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Trump officials deny U.S. citizen children were 'deported' to Honduras; Arkansas League of Women Voters sues over ballot initiative restriction; Florida PTA fights charter school expansion, cuts to mental health funding; U. of Northern Iowa launches international student exchange.

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A judge blocks use of a wartime law for deportations, ICE is criticized for deporting U.S. citizen children, Arkansas faces a federal lawsuit over ballot initiative restrictions, schools nationwide prepare for possible Medicaid cuts, and President Trump's approval rating is down at the 100-day mark.

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Migration to rural America increased for the fourth year, technological gaps handicap rural hospitals and erode patient care, and doctors are needed to keep the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians healthy and align with spiritual principles.

Legislators Call for Ban on Fracking Waste Disposal in NY

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Thursday, September 15, 2016   

ALBANY, N. Y. – State legislators are calling on the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to close a loophole in waste regulations and ban the disposal of fracking waste in the state.

New York State banned fracking last year, but solid and liquid fracking waste from out of state is still going to New York landfills. State Sen. Liz Kruger, D-Dist. 28, explained that a longstanding loophole exempts waste from oil and gas operations from being classified as "hazardous." She said new waste-management regulations now being considered don't change that.

"We could significantly improve the status of our water remaining clean if DEC applies the stricter definitions in the regulations they are finalizing, literally as we speak," said Kruger.

Fracking waste can contain hundreds of chemicals, including carcinogens and radioactive materials. Twenty senators and more than 30 members of the Assembly have signed letters calling on the DEC to close the loophole and ban disposal of all fracking waste in the state.

Under the proposed DEC rules, out-of-state fracking waste would still be allowed in landfills.

The waste water from low-volume fracking operations contains so much salt that it is spread on roads as a deicing agent - without routine testing," noted Sen. Brad Hoylman, D-Dist. 27.

"It still might contain some very toxic substances, like radium and lead," said Hoylman. "Those can be harmful to pedestrians and drivers, wildlife, local ecosystems."

Twenty New York counties have banned fracking waste. But statewide, bills introduced in both houses of the Legislature have failed to pass.

According to Liz Moran, water and natural resources associate at Environmental Advocates of New York, the state doesn't need to wait for the Legislature to act.

"This rulemaking on Part 360 offers a crucial opportunity for DEC to ban the improper disposal and road-spreading of these wastes," Moran said.

The public comment period for the proposed regulations ended this week.



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