SELECTED DRILLING & FRACKING VIOLATIONS IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA

From Skytruth Alerts, Shepherdstown, WV, February 2021

PA Permit Violation Issued to RICE DRILLING B LLC in Center Twp, Greene County, Penna.
Description: Environmental Health & Safety violation issued on 1/11/2021 to RICE DRILLING B LLC in Center Twp, Greene county. 78a54 – GENERAL REQUIREMENTS – Operator failed to control and dispose of fluids, residual waste and drill cuttings, including tophole water, brines, drilling fluids, drilling muds, stimulation fluids, well servicing fluids, oil, and production fluids in a manner that prevents pollution of the waters of the Commonwealth and in accordance with 25 Pa. Code 78a.55 – 78a.58 and 78a.60 – 78a.63.

PA Permit Violation Issued to RICE DRILLING B LLC in Center Twp, Greene County, Penna.
Description: Environmental Health & Safety violation issued on 1/11/2021 to RICE DRILLING B LLC in Center Twp, Greene county. 78A57(A)___ – CONTROL, STORAGE AND DISPOSAL OF PRODUCTION FLUIDS – Operator discharged brine and other fluids on or into the ground or into the waters of this Commonwealth.

PA Permit Violation Issued to RICE DRILLING B LLC in Center Twp, Greene County, Penna.
Description: Environmental Health & Safety violation issued on 1/11/2021 to RICE DRILLING B LLC in Center Twp, Greene county. SWMA 301 – MANAGEMENT OF RESIDUAL WASTE – Person operated a residual waste processing or disposal facility without obtaining a permit for such facility from DEP. Person stored, transported, processed, or disposed of residual waste inconsistent with or unauthorized by the rules and regulations of DEP.

##########……….###########……….#########

PA Permit Violation Issued to EQT PROD CO in Forward Twp, Allegheny County, Penna.
Description: Environmental Health & Safety violation issued on 1/06/2021 to EQT PROD CO in Forward Twp, Allegheny county. SWMA 301 – MANAGEMENT OF RESIDUAL WASTE – Person operated a residual waste processing or disposal facility without obtaining a permit for such facility from DEP. Person stored, transported, processed, or disposed of residual waste inconsistent with or unauthorized by the rules and regulations of DEP.

PA Permit Violation Issued to EQT PROD CO in Forward Twp, Allegheny County, Penna
Description: Environmental Health & Safety violation issued on 1/06/2021 to EQT PROD CO in Forward Twp, Allegheny county. SWMA 301 – MANAGEMENT OF RESIDUAL WASTE – Person operated a residual waste processing or disposal facility without obtaining a permit for such facility from DEP. Person stored, transported, processed, or disposed of residual waste inconsistent with or unauthorized by the rules and regulations of DEP.

PA Permit Violation Issued to EQT PROD CO in Forward Twp, Allegheny County, Penna.
Description: Environmental Health & Safety violation issued on 1/06/2021 to EQT PROD CO in Forward Twp, Allegheny county. 78a54 – GENERAL REQUIREMENTS – Operator failed to control and dispose of fluids, residual waste and drill cuttings, including tophole water, brines, drilling fluids, drilling muds, stimulation fluids, well servicing fluids, oil, and production fluids in a manner that prevents pollution of the waters of the Commonwealth and in accordance with 25 Pa. Code 78a.55 – 78a.58 and 78a.60 – 78a.63.

PA Permit Violation Issued to EQT PROD CO in Forward Twp, Allegheny County
Description: Environmental Health & Safety violation issued on 1/06/2021 to EQT PROD CO in Forward Twp, Allegheny county. 78A57(A)___ – CONTROL, STORAGE AND DISPOSAL OF PRODUCTION FLUIDS – Operator discharged brine and other fluids on or into the ground or into the waters of this Commonwealth.

PA Permit Violation Issued to EQT PROD CO in Forward Twp, Allegheny County, Penna.
Description: Environmental Health & Safety violation issued on 1/06/2021 to EQT PROD CO in Forward Twp, Allegheny county. 91.34(A) – ACTIVITIES UTILIZING POLLUTANTS – Failure to take necessary measures to prevent the substances from directly or indirectly reaching waters of this Commonwealth, through accident, carelessness, maliciousness, hazards of weather or from another cause.

PA Permit Violation Issued to EQT PROD CO in Forward Twp, Allegheny County, Penna.
Description: Environmental Health & Safety violation issued on 1/06/2021 to EQT PROD CO in Forward Twp, Allegheny county. 78a54 – GENERAL REQUIREMENTS – Operator failed to control and dispose of fluids, residual waste and drill cuttings, including tophole water, brines, drilling fluids, drilling muds, stimulation fluids, well servicing fluids, oil, and production fluids in a manner that prevents pollution of the waters of the Commonwealth and in accordance with 25 Pa. Code 78a.55 – 78a.58 and 78a.60 – 78a.63.

PA Permit Violation Issued to EQT PROD CO in Forward Twp, Allegheny County, Penna.
Description: Environmental Health & Safety violation issued on 1/06/2021 to EQT PROD CO in Forward Twp, Allegheny county. 78A57(A)___ – CONTROL, STORAGE AND DISPOSAL OF PRODUCTION FLUIDS – Operator discharged brine and other fluids on or into the ground or into the waters of this Commonwealth.

PA Permit Violation Issued to EQT PROD CO in Forward Twp, Allegheny County, Penna.
Description: Environmental Health & Safety violation issued on 1/06/2021 to EQT PROD CO in Forward Twp, Allegheny county. 91.34(A) – ACTIVITIES UTILIZING POLLUTANTS – Failure to take necessary measures to prevent the substances from directly or indirectly reaching waters of this Commonwealth, through accident, carelessness, maliciousness, hazards of weather or from another cause.

PA Permit Violation Issued to EQT PROD CO in Forward Twp, Allegheny County, Penna.
Description: Environmental Health & Safety violation issued on 1/05/2021 to EQT PROD CO in Forward Twp, Allegheny county. 91.34(A) – ACTIVITIES UTILIZING POLLUTANTS – Failure to take necessary measures to prevent the substances from directly or indirectly reaching waters of this Commonwealth, through accident, carelessness, maliciousness, hazards of weather or from another cause.

PA Permit Violation Issued to EQT PROD CO in Forward Twp, Allegheny County, Penna.
Description: Environmental Health & Safety violation issued on 1/05/2021 to EQT PROD CO in Forward Twp, Allegheny county. 78a54 – GENERAL REQUIREMENTS – Operator failed to control and dispose of fluids, residual waste and drill cuttings, including tophole water, brines, drilling fluids, drilling muds, stimulation fluids, well servicing fluids, oil, and production fluids in a manner that prevents pollution of the waters of the Commonwealth and in accordance with 25 Pa. Code 78a.55 – 78a.58 and 78a.60 – 78a.63.

PA Permit Violation Issued to EQT PROD CO in Forward Twp, Allegheny County, Penna.
Description: Environmental Health & Safety violation issued on 1/05/2021 to EQT PROD CO in Forward Twp, Allegheny county. 78A57(A)___ – CONTROL, STORAGE AND DISPOSAL OF PRODUCTION FLUIDS – Operator discharged brine and other fluids on or into the ground or into the waters of this Commonwealth.

PA Permit Violation Issued to EQT PROD CO in Forward Twp, Allegheny County, Penna.
Description: Environmental Health & Safety violation issued on 1/05/2021 to EQT PROD CO in Forward Twp, Allegheny county. SWMA 301 – MANAGEMENT OF RESIDUAL WASTE – Person operated a residual waste processing or disposal facility without obtaining a permit for such facility from DEP. Person stored, transported, processed, or disposed of residual waste inconsistent with or unauthorized by the rules and regulations of DEP.

##########………..##########……….##########

PA Permit Violation Issued to THE PRODUCTION CO LLC in Redstone Twp, Fayette County, Penna.
Description: Administrative violation issued on 1/05/2021 to THE PRODUCTION CO LLC in Redstone Twp, Fayette county. 78.121(B) – WELL REPORTING – PRODUCTION REPORTING – Operator failed to electronically submit production and status report to the Department through its web site.

PA Permit Violation Issued to THE PRODUCTION CO LLC in Jefferson Twp, Fayette County, Penna.
Description: Environmental Health & Safety violation issued on 1/19/2021 to THE PRODUCTION CO LLC in Jefferson Twp, Fayette county. 78.74 – VENTING OF GAS – Operator vented gas to the atmosphere that produced a hazard to the public health and safety.

PA Permit Violation Issued to THE PRODUCTION CO LLC in Jefferson Twp, Fayette County, Penna.
Description: Environmental Health & Safety violation issued on 1/19/2021 to THE PRODUCTION CO LLC in Jefferson Twp, Fayette county. 78.91(a) – PLUGGING – GENERAL PROVISIONS – Upon abandoning a well, the owner or operator failed to plug the well to stop the vertical flow of fluids or gas within the well bore under 25 Pa. Code 78.92-78.98 or an approved alternate method.

PA Permit Violation Issued to THE PRODUCTION CO LLC in Jefferson Twp, Fayette County, Penna.
Description: Administrative violation issued on 1/19/2021 to THE PRODUCTION CO LLC in Jefferson Twp, Fayette county. OGA3211(H) – WELL PERMITS – LABELING – Failure to install, in a permanent manner, the permit number on a completed well.

PA Permit Violation Issued to THE PRODUCTION CO LLC in Jefferson Twp, Fayette County, Penna.
Description: Administrative violation issued on 1/19/2021 to THE PRODUCTION CO LLC in Jefferson Twp, Fayette county. OGA3211(G) – WELL PERMITS – POSTING – Failure to post the well permit number and the operator’s name, address and phone number at the well site during construction of the access road, site preparation and during drilling, operating or alteration of well.

PA Permit Violation Issued to THE PRODUCTION CO LLC in Jefferson Twp, Fayette County, Penna.
Description: Environmental Health & Safety violation issued on 1/19/2021 to THE PRODUCTION CO LLC in Jefferson Twp, Fayette county. 78.73(a) – GENERAL PROVISION FOR WELL CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION – Operator failed to construct and operate the well in accordance with 25 Pa. Code Chapter 78 and ensure that the integrity of the well is maintained and health, safety, environment and property are protected.

##########……….##########……….##########

PA Permit Violation Issued to EQUITRANS LP in Morgan Twp, Greene County, Penna.
Description: Environmental Health & Safety violation issued on 1/21/2021 to EQUITRANS LP in Morgan Twp, Greene county. 78.91(a) – PLUGGING – GENERAL PROVISIONS – Upon abandoning a well, the owner or operator failed to plug the well to stop the vertical flow of fluids or gas within the well bore under 25 Pa. Code 78.92-78.98 or an approved alternate method.

##########……….##########……….##########

PA Permit Violation Issued to DIVERSIFIED PROD LLC in Cumberland Twp, Greene County, Penna.
Description: Environmental Health & Safety violation issued on 2/04/2021 to DIVERSIFIED PROD LLC in Cumberland Twp, Greene county. 78.54 – GENERAL REQUIREMENTS – Operator failed to control and dispose of fluids, residual waste and drill cuttings, including tophole water, brines, drilling fluids, drilling muds, stimulation fluids, well servicing fluids, oil, and production fluids in a manner that prevents pollution of the waters of the Commonwealth.

PA Permit Violation Issued to DIVERSIFIED PROD LLC in Cumberland Twp, Greene County, Penna.
Description: Environmental Health & Safety violation issued on 2/04/2021 to DIVERSIFIED PROD LLC in Cumberland Twp, Greene county. SWMA 302(B)3 – DISPOSAL, PROCESSING AND STORAGE OF RESIDUAL WASTE – Person failed to design, construct, operate or maintain facilities and areas in a manner that do not adversely effect affect or endanger public health, safety and welfare or the environment or cause a public nuisance.

PA Permit Violation Issued to DIVERSIFIED PROD LLC in Cumberland Twp, Greene County, Penna.
Description: Environmental Health & Safety violation issued on 2/04/2021 to DIVERSIFIED PROD LLC in Cumberland Twp, Greene county. 78.57(a) – CONTROL, STORAGE AND DISPOSAL OF PRODUCTION FLUIDS – Operator failed to collect the brine and other fluids produced during operation, service and plugging of the well in a tank, pit or a series of pits or tanks, or other device approved by the Department or Operator discharged brine or other fluids on or into the ground or into waters of the Commonwealth.

PA Permit Violation Issued to DIVERSIFIED PROD LLC in Dunkard Twp, Greene County, Penna.
Description: Environmental Health & Safety violation issued on 2/04/2021 to DIVERSIFIED PROD LLC in Dunkard Twp, Greene county. 78.54 – GENERAL REQUIREMENTS – Operator failed to control and dispose of fluids, residual waste and drill cuttings, including tophole water, brines, drilling fluids, drilling muds, stimulation fluids, well servicing fluids, oil, and production fluids in a manner that prevents pollution of the waters of the Commonwealth.

PA Permit Violation Issued to DIVERSIFIED PROD LLC in Dunkard Twp, Greene County, Penna.
Description: Environmental Health & Safety violation issued on 2/04/2021 to DIVERSIFIED PROD LLC in Dunkard Twp, Greene county. SWMA 302(B)3 – DISPOSAL, PROCESSING AND STORAGE OF RESIDUAL WASTE – Person failed to design, construct, operate or maintain facilities and areas in a manner that do not adversely effect affect or endanger public health, safety and welfare or the environment or cause a public nuisance.

PA Permit Violation Issued to DIVERSIFIED PROD LLC in Dunkard Twp, Greene County, Penna.
Description: Environmental Health & Safety violation issued on 2/04/2021 to DIVERSIFIED PROD LLC in Dunkard Twp, Greene county. 78.57(a) – CONTROL, STORAGE AND DISPOSAL OF PRODUCTION FLUIDS – Operator failed to collect the brine and other fluids produced during operation, service and plugging of the well in a tank, pit or a series of pits or tanks, or other device approved by the Department or Operator discharged brine or other fluids on or into the ground or into waters of the Commonwealth.

2015 explosion at Exxon Mobil Corp.'s Torrance, Calif., refinery

From an Article by E.A. Crunden, Greenwire, E&E News, December 2, 2020

EPA will not require three major industries to guarantee funding for toxic waste cleanups under federal Superfund law, finalizing a controversial rule in the last months of the Trump administration.

The agency said it would not mandate the chemical manufacturing, oil and gas, and coal power plant industries to provide financial assurance in the event of major accidents and crises.

“EPA has found that existing environmental regulations and modern industry practices are sufficient to mitigate any risks inherent in these industries,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler in a statement Wednesday.

The agency said it analyzed the need for new financial assurance requirements for those industries under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), looking at financial risks associated with those sectors. EPA said it also evaluated a range of other factors including the history of Superfund cleanups, economic trends and input from the public in its assessment.

“EPA reviewed and considered public comments to conclude that the level of risk is addressed by existing requirements and does not warrant new requirements for these industries,” the agency stated in its announcement.

That decision means no new rules will be introduced addressing the issue. It runs counter to the Obama administration’s argument that industries should have the financial means to fund toxic waste cleanups to ease strain on the government.

The decision affecting the three industries follows a similar move on hardrock mining. In 2017, the Trump administration opted not to impose new insurance requirements on that industry, generating significant litigation (Greenwire, Dec. 4).

Advocacy organizations have already slammed EPA’s new rule as detrimental for taxpayers and the environment, as well as vulnerable communities. They say companies often declare bankruptcy to avoid liability for cleanups, something financial assurance can help prevent.

“For years, it’s been the most important rule that nobody knows about,” said Lisa Evans, senior counsel for the group Earthjustice, calling EPA’s findings “really a huge step backwards.”

Evans said the move holds outsize environmental justice implications, as industrial sites are often located near low-income communities and people of color. She said financial assurance both guarantees a source of funding for cleanup and encourages companies to adopt safer backups to begin with, limiting the chances of future Superfund sites.

Superfund experts say the program has suffered from chronic underfunding in recent years under Democratic and Republican administrations alike. That limited budget has hindered the pace of cleanups, with more than 1,300 sites currently on the National Priorities List. Proponents of financial assurance see it as a key mechanism for ensuring a responsible party is attached to a site in the case of a cleanup. Accident insurance is an example of a financial assurance mechanism.

The incoming Biden administration is likely to take a different approach and push forward financial assurance rules, but Evans said that would take some time given the nature of the rulemaking process. She criticized the Trump administration’s decision as a last-minute action that could extend that process by several years.

“We’re back to square one,” Evans said.

#####. #####. #####. #####. #####.

See also: One person killed in Belle chemical plant explosion, Charleston Gazette Mail, December 9, 2020

Explosion and fire disturb Kanawha River valley in West Virginia on 12/9/20

Large high pressure gas pipeline on farmland

U.S. blocks major pipeline after 18 leaks and a 2 million gallon spill of drilling mud

Video in Article: Cleanup workers wade through the Rover pipeline spill in Ohio wetlands

From an Article by Steven Mufson, The Washington Post, May 10, 2017

A video shows drilling mud discharged into a wetland area along the Tuscarawas River south of the town of Navarre. The affected area is 1,000 feet long and 500 feet wide. (Ohio EPA)

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has curtailed work on a natural-gas pipeline in Ohio after the owner, Energy Transfer Partners, reported 18 leaks and spilled more than 2 million gallons of drilling materials.

The pipeline regulator blocked Energy Transfer Partners, which also built the controversial Dakota Access pipeline, from starting horizontal drilling in eight areas where drilling has not yet begun. In other areas, where the company has already begun horizontal drilling, the FERC said drilling could continue.

The FERC also ordered the company to double the number of environmental inspectors and to preserve documents the commission wants to examine as it investigates the spills.

The biggest spill, in a pristine wetland along the Tuscarawas River about 50 miles south of Akron, covered 6.5 acres, the commission said, “coating wetland soils and vegetation with bentonite clay and bore-hole cuttings.” A video provided by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency showed drilling mud a foot or two deep.

Energy Transfer Partners has asserted that the spills of nontoxic drilling mud, used to cool and lubricate drilling equipment, were inadvertent and had been predicted in its permit application to build the Rover gas pipeline. The horizontal drilling is done to place pipelines well below ground to minimize the chances of contamination of rivers or wetlands.

However, the FERC said that its staff has “serious concerns” regarding the magnitude of the largest spill, “its environmental impacts, the lack of clarity regarding the underlying reasons for its occurrence, and the possibility of future problems.”

It said that the largest spill was “several orders of magnitude greater than other documented inadvertent returns for this project.”

The commission, which regulates all natural gas pipelines, said that “a stoppage of additional drilling is warranted to facilitate a review of Rover’s efforts to search for and locate any potential releases.”

The Ohio EPA has fined Energy Transfer Partners about $400,000 and asked the FERC for support. Craig Butler, the Ohio EPA director, said the company’s response had been “dismissive,” “exceptionally disappointing” and unlike any other response he has seen from a company in his 27 years at the agency.

The Rover pipeline is $4.2 billion project that would link the shale-gas-rich regions of Appalachia to Michigan and Ontario.

It is just one of many pipelines whose fate lies in the hands of the FERC, a technocratic and relatively obscure agency. The five-member commission has lacked a quorum since early February, putting new permits on hold. That has placed an obstacle in the path of the White House.

The Trump administration late Monday nominated two new members for the commission, potentially clearing the way for controversial, multibillion-dollar pipeline and natural-gas export projects like Rover, which was one of the last permits issued in February.

The White House picked Neil Chatterjee, energy policy adviser to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and Robert F. Powelson, a member of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission since 2008.

President Trump has voiced support for new oil pipeline projects such as the Keystone XL and Dakota Access lines, and Gary Cohn, head of the White House National Economic Council, recently threw the administration’s support behind a liquefied natural gas export terminal in Oregon’s Jordan Cove that had been rejected by the FERC a few months ago.

The nominees, who must be confirmed by the Senate, would probably tilt the balance of the commission toward approving gas projects.

The Jordan Cove project was the only major LNG project the FERC has rejected. And the commission does not have jurisdiction over oil pipelines.

Nonetheless, leading Republicans and oil and gas industry groups have applauded the nominations. Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.), a senior member of the Senate Environment Committee, said in a statement that he was “thrilled” and that the nominations would “ensure Republican leadership” of the commission and “bring a great, pro-energy perspective.”

Christopher Guith, a senior vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, called the nominations “phenomenal picks” and said, “From strained competitive markets to crucial energy infrastructure, FERC faces many challenges, and these nominees will help move America toward a more secure energy future.”

Height Securities said in a note to investors Tuesday that it would take about six weeks or more for the two nominees to be confirmed. “In the meantime, we believe FERC will continue avoiding controversial issues, even after quorum returns,” the firm said.

That could change once there is a new chairman. Height Securities said that the White House is expected to name Kevin McIntyre, co-head of the energy practice of the Cleveland-based law firm Jones Day, to serve as FERC chairman, further cementing the position of industry supporters.

Height said that the list of pipelines delayed by the lack of a FERC quorum includes the Nexus crossing Ohio, PennEast serving Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and Mountain Valley, serving West Virginia and Virginia. The stalled merger of Westar and Great Plains, two utilities, would need the FERC’s go-ahead once they finish ironing out final terms.

“For too long, FERC has merely served as a pit stop for the fossil fuel industry on its way to constructing dirty energy infrastructure,” Sierra Club global climate policy director John Coequyt said in a statement. “This cannot continue.”

A native of Lexington, Ky., Chatterjee has played a role in the passage of major energy, highway and farm legislation. Before working for McConnell, he worked in government relations for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and as an aide to then-House Republican Conference Chairwoman Deborah Pryce of Ohio.

Powelson was first nominated to the Pennsylvania PUC by Gov. Edward G. Rendell (D) and appointed chairman by Gov. Tom Corbett (R) in 2011. Powelson serves as the president of National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners.

Fracking wastes are toxic

Toxic Substances Control Act allows companies to conceal information on chemical identities, risks; Congressional reform effort would not fix problems

From an Article by the PSE Healthy Energy and the Partnership for Policy Integrity, April 7, 2016

Pelham, MA – As fracking for gas and oil exploded across the landscape, federal law enabled chemical makers to win approval of fracking and drilling chemicals by EPA with no health testing and sweeping confidentiality claims that deny citizens even the most basic information on the chemicals’ identity, according to a two-year investigation by the nonprofit Partnership for Policy Integrity (PFPI).

More than 17 million Americans in the contiguous 48 states live within one mile of an active oil or natural gas well where these chemicals may be used. [This is according to calculations of the energy science and policy institute, PSE Healthy Energy.]

Toxic Secrets: Companies Exploit Weak US Chemical Rules to Hide Fracking Risks was based on a first-ever study of EPA’s health assessments and regulatory determinations for 105 fracking and drilling chemicals reviewed under the Toxic Substances Control Act’s (TSCA) New Chemicals program between 2009 and 2014. Partnership for Policy Integrity (PFPI) received the records under a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request and separately obtained manufacturers’ submissions for most of the 105 chemicals from EPA’s public docket. Passed in 1976, TSCA is supposed to protect the public from chemical risks in part by requiring review and regulation of new chemicals before they are used commercially.

However, the investigation found that:

• Health studies were available in the public docket in only 2 percent of cases (2 of 99 cases). Companies claimed that they provided health testing data for 12 of 99 chemicals, but health data from 10 of the 12 were missing. In at least two of these 12 cases, companies claimed the studies as confidential. Submissions for six of the 105 chemicals were missing from EPA’s public docket entirely.
• EPA requested health studies in only five cases, despite expressing health concerns in 88 cases, including irritation to skin, eyes and mucous membranes; lung effects; neurotoxicity; kidney toxicity; and developmental toxicity. TSCA does not mandate health testing before a fracking chemical is put into widespread use.
• EPA approved almost all of these chemicals for manufacture, and the agency subsequently received notice that 37 of 70 chemicals expected to be produced at higher volumes (more than 22,000 pounds to millions of pounds per year) were, in fact, manufactured. The agency approved all of the 33 chemicals companies expected to be produced at lower volumes (limited to 22,000 pounds per year or less).

“Chemical companies and the EPA are basically conducting a chemical experiment on the general public,” said Partnership for Policy Integrity Senior Counsel Dusty Horwitt. “Chemical reform bills that have passed the House and Senate do not fix the problem.” Horwitt added. “Congress and President Obama need to fix the law to ensure that chemicals are regulated with rigorous testing and openness so that citizens can be protected and informed.”

Some citizens living near oil and gas operations have reported health problems consistent with those identified by EPA in its reviews of chemicals. “Not only did we suffer from a multitude of side effects from nose bleeds and rashes to aneurysms, but so did our pets, livestock and vegetation,” said Lisa Parr of Decatur, Tex., who, along with her husband Bob, won a nearly $3-million-dollar jury award in 2014 against a drilling company based on claims that the company’s drilling operations harmed their health. “We end up feeling like a bunch of lab rats being exposed to who knows what and our government and political officials don’t seem to care.”

PFPI also revealed that citizens are prevented from learning the identities and potential health impacts of chemicals by TSCA’s broad “confidential business information” (CBI) provisions, which allow companies to keep basic information about a chemical hidden from the public.

• For at least 59 of 70 high volume chemicals, companies asserted confidentiality claims for the chemical name, and for at least 52 out of 70 they claimed confidentiality for the Chemical Abstracts Services (CAS) numbers (unique identifiers for chemicals). Under TSCA, the EPA must protect these claims unless the Agency takes steps to challenge them; actions that the EPA has rarely taken. In at least 36 of the 70 cases, companies claimed as confidential the chemical’s trade or product name. In 64 of the 70 cases, companies claimed as confidential the expected production volume.
• Companies claimed exposure assumptions as confidential for at least 55 of 70 high volume chemicals. This is key, because the EPA assumes as a matter of policy that accidental releases such as leaks, spills, underground migration, or blowouts never occur. In these 55 cases, the public cannot know whether companies offered a more realistic view.

A growing body of evidence, including data collected by EPA itself and public statements by drilling companies, shows that leaks, spills, underground migration, and blowouts are inherent or likely in oil and natural gas extraction.

“People we have examined in southwestern Pennsylvania have reported throat irritation, respiratory effects, headaches and memory difficulties associated with gas drilling,” said David Brown, a toxicologist with the Southwest Pennsylvania Environmental Health Project, a nonprofit created to assist and support residents of Washington County, Pa., who believe their health has been, or could be, impacted by natural gas drilling activities. “By collecting this health data, we’re doing the evaluations that should have been done in laboratories before the chemicals were manufactured and released. The lack of health testing and use of secret chemicals put citizens at risk and frustrate effective public health.”

Congress is currently moving to amend TSCA. Bills have passed both the House and Senate, and the two houses are trying to reconcile their differences. Yet unless the bills are amended, neither would remedy the three major problems that PFPI identified during its investigation of fracking and drilling chemicals: lack of mandatory health testing, broad confidentiality provisions that are biased toward industry secrecy, and unrealistic exposure assumptions that chemicals are not accidentally released.

###

Photo is from EcoFlight and shows a drilling rig and well pad in close proximity to a residence in Weld County, Colorado. Download the report here.