Will state get it right on fracking waste?

The clock is ticking for lawmakers to decide whether to protect Connecticut residents from toxic, radioactive fracking waste. With 41 towns and cities already taking action to keep this waste out of their communities, it’s time to get the job done everywhere.

For the fourth time in six years, state legislators are considering a bill to ban bringing these dangerous drilling waste products into our state. In 2014, lawmakers opted to enact a moratoria for some wastes, and required the state Department of Energy & Environmental Protection to formulate rules about how to deal with importing fracking waste from Pennsylvania and Ohio. Those rules are due soon.

There are folks who say that since there’s no fracking going on in Connecticut, why bother creating laws about fracking waste? Here’s why: Oil and gas wells in nearby states create billions of gallons of toxic, radioactive liquids every year. All of that dangerous material has to go somewhere. Bringing it to a small, densely populated state, and turning a blind eye to the health and environmental ramifications, makes no sense.

The devastating effects of fracking and fracking waste are well-documented. Waste spills have wiped out ecosystems and seeped into the ground, contaminating aquifers. Inadequate treatment has contaminated waterways with radioactive sediment. The chemicals used in fracking, and the toxins in the shattered shale brought to the surface, can severely impact health. Researchers have proven these toxins can cause organ damage, reproductive and developmental problems, neurological impairment, and multiple cancers.

Bearing those risks in mind, banning this dangerous drilling waste is the best option. We don’t want increased tanker truck traffic, transfer sites, storage tanks and facilities where spills can occur, and we don’t want toxic chemicals or radioactive radium vented into the air or discharged into our state’s waterways.

The fracking industry has convinced some legislators that it is actually a good idea to re-use fracking waste as a de-icer, to control dust on roads, or even as construction material. These so-called “beneficial uses” are really just a way to spread out this dangerous waste.

Citizens across Connecticut aren’t buying this industry spin; they recognize the risks and dangers of fracking waste.

This is why state lawmakers must take deliberate action on banning fracking waste.

Banning fracking waste is the right move for legislators and Gov. Malloy Now they need to take action.