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By Steve Mocarsky smocarsky@timesleader.com
Staff Writer
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Drivers hauling wastewater and drill cuttings from natural gas drilling operations – and garbage haulers in general – can expect to see more roadside inspections this coming year.

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The state Department of Environmental Protection and Pennsylvania State Police have agreed to increase funding for inspections to ensure waste haulers are obeying state laws, DEP and state police said Wednesday in a joint press release.

The unannounced roadside inspections, which the agencies have dubbed “FracNet” and “TrashNet,” have removed hundreds of unsafe and illegally operated waste vehicles from the roadways, including trucks operating in support of Marcellus Shale gas drilling operations, officials said.

Hundreds of tankers are utilized at any given drilling site to transport wastewater used in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking – a process used to stimulate the release of natural gas from a well.

“Pennsylvania is one of the largest importers of trash from other states and has also seen a dramatic increase in the number of vehicles hauling wastewater from Marcellus Shale drilling sites,” DEP Secretary John Hanger said, calling the partnership “an effective method” to deal with waste-hauling safety and compliance with laws.

The two state agencies signed a memorandum of understanding that provides funding to the state police from the Waste Transportation Safety Account, which is supported by fees, fines and penalties paid by the waste-hauling industry. The agreement will enable both agencies to conduct more frequent roadside inspections with increased duration.

“This year’s agreement will allow us to replicate and expand past enforcement operations as each agency shares the common goals of removing violators from our highways, improving public safety, and decreasing the potential for environmental hazards,” state police Commissioner Frank E. Pawlowski said.

In the first half of 2010, roadside inspections by the state police and DEP found that more than 40 percent of the large trucks serving the Marcellus Shale natural gas industry were operating in violation of state motor carrier safety regulations. Nationally, since 2006, the trucking industry averaged only a 23- to 30-percent out-of-service violation rate.

In June, a three-day enforcement effort involving DEP, state police, the state Public Utility Commission and the federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration focused on trucks hauling waste water from Marcellus Shale gas drilling operations and resulted in 250 commercial vehicles being placed out of service for various vehicle safety deficiencies.

Under a similar interagency agreement in 2009, state police and DEP inspected more than 4,300 waste haulers along state roads, placing 770 vehicles out of service and issuing 2,654 traffic citations.

DEP spokesman Tom Rathbun said $300,000 was allocated for the roadside enforcement for 2009-2010, and the newest memorandum of understanding stipulates that $550,000 will be dedicated for reimbursing state police for stepped-up enforcement.

Steve Mocarsky, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 970-7311.