What's happening
This bill requires New York solid waste facilities accepting oil and gas drilling waste to screen for radioactivity before disposal.
Why it matters
Addresses concerns about radioactive contamination. By requiring facilities to screen oil and gas drilling waste for radioactivity, the bill aims to prevent potentially hazardous radioactive materials from entering New York’s landfills and waste streams.
Targets out-of-state drilling waste. The bill responds to increased oil and gas drilling activity in neighboring states (like Pennsylvania) and the subsequent import of their waste into New York, which could pose environmental and public health risks.
Conditions permits on compliance. Solid waste management facilities must implement and enforce radioactivity screening and rejection protocols as a condition of their operational permits, making radioactive waste management a legal requirement rather than an optional practice.
Seeks to improve transparency and accountability. Mandating explicit screening procedures helps ensure that hazardous waste is properly identified and managed, holding both waste generators and disposal facilities more accountable for the safety of their operations.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Test Oil Waste for Radiation
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
2 Co-sponsors
History
- Referred to environmental conservation
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1005
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 10, 2019
Introduced by Sens. YOUNG, LITTLE, O'MARA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Environmental Conservation
AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to the proper screening of waste derived from oil and gas drilling operations for radioactivity prior to disposal at regulated solid waste management facilities
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Legislative findings. The legislature hereby finds that the environmental conservation law provides for the establishment and permitting of solid waste management facilities. Given the significant increase in oil and gas drilling activity in Pennsylvania and other states, which has resulted in the disposal in this state of wastes generated from drilling activities in other states, and to address any oil and gas drilling wastes that may be generated by operations in the state, the legislature hereby finds that solid waste management facilities that receive waste generated from oil and gas drilling activities should be required to implement screening and rejection criteria for radioactivity as a condition to obtaining a permit to operate such a solid waste management facility.
§ 2. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "oil and gas waste management act of 2019".
§ 3. Section 27-0707 of the environmental conservation law is amended by adding a new subdivision 2-d to read as follows:
2-d. Any permit issued to a solid waste management facility that intends to accept waste from oil and gas drilling activities shall include screening and rejection criteria for radioactivity in such wastes.
§ 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03739-01-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to the proper screening of waste derived from oil and gas drilling operations for radioactivity prior to disposal at regulated solid waste management facilities
Purpose or general idea of bill
This bill is intended to ensure that the disposal of potentially radio- active materials from oil and gas drilling operations do not constitute an environmental hazard when deposited in a landfill within New York.
Summary of specific provisions
Section 1: Provides legislative findings such that solid waste manage- ment facilities that receive waste generated from oil and gas drilling activities should be required to implement screening and rejection criteria for radioactivity as a condition to obtaining a permit to oper- ate such a solid waste management facility.
Section 2: Provides that this act shall be known as "the oil and gas waste management act of 2019".
Section 3: Directs the Commissioner of Environmental Conservation to incorporate screening and rejection criteria for radioactivity when issuing a permit for any solid waste management facility that intends to accept waste from oil and gas drilling.
Section 4: Provides for an immediate effective date.
Justification
Lately there has been an increasing amount of concern over the potential threats to safety from radioactive drill cuttings generated by oil and gas operations in other states which enter into the New York waste stream.
This legislation will mitigate the threats posed to the public under the current system of high volume fracturing waste transport and disposal in New York. The bill requires the incorporation of radioactive screening and rejection criteria in solid waste facility permits for any solid waste facility that accepts waste from oil and gas drilling activities. It will result in the rejection of drilling wastes which do not meet the standards imposed by the department of environmental conservation for acceptance at a landfill in New York. Screening criteria will also provide a clearer picture of the amount of potentially hazardous radio- active materials which may be entering New York's waste stream.
This bill is intended to ensure that oil and waste products do not pose an environmental danger when they come to ultimately rest in New York.
Prior legislative history
2018: S.568-A Referred to Environmental Conservation
2017: S.568 Reported and Committed to Rules
2016: S.3060-A Passed Senate
2015: S.3060 Passed Senate
2014: S.7311 Reported and Committed to Finance
Fiscal implications
Minimal.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.