Earth First! Newswire
The U.S. Coast Guard issued a proposal on Tuesday allowing barges to carry hydraulic fracturing wastewater in bulk.
That gives energy companies an additional option for moving the chemicals to storage or reprocessing centers away from the drilling site.
Citing commercial interest in using inland waterways to bring the shale gas extraction wastewater from Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia to disposal locations in Ohio, Texas and Louisiana, the Coast Guard said it will grant certain vessels the right to transport the toxic chemicals on the Ohio River and other waterways.
The proposal is the subject of a 30-day public comment period. The date for when the rule goes into effect has not yet been set.
The U.S. Coast Guard issued a proposal on Tuesday allowing barges to carry hydraulic fracturing wastewater in bulk.
That gives energy companies an additional option for moving the chemicals to storage or reprocessing centers away from the drilling site.
Citing commercial interest in using inland waterways to bring the shale gas extraction wastewater from Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia to disposal locations in Ohio, Texas and Louisiana, the Coast Guard said it will grant certain vessels the right to transport the toxic chemicals on the Ohio River and other waterways.
Barges currently carrying crude oil and coal are prone to accidents as they do not turn easily and can take up to two miles to come to a complete stop.
The proposal is the subject of a 30-day public comment period. The date for when the rule goes into effect has not yet been set.
Texas based GreenHunter Water, owner of three massive liquid-storage tanks along the Ohio River that could be used as a transfer station between fracking sites and disposal wells was the target of a blockade by Appalachia Resist! and Earth First! last February.
