CHARLESTON, W. Va. -- A federal loophole means millions of tons and billions of gallons of radioactive natural gas waste are being disposed of as if they were not radioactive.
According to the investigation by Rolling Stone, liquid brine from the average Marcellus well contains more than 9,000 picocuries per liter of radium.
A picocurie, abbreviated pCi, is equal to the radioactivity of one gram of radium. A nuclear site is not allowed to discharge wastewater above 60 pCi.
Melissa Troutman, research and policy analyst for the nonprofit group Earthworks said the problem is an exemption included in federal law for oil and gas waste decades ago.
"It is exempt from hazardous waste law, and has been since the 1980s," Troutman explained. "So, for the past 40 years, this waste has been disposed of improperly, and has led to water and land contamination as well as public health risks."
The industry argues that naturally occurring radioactivity doesn't pose a real threat to humans or the environment. And gas drillers' political allies have said increased regulations would stunt growth at a time when the industry is already troubled by low prices.
Troutman said the levels and types of radioactivity in the waste are far more dangerous than what people normally would encounter, particularly when it is concentrated in the processes of production and disposal. She adds there are people in Congress who see this as a serious problem.
"At the federal level, there are bills that have been introduced to close the hazardous waste loophole," she said. "The unfortunate thing is, the political will is not there to do so."
According to Earthworks, Marcellus and Utica drilling has produced nearly 400 billion barrels of liquid waste and almost 10 million tons of solid waste since 2011.
Troutman said while all oil and gas drilling produces some radioactive waste, the waste from the Marcellus is the most radioactive in the country.
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This article was produced by Resource Rural.
Broadcast version by Danielle Smith for Keystone State News Connection reporting for the Resource Rural-Public News Service Collaboration
Wholesale fruit and veggie distributor Four Seasons Produce in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania knew that efficiency all comes down to business. “Our journey started with, ‘We need to cut costs,’” said Randy Groff, Four Seasons’ director of facilities and energy. It didn’t take the company long to turn to their utility bill as a potential source of savings.
Groff used to be “director of facilities,” but energy was added to his title in 2010. That’s how important energy costs are to the bottom line of a business that runs a 400,000-square-foot warehouse where fruits and veggies have to be kept cool. Storage temperatures range from 28 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on the product.
America’s rural-based produce shipment companies like Four Seasons play a vital role in ensuring a steady supply of fresh food across the country, linking agricultural heartlands to urban centers. However, the sheer scale of agricultural production and distribution necessitates significant energy inputs — and plenty of hard work.
It’s a “low-margin, fast-paced” business. “You have to sell a lot to make a lot,” Groff said.
Groff is a 28-year employee for the family-owned Four Seasons, which started from the back of a pick-up truck at a farmer’s market and now has 900 employees. The company distributes organic and conventional produce to independent retailers and chains throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Its family of companies includes a logistics operation, a truck fleet, and imports.
Previously, Groff worked as an electrician, and he combines that experience with his “love of data” to determine how much energy and money the company is saving.
The company started with lighting retrofits and slowly worked up to larger and larger energy projects. Employees got excited about sustainability and formed a company-wide Green Team. “It just kind of took off,” Groff said.
Two solar projects now produce about 35 percent of Four Seasons’ energy use. Solar arrays cover the entire roof of the warehouse.
Four Seasons installed its first 1.3-megawatt solar array in 2018, utilizing a 26 percent solar investment tax credit. They recently added a second, 1.7-megawatt array, using the federal tax credit and depreciation at 37 percent. The tax credits that funded these upgrades were made available through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
“Between those two, it’s over a million dollars of savings just in the tax depreciation and the tax credit,” Groff said. Four Seasons also received their utility’s maximum rebate, adding another half-million in savings.
Another energy efficiency project added VFDs (Variable Frequency Drives) in the thousands of motors used in warehouse refrigeration. VFDs control motor speed and torque by varying the frequency of the electricity coming into the motor.
Rebates on VFDs and solar panels help make the return on investment “a no-brainer,” Groff said. He suggests businesses pay attention to rebate line items on utility bills. “If you’re not taking advantage of the rebate program, you’re actually paying us to do it,” he said.
Groff also recommends that businesses talk up-front to their utility about interconnection requirements when considering solar. It took six months after installation for Four Seasons’ latest array to be fully interconnected.
During the day, the huge warehouse is totally “off-grid,” Groff said. Live stats on the company’s website show energy usage. “It’s exciting to be able to see that graph go to zero and stay at zero, for about six hours,” he said. “Come three o’clock in the afternoon, the sun’s starting to go down, and we start going back on the grid.”
Groff is currently exploring thermal storage as a method of capturing additional energy produced during peak sunlight and using it to offset the warehouse’s peak demand hours in the middle of the night.
Four Seasons has cut its electric bills by 60 percent since 2005. It was the first refrigerated warehouse in the country to earn an Energy Star and the company’s truck fleet plans to increase mileage through the EPA’s SmartWay Transport Partnership. The result isn’t just a reduced carbon footprint for Four Seasons. The savings ensure the integrity of America’s food supply chain.
“It’s funny, because it didn’t really start as ‘being sustainable,’” Groff said. “But yet it turned into a sustainable practice, because we’ve been doing it for so long.”
This article was produced by Resource Rural.
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Florida environmental advocates are concerned about the future after President-elect Donald Trump named former New York Congressman Lee Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.
Announcing Zeldin's selection, Trump said Zeldin would "ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses." Known for his loyalty to Trump and strong deregulation, Zeldin's appointment has left Florida's environmental defenders worried about potential rollbacks in air, water and public lands protections.
Eric Draper, an environmental consultant and former director of the Florida Park Service, explained what could be in store.
"What we know about the Trump administration is that they are going to move quickly in the direction of more fossil-fuel production," Draper pointed out. "So, more oil and gas drilling on public lands and possibly off our coast."
For Zeldin, the new role aligns with his long-standing belief in strengthening U.S. energy independence as he said he will "seek to ensure that the United States is able to pursue energy dominance ... bring back American jobs to the auto industry and so much more."
Draper is especially worried about the possible effects on public lands in Florida, including the Everglades, a national treasure facing ongoing threats from climate change and development pressures, including oil drilling.
Zeldin, a longtime advocate for energy and economic policies aligning with Trump's vision, has reassured supporters his goal is to create a pro-growth regulatory environment while ensuring environmental protections remain intact.
Draper believes strong environmental regulations and a healthy economy can coexist.
"The problem is that there are too many industries that are dirty industries, that use that idea of jobs and economic growth to clean the air and water," Draper contended. "It's time that we stopped believing that."
As Zeldin prepares to take the reins at the EPA, Florida's environmental community is bracing for a significant shift in environmental policy, particularly in energy production and land use.
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The hills and hollers of Virginia are no strangers to hardship, but few were prepared for the devastation Hurricane Helene would bring.
Six weeks after the storm tore through Appalachian communities, some survivors face a daunting road to recovery. Roads and bridges were washed out, homes were destroyed and many residents were cut off, relying on one another to make it through.
Emily Satterwhite, professor and director of the Appalachian Studies program at Virginia Tech University, has worked closely with local aid groups since the disaster struck.
"People are trying to figure out whether or how to rebuild along the New River," Satterwhite observed. "They're hearing from FEMA that their house is considered totaled and they can either be bought out and move or they can rebuild from scratch, but that FEMA won't provide funds to remodel because the house is considered a total loss."
Satterwhite is involved with the mutual-aid initiative Holler 2 Holler, which began in response to severe flooding in Kentucky in 2022 and has taken on a crucial role in the current crisis. She is also part of Monuments Across Appalachian Virginia, a network helping her to assess community needs across the region to help provide targeted aid.
In addition to the large federal response to help affected areas, Satterwhite highlighted the unique ties Appalachian people have to their land and each other, a social fabric that becomes a lifeline in times of crisis.
"These kinds of ad hoc networks that are customary in Appalachia, but they're generally much more local," Satterwhite explained. "We're seeing those same kinds of networks, but broadened out to figure out how to expand neighbors, helping neighbors, or holler to holler on a regional level."
Satterwhite describes the impact as "catastrophic" in parts of Southwest Virginia, Upper East Tennessee and Western North Carolina. She emphasized recovery will be a "really long haul" and stressed the assistance needed transcends politics, regardless of reactions following the presidential election.
Currently, Satterwhite noted while groups have enough small items, they are still accepting donations for big-ticket needs such as solar generators. She suggested following the social media pages of relief organizations to stay updated on specific needs.
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