Presently, the “leachate loophole” allows oil and gas companies to skip hazardous waste testing, as well as tracking and disposal rules, even though waste from these companies contains a wide variety of hazardous components. The waste from oil and gas companies is insufficiently treated as “residual waste” under Pennsylvania’s Solid Waste Management Act, thus excluding oil and gas companies from the requirement to thoroughly test or treat waste prior to disposal in landfills or wastewater treatment facilities. Wastewater treatment facilities are not equipped to process hazardous and radioactive elements. As a result, Pennsylvania residents are frequently exposed to potentially hazardous and toxic chemicals in the water they consume.
 
To address these oversights in the Solid Waste Management Act and to protect our constitutional right to a clean environment, I will be introducing legislation that would close the “leachate loophole” and require anyone that stores, processes, or disposes of residual waste to test leachate prior to discharge. Wastewater treatment facilities would also be required to regularly report testing results to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
 
Pennsylvanians have a constitutional right to a clean environment. By closing the “leachate loophole,” we can protect our constituents and the environment from the dangers of leachate.
 
Please join me in co-sponsoring this important legislation to close the Leachate Loophole and ensure our public safety.