CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A West Virginia citizen group joined a coalition of coalition of environmental organizations filing a lawsuit with the EPA on Wednesday demanding regulations to stop oil and gas companies from dumping drilling and fracking waste in ways that threaten the environment.
The West Virginia Surface Owners Rights Organization joined six other organizations in calling for the EPA to update waste disposal rules.
“With the advent of horizontal drilling, the scale of drilling operations and the amount of waste being generated have increased exponentially,” said Julie Archer, a manager with the West Virginia Surface Rights Organization as part of a statement. “ Although the West Virginia has taken some steps to improve regulation, the state’s approach of permitting horizontal drilling without carefully considering whether current methods of waste disposal are appropriate or adequate has created a problem for which there are no good solutions.
The organizations would like to see stricter controls on the disposal of oil and gas drilling wastes that could cause contimination.
The groups notified EPA that they will file a lawsuit in 60 days unless the agency complies with with their request to review and revise the federal regulations governing how oil and gas waste are handled and disposed of.