Coast Guard wants barges to ship fracking water

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By KEVIN BEGOS

PITTSBURGH (AP) - The U.S. Coast Guard wants to allow barges filled with fracking wastewater to ply the nation's rivers on their way toward disposal. Many environmentalists are horrified, but industry groups say barge transport has its advantages.

Now, the wastewater is usually disposed of by truck or rail, which poses more risk for accidents than shipping by barge, according to a government report. And one barge can carry about the same amount of waste as 100 exhaust-spewing trucks.

The disagreements go to the core of the fight over shale gas drilling. Environmentalists say the chemicals in fracking waste are a tragedy in the making, but the industry says far greater amounts of toxic chemicals are already being moved by barge, including waste from oil drilling.

In 2010, U.S. barges carried 2,000 tons of radioactive waste, almost 1.6 million tons of sulfuric acid and 315 million tons of petroleum products, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

FULL story at link.


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20131215/DAAMUVO03.html

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In this Feb. 17, 2012 file photo, the Pittsburgh skyline rises above the waters of the Ohio River, which starts at the confluence of the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers in Pittsburgh. The U.S. Coast Guard wants to allow barges filled with fracking wastewater to ply the nation’s rivers on their way toward disposal, an idea that’s raising alarm among environmentalists but could also provide long-elusive information on what exactly the toxic brews contain. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)

[MoreGOPoop]

1. K & R

Well, I think the U.S. Coast Guard should protect the U.S. People
and the U.S. Coasts from Greedy Ol' Petroleum.

[doc03]

2. I agree with the Coast Guard, we have had several incidents of

trucks dumping fracking water illegally and truck accidents. By shipping it by barge you know where it is going and I rarely hear of any barges wrecking and spilling their contents.

[Omaha Steve]

3. uuummmm....

Barge accident causes 8,000 gallon chemical spill into the Ohio River: http://www.kfvs12.com/story/6158007/barge-accident-causes-8000-gallon-chemical-spill-into-the-ohio-river

Goggle images for barge chemical spill.

[doc03]

4. I didn't say never but there seems to be an incident with fracking trucks spilling

there load or dumping illegally pretty often anymore. An 8000 gallon spill in the Ohio river
amounts to so many parts per trillion in the Ohio River, in a small stream it is an environmental catastrophe.

[lonestarnot]

6. OMG!

[blkmusclmachine]

5. ,

,