The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection will accept oral comments on a proposed revision to the state’s Solid Waste Management Rule, which stems from the passage in March of House Bill107 pertaining to the disposal of drill cuttings in solid waste landfills. A public hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Wednesday, July 30, at DEP headquarters at 601 57th St. S.E., in Charleston.
The proposed rule revision establishes protocols for the proper handling, management and disposal of drill cuttings and associated drilling mud generated in the exploration and production of oil and gas from the horizontal drilling process. It also requires radiation and leachate monitoring at all facilities receiving drill cuttings and associated drilling mud.
The comment period ends at the conclusion of the public hearing.
The proposed rule, once approved by the Legislature next spring, would replace an emergency rule that went into effect July 10. The emergency rule mirrors the proposal the agency will be taking comments on at the July 30 hearing. The proposal can be viewed on the DEP’s website at
http://www.dep.wv.gov/pio/Pages/Rules.aspx.