Jeremy L. Dillon
RW Monitor
6/5/2015
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality is taking public comments on an application for a new landfill to manage oilfield solid waste, including Technologically-Enhanced, Naturally-Occurring Radioactive Material (TENORM), the regulator announced this week. The proposed landfill from Clay Butte Environmental would be located five miles north of Culbertson in Roosevelt County, Mont., a 30 minute drive from the North Dakota border. In the past decade, increased activity in oil and gas exploration, especially in the Marcellus Shale and Bakken Shale formations, has increased volumes of TENORM waste in states where that type of waste did not regularly occur, like North Dakota. This increase has resulted in states shipping the waste out-of-state for disposal in landfills with higher thresholds for volumes and concentrations.
According to the state, the main objective of the proposal is to provide a disposal option for local oil and gas exploration companies. “The main objective of the proposal is to provide an environmentally sound and legal option for the disposal of oilfield solid wastes to the oil and gas exploration and production companies in the area. The purpose of this notice is to inform the public of the proposed action and to seek public participation in the decision-making process.” Both public comments and a public meeting will occur throughout the three week period, including a public meeting in Culbertson, Mont. on June 11, 2015. Public comments are due by the close of business on June 24.
