North Dakota landfill OK’d for radioactive oilfield waste

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota regulators approved a permit for a landfill near Williston that aims to become the state’s first to accept radioactive oilfield waste. Secure Energy Services, a Calgary, Alberta-based company, still must obtain a $1.125 million bond to dispose of radioactive material at its 13-Mile Landfill, which already accepts other types of waste generated by oil development, said Diana Trussell, who heads the state Department of Environmental Quality’s solid waste program. The agency on Monday (June 6, 2022) renewed the company’s permit for its existing landfill and also gave it permission to dispose of up to 25,000 tons of radioactive oilfield waste annually if it can secure the bonding. Critics say allowing such waste disposal isn’t environmentally safe.