-----Original Message-----
From: Hilary Lambert <[email protected]>
From: Mall, Amy [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Tuesday, January 26, 2010 2:39 PM
To: Rocky Mountain Energy Campaign
Subject: [rmec] EPA Announces "Eyes on Drilling" Tipline
This is aRegion 3 press release but I spoke to EPA and they said
people can call fromanywhere in the country to report and they will
pass on the information,so they will act as a central clearinghouse. I
encourage people to circulatethis information. amy
DavidSternberg (215) 814-5548 [email protected]
EPA Announces“Eyes on Drilling” Tipline PHILADELPHIA (January 26,
2010) –
The U.S.Environmental Protection Agency today announced the
creation of the “Eyeson Drilling” tipline for citizens to report
non-emergency suspiciousactivity related to oil and natural gas
development. The agency is asking citizens to call 1-877-919-4EPA
(tollfree) if they observe what appears to be illegal disposal of
wastes or other suspicious activity.
Anyone may also send reports by email to [email protected].
Citizensmay provide tips anonymously
if they don’t want to identify themselves. In the event of an
emergency, such as a spillor release of hazardous material, including
oil, to the environment, citizensare advised to call the National
Response Center at 1-800-424-8802.
Public concern about the environmental impactsof oil and natural gas
drilling has increased in
recent months, particularlyregarding development of the Marcellus Shale
formation where a significantamount of activity is occurring. While EPA
doesn’t grant permits for oiland gas drilling operations, there are EPA
regulations which may apply to thestorage of petroleum products and
drilling fluids. The agency is also veryconcerned about the proper
disposal of waste products, and protecting air andwater resources.
EPA wants to get a better understanding of what people areexperiencing
and
observing as a result of these drilling activities. Theinformation
collected may also be useful in investigating industry practices. The
agency works closely with state and localofficials, as well as industry
and public interest groups, to ensure that oiland natural gas drilling
occurs in a manner which is protective of human healthand the
environment and complies with applicable laws. The agency is
alsocounting on concerned citizens to report unusual or suspicious
activity relatedto drilling operations. EPA is asking citizens to
report the location,time and date of such activity, as well as the
materials, equipment andvehicles involved and any observable
environmental impacts.
The Marcellus Shale geologic formationcontains one of the largest
mostly untapped reserves of natural gas in the UnitedStates. It
underlies significant portions of Pennsylvania, West Virginia,Ohio, and
New York, and smaller portions of Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland, and
Kentucky.
Interest in developing Marcellus Shale hasincreased because recent
improvements in natural gas extraction technology andhigher energy
prices now make recovering the gas more profitable.
Operators produce this gas through a process calledhydraulic
fracturing (fracking). Fracking requires drilling a wellthousands of
feet below the land’s surface and pumping down the wellunder pressure
millions of gallons of water, sand, and chemicals to fracturethe shale.
The process allows the gas trapped in the formation to flowto the well
bore. Approximately 20 to 30 percent of the fluid flows back to
thesurface. This “flowback” fluid consists of fracking fluid andbrines
which contain dissolved minerals from the formation. Operators are
urged to recycle their flowback water forreuse in the fracking process,
but some of the flowback is taken offsite fordisposal. Chemicals used
in the process are often stored on-site. Spillscan occur when utilizing
these chemicals or when transporting or storingwastewater, which can
result in the contamination of surface water or groundwater, which is
used for many purposes including drinking water. Instructions for the
tipline can be found at:
http://www.epa.gov/region03/marcellus_shale/tipline.html #
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