Dive Brief:
- The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection issued an order for the Meadowfill landfill in Bridgeport to cease receiving drilling sludge until it can figure out why the material was rejected by a Pennsylvania landfill.
- The Arden landfill in Chartiers, PA refused the shipment of waste sludge, which originated from the Range Resources natural gas drilling site in Pennsylvania. The sludge contains low levels of radioactivity, which a spokesperson for Range Resources said were "slightly above background levels." He says the materials are not harmful to employees or residents.
- Range Resources turned to the Meadowfill landfill as the closest facility with the appropriate permits.
Dive Insight:
Waste Management owns both the Meadowfill landfill and the Arden landfill. The company expanded into the fracking waste sector, purchasing two companies for fracking disposal in 2013, and also offers tank cleaning to fracking firms.
Drilling waste is the subject of ongoing legislative change in West Virginia. In March, state legislators amended a bill regulating the disposal of drill cuttings at solid waste landfills. The changes will go into effect on January 1, 2015. According to a Waste Management spokesperson, “The DEP is currently in the process of providing additional controls regarding the acceptance of drilling waste."