Kansas Senate Gives Initial OK To Spreading Fracking Waste On Farm Fields [View all]

[hatrack]

he Kansas Senate has tentatively approved a measure allowing oil and gas drilling companies to spread clay shavings produced by fracking operations over fields in Kansas.

The move Thursday comes as southern Kansas is experiencing a surge in horizontal drilling involving the hydraulic fracturing technique known as fracking, according to The Wichita Eagle. Senators will take a final vote on the bill later before sending it to a House committee.

The material companies could spread on Kansas fields involve clays, which often have high concentrations of chloride. It's viewed as a cheaper and more efficient way to get rid of the large quantity of waste created by fracking. The alternative is hauling it to landfills, and officials say the landfill in Harvey County may be the only one accepting such materials.

Under the proposal, companies couldn't spread any material that has chloride levels higher than 900 parts per million, or about two inches of material atop the soil. State officials would review the quality of irrigation water in the area to ensure chlorides pumped out to water crops don't push chloride levels to dangerous levels.

EDIT

http://6lawrence.com/news/politics/ks-senate-gives-tentative-ok-to-fracking-waste/