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Oil And Gas Drilling Waste Could Face Stricter Regulations
By: Associated Press
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Radioactive waste from oil and natural gas drilling would face new testing, reporting and tracking requirements before going to Ohio landfills under a proposal included in Gov. John Kasich's budget.
The plan, introduced Monday, requires drilling operators to test drilling muds, dirt and rock for radioactivity that hasn't occurred naturally and share that information with landfills before waste is accepted.
Drilling waste containing excessive concentrations of technologically enhanced radioactivity would be diverted to separate licensed disposal sites or diluted under regulatory supervision.
The proposal was under way before Ohio revoked permits last week for two companies that allegedly dumped some 20,000 gallons of gas-drilling wastewater down a storm sewer that empties into the Mahoning River watershed around Youngstown.