June 5, 2013
A coalition of health and environmental groups have joined together to congratulate the Rockland County Board of Legislators for voting unanimously to prohibit the sale, application and disposal of waste products in the county from natural gas drilling operations. The new law bans the sale of all gas drilling waste, its processing at all wastewater treatment plants, and its application on all roads including applications for de-icing and dust control purposes within Rockland County. The groups are urging County Executive Scott Vanderhoef to sign the legislation immediately.
Photo credit: Protecting Our Waters
In taking this action, Rockland County joins a growing list of New York counties that have enacted legislation to protect their water supplies and the health and safety of their residents by banning radioactive gas drilling waste. Other counties passing similar measures include Westchester, Putnam, Nassau, Suffolk, Orange and Ulster Counties. “The disposal of highly-contaminated and radioactive gas drilling wastewater, drill cuttings and sludge poses an immediate public health threat for all New Yorkers,” said Ellen Weininger, educational outreach director for nonprofit Grassroots Environmental Education.
Please follow the link to the rest of this story at Ecowatch: http://ecowatch.com/2013/county-bans-radioactive-fracking-waste/