Many of the waste byproducts produced during the oil and gas extraction process are dangerous, toxic, and radioactive. These byproducts are often contaminated with proprietary chemical cocktails, used in the fracking process. Many waste materials give off radiation, which can travel through air, water, and even some solid materials and pose serious risks to both human and environmental health. Despite posing such risks, wastes from the oil and gas industry are not regulated under federal law. The WORC Report, No Time to Waste examines standards and disposal practices around radioactive oil and gas waste in particular.
Below are stories about people living with the impacts of oil and gas waste.
More than a Decade later, Pavillion Residents Continue to Face Complications due to Contaminated Water - Jeff and Rhonda Locker look out across a cut alfalfa field. Newly cut rows of alfalfa stretch into the distance. Clean mountain air blows down… 
From Homesteads to National Parks, unchecked Oil and Gas development threatens North Dakota - The west brought the Ashleys a sense of solitude and freedom, however, the peace they once knew has since been disrupted by an oil well that was put in at the base of their driveway. 
Working to Prove Accountability: A Hydrogeologist’s Perspective on the Pavillion Water Crisis - Mike Wireman, a hydrogeologist, has spent the last five years trying to understand what is causing the Pavillion water crisis in relation to oil and gas development. 
North Dakota farmers fear more than just oil spills - Daryl and Christine Peterson have lost over $1 million in farmland value from produced water spills. On a bright July day, Daryl Peterson stood four… Continue reading → North Dakota farmers fear more than just oil spills
When it’s in Your Backyard - Ben: I’m Ben Tipton Sharyn: I’m Sharon Tipton. We live in Battlement Mesa, Colorado. Ben: We’ve been here in Battlement Mesa for three years.…