The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection recently announced that the unconventional oil and gas industry will be “prohibited from utilizing pits to store drill cuttings and waste fluids” as part of its new rulemaking package, which will be considered for adoption in February. These wastes must instead be stored in tanks, subject to a small number of exceptions.
In new RFF research, experts find that although tanks tend to offer more environmental protection than pits, tanks are “not necessarily a fail-safe alternative” (see infographic). Pennsylvania’s new rulemaking package is consistent with several of the authors’ recommendations, including the development of “permitting or authorization procedures based on characteristics of the fluids stored.”
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