PA Physicians For Social Responsibility Host Feb. 22 Webinar On Radioactive Contaminants From PA Oil And Gas Operations

The PA Physicians for Social Responsibility will host a February 22 webinar on Radioactive Contaminants From PA Oil And Gas Operations starting at 6:30 p.m.

Michael Ketterer from Northern Arizona University, will present a recent study on naturally occurring radioisotopes found in the environment near oil & gas operations in Pennsylvania. The study was performed by Wayne State University.

The WSU study focused on naturally occurring radioisotopes such as 226 Ra, 228 Ra, 210 Po and 210 Pb, which are present in brines, salt deposits and geologic reservoirs that serve as oil/gas reservoirs.

These radioactive isotopes are found in the waste of both conventional and unconventional oil and gas drilling operations.

The presentation will evaluate the findings of the Wayne State study, and compare these results to background radioisotope concentrations present in unaffected areas vs. areas of Pennsylvania known to have been impacted by oil/gas radioisotopes. 

Also discussed will be other environmental hazards associated with oil/gas extraction, such as the contamination of surface and shallow groundwater via materials used in fracking fluids, and the venting of large quantities of volatile organic compounds into the air at wellheads.

The technical discussion will be presented in a way that's accessible to a general audience and followed by a Q+A.

Click Here to register and for more information.

Related Articles - Radioactivity, Oil & Gas Operations:

-- DEP: PA Fracking Operations Sent Nearly 236,000 Cubic Feet Of Radioactive TENORM Waste To Low-Level Radioactive Waste Facilities For Disposal In 2021 - 811,070 since 2016    [PaEN]

-- DEP: Potential For Environmental Impacts From Spills Or Leaks Of Radioactive Oil & Gas Waste Materials Is Real; Health Dept. Not Aware Of All Chemicals In Oil & Gas Wastewater Making Risk Assessment Difficult    [PaEN]

-- DEP: Federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Prompting Review Of On-Site Disposal Options For Oil & Gas Well Plugging Wastes; Radioactive Waste Disposal   [PaEN]

-- Penn State Study: Potential Pollution Caused By Road Dumping Conventional Oil & Gas Wastewater Makes It Unsuitable For A Dust Suppressant, Washes Right Off The Road Into The Ditch   [PaEN]

-- Joint Conservation Committee: Belle Vernon Municipal Authority Taking A Stand Against Pollution From Drilling Waste

-- Inquirer Guest Essay: DEP Needs To Evaluate Health Impacts Of Evaporating Leachate From A Westmoreland Landfill Accepting Shale Gas Drilling Waste

-- DEP Releases Final Guidance On Handling Radioactive Waste From Unconventional Shale Gas Drilling Operations

-- Earthworks: Rolling Stone Article Links Oil & Gas Waste Radioactivity To Worker Cancers, Wastewater Trucks Operating Illegally

PA DEP Public Notice Dashboards:

-- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Feb. 4 to Feb. 10 - 12 NOVs For Abandoning Wells Without Plugging Them [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment - Feb. 11  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Posts 57 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In Feb. 11 PA Bulletin  [PaEN]

PA Oil & Gas Industry Compliance Reports:

-- DEP Report Finds: Conventional Oil & Gas Drillers Routinely Abandon Wells; Fail To Report How Millions Of Gallons Of Waste Is Disposed; And Non-Compliance Is An ‘Acceptable Norm’  [PaEN]

-- DEP 2021 Oil & Gas Program Annual Report Shows Conventional Oil & Gas Operators Received A Record 610 Notices Of Violation For Abandoning Wells Without Plugging Them  [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industry Has Record Year: Cost, Criminal Convictions Up; $3.1 Million In Penalties Collected; Record Number Of Violations Issued; Major Compliance Issues Uncovered; Evidence Of Health Impacts Mounts  [PaEN]

-- Feature: 60 Years Of Fracking, 20 Years Of Shale Gas: Pennsylvania’s Oil & Gas Industrial Infrastructure Is Hiding In Plain Sight [PaEN]

-- EDF: Conventional Gas Wells In Allegheny National Forest Leaked Over 6 Billion Cubic Feet Of Natural Gas In 2019; Conventional Operators Seek To Block Methane Limits  [PaEN]

Related Articles This Week:

-- Natural Gas Industry Tells House They Want Faster Permit Reviews, But Didn’t Say They Don’t Use 40% Of The Well Permits They Get From DEP; Industry Practices Keep Energy Prices High   [PaEN]

-- DCED Conventional Oil & Gas Drilling Advisory Council Feb. 16 Meeting Agenda Includes Discussion Of Poor Compliance Record Of Industry, Status Of Regulations Updates, Challenge To VOC/Methane Regs  [PaEN]

-- Ohio/PA Train Derailment, Pipeline Explosions, Uncontrolled Releases Put Spotlight On Public Health, Safety Threats Posed By Petrochemical, Natural Gas Industrial And Pipeline Infrastructure In PA [PaEN]

-- Inside Climate News: DEP Took 9 Days To Inspect Natural Gas Liquids Plant That Caught Fire On Christmas Day In Washington County [PaEN]

-- Inside Climate News - Jon Hurdle: PA Environmental Officials Took 9 Days To Inspect Natural Gas Liquids Plant That Caught Fire On Christmas Day In Washington County

-- DEP Citizens Advisory Council To Hear Updates From Oil & Gas, Abandoned Mine Reclamation Programs Feb. 14  [PaEN]

-- Marcellus Drilling News: Shale Gas Companies Play ‘Dirty Pool’ By Reactivating Expired Leases By Claiming They Are Part Of Back-dated Pooling Declarations  [PaEN]

-- Senate Environmental, Consumer Protection Committees To Hold Feb. 27 Hearing On Grid Reliability And Winter Storm Elliot  [PaEN]

-- PUC Approves 48.9% Increase In Natural Gas Charges By Leatherstocking Gas Company In Susquehanna & Bradford Counties [The Heart Of Shale Gas Drilling In PA]  [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: As More Utility Customers Struggle To Pay Their Bills, More Are Also Cut Off For Nonpayment  [Cost Increases Due To Natural Gas Price Spikes]

-- PA Physicians For Social Responsibility Host Feb. 22 Webinar On Radioactive Contaminants From PA Oil And Gas Operations  [PaEN]

-- Better Path Coalition To Host Feb. 22 Webinar On How Green Is Blue Hydrogen? Made From Natural Gas  [PaEN]

[Posted: February 6, 2023]  PA Environment Digest