NY Enviro Group Wants More TENORM Disposal Regulation

An environmental activist group in New York last week called for the closure of state loopholes that enable radioactive fracking waste from Pennsylvania into New York landfills. The Environmental Advocates of New York released a report last week that documented the perceived lack of oversight into the disposal of Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (TENORM) from fracking operations inPennsylvania. With the increase of fracking in the Marcellus Shale, Pennsylvania has seen a dramatic increase in the amounts of TENORM needed for disposal in the last decade, but not all of it can be disposed of in-state.

 

The environmental group would like the state to incorporate federal TENORM standards into state regulations while also requiring the monthly leachate testing of radiation monitors at all landfills. “Fracking wastes are notoriously toxic and radioactive,” said Liz Moran, water and natural resources associate, and report author, in a statement. “Despite knowing the public health concerns, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) enables New York landfills to accept Pennsylvania’s fracking waste with little oversight. If fracking isn’t safe for New Yorkers, then waste from other states’ fracking operations isn’t safe for New Yorkers either.”