Media Contact:
Justin Wasser, jwasser@earthworks.org
HARRISBURG, PA – On Monday, June 8, 2026, the Environmental and Natural Resources Committee in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives voted to advance HB 84, a bill to ban the dumping of liquid oil and gas waste on PA roads. The Committee’s support of the ban reflects a commitment to follow the most up-to-date science on the ineffectiveness and harms of the practice, ensuring Pennsylvanians are protected from the potential health risks.
“Pennsylvanians don’t want industry waste dumped onto their roads,” said Earthworks Policy Advocate Charlie Palladino. “No one wants potentially radioactive and cancer-causing chemicals near them or their kids. This may seem to be a cheap waste disposal practice for the oil and gas industry, but it is all costs for Pennsylvanians.”
The oil and gas industry refers to dumping oil and gas wastewater to reduce dust on unpaved roads as “road spreading.” It is a scientifically unsound, ineffective practice that poses significant, documented environmental and public health risks. Oil and gas waste contains varying amounts of heavy metals, radioactive materials, and other pollutants, some of which are carcinogenic and threaten human health and the environment.
In 2018, the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) agreed to pause permitting the practice after PA resident Siri Lawson challenged the legality of the permitting process, but the agency stopped short of issuing a formal ban. As a result, the dumping continued. Between 2018 and 2021, as documented in the Better Path Coalition’s report “Moratorium Morass,” operators self-reported dumping 3,259,405 gallons of wastewater on Pennsylvania roadways.
A 2022 report commissioned by DEP found the wastewater is only about as effective as rainwater as a dust suppressant and can even destabilize roads, leading to more dust than an untreated road. The report also found that runoff from roads treated with wastewater contained radium, a known carcinogen. The report’s co-author ultimately concluded, “While we must be willing to accept the tradeoffs between the benefits of dust suppression and the drawback of the environmental impacts, this research has found that oil and gas wastewaters only provide drawbacks.”
“We applaud the Committee’s decision to support an outright ban,” Palladino continued. “We look forward to the full House considering the bill and prioritizing the health and safety of all Pennsylvanians.”