State proposes quadrupling Montana's radioactivity limit for oilfield waste

Billings, Mont. – The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) last week released an update to proposed rules guiding the disposal of radioactive oil waste in Montana.

Among the proposed changes is a quadrupling of Montana’s radioactivity concentration limit for materials entering waste facilities. The limit has been raised from 50 to 200 picocuries per gram of radium-226 and radium-228. North Dakota’s radioactivity limit is 50 picocuries per gram.

“This increase to Montana’s radioactivity limit is unacceptable,” declared Laurel Clawson, a rancher in Plentywood and a spokesperson for...