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Mining and Fossil Fuels in the Delaware River Basin

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Mining and Fossil Fuels in the Delaware River Basin The Delaware River and its 216 tributaries are vital sources of fresh water. The Clean Water Act is intended to protect and restore our waterways, such as Puget Sound (below) and the Detroit River (right). Threats to Clean Water in the Delaware River Basin Fossil Fuels and Mining The Delaware River basin is an important source of clean water for drinking, wildlife and recreation. Environment America’s interactive online map depicts threats to clean water in the basin – including the production, transportation and processing of fossil fuels. This is one of five fact sheets summarizing data from the map. The Delaware River Basin Is a Vital Natural Resource The Delaware River basin, which spans 13,500 square miles and encompasses the Delaware Bay, the Delaware River, and the river’s 216 tributaries, is a popular recreational area, a critical resource for wildlife, and a vital source of fresh water.1 Roughly 15 million people, living both inside and outside of the watershed, rely on it for drinking water.2 Unfortunately, this important watershed faces a number of threats. Environment America’s online map provides residents of the Delaware River basin with a unique tool to explore potential sources of water pollution where they live and across the region – including threats posed by production and transportation of fossil fuels and by mining. The map is available at www.delawarewatershed.org. Fossil Fuels and Legacy Pollution from Mining Threaten the Delaware Basin Generations of production, transport and processing of fossil fuels have left a devastating environmental legacy in the Delaware River basin – from polluted drainage at abandoned coal mines to lasting environmental damage from oil spills and leaks. Those threats continue today and are distributed throughout the region: • More than 150 active or abandoned coal mines are located in eastern Pennsylvania. • Pipelines criss-cross the region, running as far north as the river’s headwaters in New York and as far south as the Delaware Bay. • Millions of gallons of crude oil are shipped across the Delaware basin and up and down the Delaware River each day. • Refineries are located in cities in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware. The Delaware River basin has thus far been spared disruption and environmental damage from fracking but the basin continues to lack permanent protection against a practice that has fouled waterways in other regions. Transporting and Refining Crude Oil Can Cause Spills Large volumes of crude oil are transported throughout the Delaware River basin, including more than 100,000 barrels carried by rail and almost 42 million barrels shipped in tankers each day.3 The large volume of oil transported, stored and processed in the basin creates the potential for devastating spills. In 2004, for example, the Athos I, a tanker transporting crude oil, was ripped by an anchor while preparing to dock at a refinery.4 The ship spilled more than 263,000 gallons of oil into the Delaware River and restoration efforts continued for more than 10 years. Oil freight train accidents are rare but also potentially severe and the threat has been rising; across the country, more crude oil spilled from trains in 2013 than over the previous 38 years combined.5 Pipeline Construction Often Pollutes Water There are roughly 1,800 miles of natural gas and petroleum pipelines that are active or under construction in the Delaware River basin. Beyond the risks posed by spills from petroleum pipelines, the construction of new pipelines for oil or gas can contaminate water. In January 2018, for example, construction of the Mariner East II pipeline was halted due to leaks of drilling fluid into designated trout streams.6 Drilling fluid from Mariner East II construction has also contaminated wells in at least four Pennsylvania counties, making the water undrinkable.7 The construction of new pipelines can contaminate groundwater and surface water. Active and Abandoned Mines Contaminate Water More than 1,000 active, abandoned or reclaimed mines are located in the Delaware River basin, divided among three categories: coal, metal and industrial minerals. Many of these are still active, including 64 coal mines and more than 300 industrial mineral mines, and the rest have been aban- doned or reclaimed. Drainage from active and abandoned coal mines can con- taminate streams with harmful levels of acidity and metals. A U.S. Geological Survey study found that more than 3,000 miles of streams in Pennsylvania, including many within the Delaware basin, have been contaminated by coal mine drainage.8 Runoff contaminated with heavy metals from Acid runoff from an abandoned coal mine has turned metal mines or rock debris and sediments from industrial this Pennsylvania stream orange. mineral mines can also impact water quality. Fracking Would Further Threaten Water Quality in the Basin Parts of both the Marcellus and Utica shale plays lie underneath the Delaware River basin. Since 2010, there has been an unofficial moratorium on fracking in the basin, and the Delaware River Basin Commission released a proposal for an official basin-wide fracking ban in November 2017, with a vote expected by the end of 2018.9 If the fracking moratorium were to be removed, the result could be the construction of up to 4,000 fracked wells, with fracking wastewater releases increasing barium and strontium concentrations by as much as 500 percent in some streams.10 Environment America’s online map shows the location of fossil fuel terminals (red dots), the approximate location of petroleum and natural gas pipelines, and rail lines owned by railroads that transport fossil fuels in the region – providing a unique view of the region’s extensive fossil fuel infrastructure. Resource Extraction and Protecting the Delaware River Basin from Transportation Threats by the Mining and Fossil Fuels To ensure that the Delaware River basin can continue to sup- Numbers port recreation, provide healthy ecosystems for wildlife, and serve as a source of clean and safe drinking water for 15 mil- Type of Threat Extent within the Basin lion Americans, we need to limit the damage from fossil fuels and mining. Necessary steps include: Oil Refineries and Terminals • Enacting a permanent ban on fracking and disposal of Refineries 5 fracking waste in the Delaware River basin. Crude Oil Terminals 2 • Putting a moratorium on new pipeline construction in the basin and banning the use of oil trains that fail to Petroleum Product Terminals 38 meet modern safety standards – especially in populated areas. Fossil Fuel Pipelines • Increasing funding for abandoned mine reclamation and Active Pipelines Roughly 1,700 miles requiring adequate financial assurance (bonding) from Pipelines under Construction Roughly 150 miles companies that extract, transport, store or process fossil fuels within the basin to protect taxpayers from having to Mining bear the cost of cleaning up spills or leaks. 190 total (64 active, 107 • Ensuring strong enforcement of environmental standards Coal Mines abandoned, 19 inactive or for fossil fuel and mining facilities, including frequent in- reclaimed) spections and penalties for violations sufficient to deter activities that put water quality at risk. 823 total (397 active, 176 Metals, Industrial Minerals abandoned, 250 inactive, • Maintaining and strengthening all federal clean water and Other Mines intermittent or reclaimed) protections. • Taking steps to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, Notes including measures to transition to electric vehicles, im- 1. Delaware River Basin Commission, 2016 Delaware River and Bay Water prove energy efficiency, and reduce fossil fuel consump- Quality Assessment, August 2016, 2, archived at https://web.archive.org/ tion for electricity generation. States within the basin web/20180619142442/http://www.nj.gov/drbc/library/documents/ WQAssessmentReport2016.pdf. should aspire to transition to renewable energy, reducing 2. Ibid. 3. Rail: Curtis Tate, “Crude Oil Trains Revive Philadelphia Refineries the threat fossil fuels pose to our waterways and the global but Deliver New Risks,” McClatchy, 7 April 2014, archived at https:// climate. web.archive.org/web/20180619144549/http://www.mcclatchydc.com/ news/nation-world/national/economy/article24766084.html; Tankers: See note 1. 4. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Athos I Oil Spill on the Delaware River, undated, archived at https://web.archive.org/ Explore Threats in Your Area web/20180619145316/https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/athos. 5. Curtis Tate, “More Oil Spilled from Trains in 2013 than in Previous 4 Decades, Federal Data Show,” McClatchy, 20 January 2014, archived at To learn more about the refineries, mines and pipelines https://web.archive.org/web/20180619145444/http://www.mcclatchy- dc.com/news/nation-world/national/economy/article24761968.html. near your home or water provider, explore Environment 6. Jacob Tierney, “State Halts Mariner East II Pipeline Construction for Environmental Violations,” Trib Live, 3 January 2018, archived at America’s interactive map of the basin: https://web.archive.org/web/20180619150328/http://triblive.com/ local/westmoreland/13140017-74/state-halts-mariner-east-ii-pipline-con- struction-over-enviromental-violations. www.delawarewatershed.org. 7. Jon Hurdle, “Water Problems Persist along Mariner East Pipeline Route Despite Court Intervention,” StateImpact, 12 October 2017, archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20180619150408/https:// stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2017/10/12/water-problems-persist-
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