A state hearing on proposed radioactive oil waste disposal rules will take place at 7:00 PM, September 20th, 2017 (informal state Q&A at 5:30) at the MonDak Heritage Center, 120 3rd Ave. SE, Sidney, MT.
Link to DEQ draft radioactive oil waste rules and hearing schedule: http://deq.mt.gov/DEQAdmin/dir/legal/hearing
Seth Newton and other landowner neighbors of Montana’s only current radioactive oil waste disposal facility, located near Glendive, will join other eastern Montanans traveling to Sidney to testify at a September 20th hearing on the Montana Department of Environmental Quality’s draft rules on radioactive oil waste disposal.
Northern Plains Resource Council members have urged the state to develop protective rules for more than four years. They hail DEQ’s proposal as a step in the right direction, but also highlight shortcomings in the rules as they currently stand. Among other things, they are calling for additional safeguards around independent testing and monitoring.
The Oaks Disposal Facility in Dawson County has accepted more than 253,000 tons of waste. The vast majority of it has come from North Dakota, where disposal of radioactive oilfield waste was long functionally prohibited. In addition to the Oaks Disposal Facility currently in operation, the DEQ has approved disposal facility permits for a site north of Culbertson and another south of Outlook. The state is currently conducting an environmental assessment on an additional proposed facility, to be located 4 miles east of Sidney.
The Sidney hearing is the final of two formal hearings being held by the DEQ to solicit feedback on its draft rule. The state is also accepting written comments through October 18th.
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