University of Colorado at Boulder
BMP of Oil and Gas Development

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Citation Label: GEN282
Publication Name: In Fracking's Wake: New Rules are Needed to Protect Our Health and Environment from Contaminated Wastewater
Publication Type: Report
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Author Name: Hammer, Rebecca
Other Authors: Jeanne VanBriesen, Ph.D., PE
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Publication Year: 2012
Publication No.: Natural Resources Defense Council
External Link:

http://www.nrdc.org/energy/files/fracking-wastewater-fullreport.pdf

Local Source File: GEN282-infrackings_wake_nrdc.pdf
Annotation: This 2012 NRDC report is comprised of an evaluation of federal and state laws regulating fracing waste water, a thorough review of human health and environmental risks posed by this high-volume waste stream, and an analysis of currently available treatment and disposal methods. The findings suggest that currently available options are inadequate to protect human health and environment, but that stronger safeguards at both the state and federal level could better protect against the risks associated with waste waters. The most significant policy recommendations from this report are: 1) closing the loophole in federal law that exempts hazardous oil and gas waste from treatment, storage, and disposal requirement applicable to other hazardous wastes, and 2) the need to improve regulatory standards for waste water treatment facilities and the level of treatment required before waste waters can be discharged into water bodies.
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