New York accepted in excess of 100,000 tons of hydraulic fracturing waste from Pennsylvania in 2012.
State law exempts this waste, which can contain undisclosed and unmonitored levels of potentially toxic chemicals, heavy metals and radioactive material, from being classified and treated as "hazardous."
As a result, this waste gets deposited to New York's treatment facilities and landfills without determining if it requires the removal of harmful contaminants.
Hydraulic fracturing waste is also spread on roads to melt ice and control dust where it can run off into public waterways and seep into groundwater.
A state Senate bill sponsored by Sen. Tony Avella, D-Queens, with the bipartisan support of 33 additional senators, would ensure that when waste from hydraulic fracturing operations meets the definition of hazardous waste, it is treated in a manner consistent with other hazardous wastes.
The League of Women Voters of New York State urges the Senate majority coalition leaders to show real leadership and bring this bill to the Senate floor for a vote before the end of the current legislative session.
Sally Robinson
President, New York State League of Women Voters
Elisabeth Radow
Chairwoman, Committee on Energy, Agriculture and the Environment
New York State League of Women Voters