A series of recent stories on the subject of naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) as a byproduct of natural gas development failed to provide proper context to your readers.

The nearly 390-million-year-old Marcellus shale formation, a densely packed organic rock believed to be potentially the world’s second largest natural gas field, is typically found more than a mile below ground. And like virtually all organic material (soil, stone, etc.), drill cuttings and flowback water associated with tightly regulated natural gas development contain manageable NORM levels.

In March 2011, after the state Department of Environmental Protection conducted tests at water treatment facilities in western Pennsylvania, the Associated Press reported that “wastewater from natural gas drilling raised no red flags for radioactivity” and that “samples also showed levels below the federal drinking water standard for radium 226 and 228.” Further, the Youngstown Vindicator recently reported that “the average chest X-ray emits 4,000 microrem, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, which is 600 times the radiation found in the drill cuttings.”

And the natural gas industry supports a recently announced DEP study aimed at further evaluating NORM levels in natural gas development-related byproducts.

While there is much interest and debate surrounding Marcellus shale development, it’s a conversation that must be grounded in fact and science –- not hyperbole or sensationalism.

Steve Forde
Vice President, Policy and Communications
Marcellus Shale Coalition

NOTE: Click HERE to view this letter online and HERE to view this letter in the Herald-Standard.