Hydrofracking Debate Takes On Dumped "Drill Cuttings"

By Zack Seward

Rochester, NY – The latest showdown over hydrofracking in New York's Southern Tier is over the issue of so-called "drill cuttings." As the WXXI Innovation Trail's Zack Seward reports, some say they're dangerously radioactive, while some say they're safe.

Drill cuttings are basically the piles of earthen waste that gas drillers remove as they dig out new wells.

Ultimately the cuttings end up in landfills, and Steuben County's publicly operated landfill is on track to be one of them.

Vince Spagnoletti is the county's commissioner of public works.

"If they drill in New York state, in Steuben County there's going to be hundreds of thousands of tons of this material," said Spagnoletti. "None of us want it spread over the countryside."

While hydrofracking is still under moratorium in New York state, Spagnoletti is moving ahead with plans to accept drill cuttings from Pennsylvania in the fall.

And that has a number of local groups concerned.

They say the cuttings contain high levels of radium, which could be radioactive enough to cause health and environmental problems down the line.

Marvin Resnikoff is a physicist who specializes in radioactive waste.

"The radioactive material has a half life of 1600 years," said Resnikoff. "A lot can happen in 1600 years -- you can imagine. So it represents a hazard. And it represents a liability for the county as well."

Resnikoff says the radiation risks of dumping drill cuttings in municipal landfills haven't been sufficiently studied.

Steuben County's Spagnoletti says it's safe, pointing to the approval that the state's Department of Environmental Conservation has already issued.

The neighboring Chemung County municipal landfill, which is operated by waste management firm Casella, already accepts similar cuttings.

On Monday night, Resnikoff and Spagnoletti presented their differing perspectives at a public forum in Bath, N.Y.