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In a comment submitted Wednesday to New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation, federal regulators at the Environmental Protection Agency urged the state to establish a mapping system for hydraulic fracturing well locations.
The EPA statement came on the last day for comments on the DEC’s latest draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement and proposed regulations that will cover the practice in New York.
“NYSDEC should establish a Geographic Information System-based display that not only indicates the locations of permitted wells but also — updated at least monthly — the stage of the hydraulic fracturing operation for each well on the pad—for example, the approximate percentage of the required water for hydraulic fracturing fluid that has been accessed and stored on site, whether hydraulic fracturing is in progress, whether gas is being collected,” the EPA comment begins. “The Geographic Information System display should also show public water supply wells and intakes. Ideally, this information would be publicly accessible on NYSDEC’s web site.”
Also in the EPA comment, federal officials urged the DEC to limit the levels of radioactive materials, noting drilling reports in Pennsylvania show “elevated levels of naturally occurring radioactive materials.” (See www.epa.gov/region3/marcellus_shale/#wastewater.)
Other comments from the EPA suggested New York could allow on-site reserve pits at drilling sites as long as site-specific environmental reviews are conducted. The current language of the draft bans reserve pits for storage of fluid used in drilling and hydraulic fracturing.
Regarding private wells, the EPA stated, “Private drinking water wells should be tested at a distance from the ‘drilling site’ that correlates to the length of the proposed longest horizontal well. Homeowners should be able to choose the water testing firm to sample their own water and the drilling companies should be required to pay the cost of testing the wells.”
The full text of the EPA’s comments can be read in six documents posted at www.epa.gov/region2/newsevents/hydro.html
In a comment submitted Wednesday to New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation, federal regulators at the Environmental Protection Agency urged the state to establish a mapping system for hydraulic fracturing well locations.
The EPA statement came on the last day for comments on the DEC’s latest draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement and proposed regulations that will cover the practice in New York.
“NYSDEC should establish a Geographic Information System-based display that not only indicates the locations of permitted wells but also — updated at least monthly — the stage of the hydraulic fracturing operation for each well on the pad—for example, the approximate percentage of the required water for hydraulic fracturing fluid that has been accessed and stored on site, whether hydraulic fracturing is in progress, whether gas is being collected,” the EPA comment begins. “The Geographic Information System display should also show public water supply wells and intakes. Ideally, this information would be publicly accessible on NYSDEC’s web site.”
Also in the EPA comment, federal officials urged the DEC to limit the levels of radioactive materials, noting drilling reports in Pennsylvania show “elevated levels of naturally occurring radioactive materials.” (See www.epa.gov/region3/marcellus_shale/#wastewater.)
Other comments from the EPA suggested New York could allow on-site reserve pits at drilling sites as long as site-specific environmental reviews are conducted. The current language of the draft bans reserve pits for storage of fluid used in drilling and hydraulic fracturing.
Regarding private wells, the EPA stated, “Private drinking water wells should be tested at a distance from the ‘drilling site’ that correlates to the length of the proposed longest horizontal well. Homeowners should be able to choose the water testing firm to sample their own water and the drilling companies should be required to pay the cost of testing the wells.”
The full text of the EPA’s comments can be read in six documents posted at www.epa.gov/region2/newsevents/hydro.html
