CITIZEN POWER ALLIANCE

Steuben County is preparing to accept Marcellus Shale cuttings at the county landfill some time this year.

The cuttings – soil and rock removed before drilling for natural gas – show no dangerous levels of radiation, Public Works Commissioner Vincent Spagnoletti said.

He based that on an existing study by Barton & Loguidice, an engineering firm.

“All soil is radioactive,” he told the county Legislature’s Public Works Committee recently. “The question is, how radioactive?”

Another opponent, Rachel Treichler, of Hammondsport, told the committee a study should include more sensitive tests, including one for radon.

Several others told the committee there are not a lot of detailed tests on the debris, warning it could endanger future generations. Concerns also included the Public Works Committee’s lack of general knowledge on radioactivity.

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