Wasting Away: Four states’ failure to manage oil and gas waste in the Marcellus and Utica Shale

April 3, 2015

This report examines how oil and gas field waste is tracked, regulated, and managed in the Marcellus and Utica Shale region, which is one of the centers of the current expansion of domestic natural gas production. Waste is frequently transported across the borders of New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, creating a complex web of waste management both within states and regionally. The following report also consider current information gaps pertaining to the oil and gas waste stream in the region, as well as necessary steps that states and the federal government can take to prevent widespread environmental harm that may result from an ever-growing volume of drilling waste.

Industry and its supporters have touted natural gas as a clean energy source and marketed it as an environmentally friendly “alternative” to other fossil fuels like coal and oil. However, the weight of scientific research and documentation of actual impacts increasingly show that this assumption doesn’t hold true if the entire process of gas development—not just its burning and end-use—is considered.4 With time, awareness has grown about other long-term environmental and health risks, including those posed by the generation of large volumes of liquid and solid waste.

Oil and gas waste is often referred to as the “Achilles Heel” of the industry, a vulnerability that carries with it great risk and cannot be ignored indefinitely. Regulatory agencies and legislatures have acknowledged the challenges posed by the surge in oil and gas waste and have taken some action to strengthen policies and regulations. Yet none of the Marcellus and Utica shale states can say for sure how much waste is being produced, where it ends up, and what happens when it gets there.


Tags: Fracking, Pollution, water pollution, Water Supplies

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