforts and on the radioactive waste issue appears in today’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The article points out the dramatic increase in radioactive alarms going off at landfills over Marcellus waste shipments (happened nearly 1,000 times last year). However, the article also provides much-needed context and points out the radiation detected is minuscule because the detectors are so finely tuned to detect medical waste, and that in reality most of the time there is no issue or cause for concern.

The article begins this way:
Read More “Revisiting the Radioactive Shale Cutting Issue in PA”
Energy Companies | Greene County (PA) | Industrywide Issues | Landfills | Pennsylvania | Rice Energy | Westmoreland County

Radioactive Cuttings Rejected by Landfill Remain at PA Drill Site
July 9, 2013July 9, 2013

In April, MDN told you about a load of Marcellus Shale drill cuttings from a drill site in Greene County, PA that were due to be dumped at a landfill in Westmoreland County, PA, but the load of cuttings set off the radiation alarms at the landfill (see Marcellus Drill Cuttings Set Off Radiation Alarm at SW PA Landfill). The level of naturally occurring radiation found in the leftover dirt and rock (“shale cuttings”) was a bit too high for disposal at that particular landfill.

So, what happened to that load of radioactive drill cuttings? It was sent back to the well site in Greene County and it has remained there ever since…
Read More “Radioactive Cuttings Rejected by Landfill Remain at PA Drill Site”
Industrywide Issues | Landfills | Pennsylvania | Soil | Statewide PA

Marcellus Shale Cuttings Too Radioactive for Landfill Disposal?
May 14, 2013May 14, 2013

The PA Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) is concerned enough about radioactivity in Marcellus Shale cuttings (leftover rock and dirt) they ordered Read More “Marcellus Shale Cuttings Too Radioactive for Landfill Disposal?”