UDC cites drilling hazmat concerns

Emergency response issues prompt second letter

By SANDY LONG

UPPER DELAWARE RIVER REGION — Even as the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection levels another set of fines for environmental contamination caused by natural gas drilling (see “Gas news at a glance” on page 4), the Upper Delaware Council (UDC) is calling for increased hazardous materials oversight in its second comment letter to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).

With membership representing 13 Pennsylvania and New York governments bordering the Delaware River, the UDC has drafted a second comment letter in response to the DEC’s draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (dSGEIS) on the Oil, Gas and Solution Mining Regulatory Program. The UDC submitted its first comment letter before determining at its November meeting that additional comments regarding hazardous materials concerns would be in order.

The new letter reads in part: “With the potential for hazardous materials spills and industrial accidents that natural gas extraction activities present, the drilling companies, at their own expense, should be required to coordinate with local, state and federal emergency response officials, and to provide hazmat training and any necessary specialized medical equipment to local emergency first responders, including fire and ambulance companies and hospitals.

“Such entities should be notified in advance and made knowledgeable of all the chemicals used in fracking fluids and waste material at each individual well site for the safety of those they serve and themselves. Each well pad should have an address to identify its location. Other potentially hazardous sites, such as compressor stations and pipeline segments, should also be identified to assist emergency first responders.”

Another section of the letter addresses the transport by train of hazardous materials or waste products, and asks that drilling companies be required to provide additional coordination and training with emergency response officials and railroads to assist emergency first responders. “It is critical that everyone know exactly what hazardous materials are involved should an incident ever occur,” it reads.

Finally, the UDC reiterated its call for the DEC to comply with the guiding principles of the River Management Plan for the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River.