CNX Resources Corp. said Thursday it will expand its Radical Transparency environmental monitoring program to include continuous radiation monitoring at unconventional natural gas well pads and certain produced-water facilities in Pennsylvania.
“Radical Transparency was never meant to be a program with an end date — it’s how we intend to manage our business moving forward, providing the public and policymakers the data needed to make informed decisions about the nature of natural gas development in Pennsylvania, and that means it must continue expanding and growing into new areas,” said Alan Shepard, president and CEO of CNX.
The company said the expanded program will also include more public disclosure about the radiation levels associated with the waste leaving its operating sites. Data will be shared with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the public in real time, CNX said.
“Just as we’ve done with air and water quality, we’re going to put actual, site-level radiation data in front of the public and DEP rather than allow questionable studies and speculation to drive the narrative on this important issue,” Shepard said. “These are voluntary commitments that go beyond what any regulation requires of us, because our communities deserve real data, not guesswork, about the operations happening near where they and we live and work.”
CNX launched Radical Transparency in 2023 through a collaboration with Gov. Josh Shapiro and DEP, and the program initially focused on making air and water quality data and drilling chemical information available 24/7.
Since then, the company said the collaboration has expanded to include an independent study of unconventional natural gas wells and helped inform DEP rulemaking on broader chemical disclosure.
Under the expanded program, CNX said it will install continuous ambient gamma radiation monitors at or near unconventional well pads and certain produced-water facilities, covering development from drilling through production.
Onterris, an accredited third-party environmental services provider formerly known as Montrose Environmental Group, will collect the raw data and provide it simultaneously to CNX and DEP.
The data will undergo quality assurance and quality control and will be posted publicly in real time on CNX’s Radical Transparency website, the company said.
CNX also said it will begin publicly disclosing daily radiation survey data for waste transported from its sites. The company already surveys radiation levels before waste is sent for disposal and said the results will now be updated publicly each month.
The company said it also conducts twice-yearly reviews and annual on-site inspections of waste-handling facilities it approves to receive its waste.