An EPA ruling bans operators from disposing of fracking waste at Pennsylvania publicly owned treatment works, according to an article from NPR. The ban reportedly formalizes a voluntary practice started in 2011 when then-Governor Tom Corbett called on the industry to stop disposing of fracking waste at public treatment plants and a majority complied with his request.
Still, the new ruling will deter any renewed effort to dispose of fracking waste in this manner when gas production in the region recovers from its current slump, according to Myron Arnowitt, Pennsylvania director for Clean Water Action. The American Petroleum Institute reportedly faults the ban, saying it has no real benefit since operators are no longer engaging in the practice and it cuts off a potentially safe way to dispose of fracking waste in the future as technology improves.
Read the entire article here.
