DEP releases plans for oil, gas radiation study
HARRISBURG – The state Department of Environmental Protection Wednesday released sampling and quality assurance plans for its ongoing comprehensive radiation study of oil and gas development.
The agency said in a news release that beginning this month, it will sample and analyze radioactivity levels of flowback waters, treatment solids, drill cuttings and drilling equipment, along with the transportation, storage and disposal of drilling wastes.
According to DEP, the sampling will take a year to 14 months to complete and will be followed by a final report to the public.
The agency said based on current data, regulations and industry practices, there is no indication that the public or workers in the oil and gas industry face health risks from exposure to radiation from the materials. It said the study is aimed at ensuring that public health and the environment continue to be protected.
“Pennsylvania is setting the bar for responsible shale gas development, and the study of radiation issues in oil and gas development is yet another example of that,” DEP Secretary Mike Krancer said.
According to additional documents related to the initiative and posted on DEP’s website, DEP will sample and analyze various natural radioactive materials associated with the extraction, development and production of oil and gas to determine their physical or chemical concentration.
The agency said it will consult with independent experts at the outset to ensure its plan is scientifically sound.
Materials to be sampled or studied include drill cuttings, produced or flowback waters; wastewater recycling and treatment sludges; treatment and recycling filter screens; extracted natural gas; well casing and pipelines with scale; and fluid and waste trucks and trailers.
The agency said issues to be examined as part of the plan include radiation exposure to workers during gas development and extraction; radiation levels in produced waters and treatment sludges; safe and regulatory compliant transportation of materials containing radioactivity; impact of treatment operations on radiation levels of water and sludges; safe and responsible disposal of wastes in-state and out-of-state; radon exposure to workers and the public; and whether there is a potential need to set radioactivity limits under a wastewater permitting program.
The agency said the sampling and studies will be conducted at well pads, wastewater treatment plant, wastewater recycling facilities and landfills. Staff will also examine compressor stations, storage tanks and trucks.
On Jan. 24, Gov. Tom Corbett directed DEP to undertake a comprehensive study examining naturally occurring levels of radioactivity in byproducts associated with oil and gas development. Since then, the agency sought a peer review of its sampling and quality assurance plans and expects to begin sampling this month.