Radioactive Marcellus, Utica well waste flows through ‘loophole’

COLUMBUS — A federal loophole could mean millions of tons and billions of gallons of radioactive natural gas waste are being disposed of as if they were not radioactive.

According to the investigation by Rolling Stone, liquid brine from the average Marcellus well contains more than 9,000 picocuries per liter of radium.

A picocurie, abbreviated pCi, is equal to the radioactivity of one gram of radium. A nuclear site is not allowed to discharge wastewater above 60 pCi.

Melissa Troutman, research and policy analyst for the nonprofit group Earthworks, said the problem is an exemption included in federal law for oil and gas waste decades ago.

"It is exempt from hazardous waste law, and has been since the 1980s," Troutman said. "So for the past 40 years, this waste has been disposed of improperly and has led to water and land contamination as well as public health risks."

Brine is used in commercial de-icing products and spread by municipal de-icing trucks, according to the Rolling Stone investigation.

Though the Ohio Department of Transportation uses brine to de-ice state roads, it's not from brine wells, a spokesperson told Mahoning Matters Friday — rather, a traditional mixture of salt in water.

In Mahoning County, de-icing trucks don't deliver brine, nor are they equipped to, said Mahoning County Engineer Pat Ginnetti.

Rolling Stone reporter Justin Nobel, who authored the report released Tuesday, and Silverio Caggiano, a Youngstown Fire Department senior battalion chief, are set to speak this weekend on the issue of radioactive fracking waste.

The presentation, part of the university's Dr. Ray Energy and Environment Speaker Series, is set for noon to 2 p.m. in Room B100 of Cushwa Hall on the campus of Youngstown State University.

Caggiano, a member of the YFD for more than 37 years, has received numerous professional recognitions and has training and experience as a HazMat/WMD specialist. He will share his concerns over the danger to both first responders and residents from the fracking industry.

Nobel has spent the past 20 months reporting on the issue of radioactivity brought to the surface in oil and gas production and the many pathways of contamination posed to workers, the public, communities and the environment. He also is writing a book on the topic to be published with Simon & Schuster and tentatively titled "Petroleum-238: Big Oil's Dangerous Secret and the Grassroots Fight to Stop It."

The oil industry argues that naturally occurring radioactivity doesn't pose a real threat to humans or the environment. And gas drillers' political allies have said increased regulations would stunt growth at a time when the industry is already troubled by low prices.

Troutman said the levels and types of radioactivity in the waste are far more dangerous than what people normally would encounter, particularly when it is concentrated in the processes of production and disposal. She adds there are people in Congress who see this as a serious problem.

"At the federal level, there are bills that have been introduced to close the hazardous waste loophole," she said. "The unfortunate thing is, the political will is not there to do so."

According to Earthworks, Marcellus and Utica drilling has produced nearly 400 billion barrels of liquid waste and almost 10 million tons of solid waste since 2011.

Troutman said while all oil and gas drilling produces some radioactive waste, the waste from the Marcellus is the most radioactive in the country.

— Mahoning Matters reporter Justin Dennis contributed to this report.

This story was originally published January 24, 2020 at 1:54 PM with the headline "Radioactive Marcellus, Utica well waste flows through ‘loophole’."