Environmental justice and well waste disposal from oil and gas development in Pennsylvania

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Community socioeconomic deprivation (CSD) may be related to increased oil and natural gas development (OGD). We tested for distributive environmental injustice by examining whether waste disposal from OGD occurred disproportionately in areas with higher CSD in the Pennsylvania Marcellus Shale. METHODS: Data on well waste type, disposal method, and disposal location from 2005-2019 were downloaded from the Pennsylvania Geologic Survey’s Exploration and Development Well Information Network database. Analyses were restricted to waste disposed in-state and analyses were performed at the county subdivision level (n=1848). A CSD Index was created using 2005-2009 American Community Survey data. Regression analyses tested for nonlinear relationships, controlled for population density and well drilling prior to 2005, accounted for spatial dependence, and were stratified by urban/rural status. Logistic and linear regression analyses evaluated associations between CSD Index and receipt of any versus no well waste and cumulative volume of well waste deposited. RESULTS: Between 2005-2019, we identified 7.0 million tons of solid waste and 19 million barrels of liquid waste disposed of in Pennsylvania, with the highest volumes occurring in 2017-2019. We observed that a higher CSD Index was linearly associated with any well waste disposal (urban county subdivisions: OR= 1.13, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.28; rural county subdivisions: OR= 1.02, 95% CI: 0.97, 1.08) and with cumulative volume of waste disposed (urban: β = 5627 bbl-equivalent, 95% CI: -1957, 13211; rural: β = 6198 bbl-equivalent, 95% CI: 2007, 10390). Conclusions: We observed distributive environmental injustice with respect to well waste disposal in county subdivisions across the Pennsylvania Marcellus Shale. These results point to potential downstream disparities from OGD; future studies should investigate mechanisms that explain these disparities. KEYWORDS: Environmental Justice; Social Factors; Hydraulic Fracturing; Natural Gas