DOE and IOGCC Announce NORM Technology Connection Website

Information on Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials To be Made Available to Public, Petroleum Industry

For those in the petroleum industry who must deal with the problem of managing naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM), a new source of online information is now available.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC) have launched the NORM Technology Connection website. This website provides the petroleum industry with streamlined access to information that previously was difficult or time-consuming to obtain.

NORM is produced when oil and natural gas from underground reservoirs carry small quantities of radium to the surface. Over time, the radium, typically radium-226 and to a lesser extent, radium-228, can concentrate in pipe scale and oil sludge. These scales and sludges can contaminate soils and equipment. The presence of NORM in concentrations that exceed natural background levels may present a potential human health risk.

As a result, managing and disposing of NORM-bearing wastes has become a significant issue for some oil and gas operators. Operators face the challenge of ensuring NORM-bearing wastes are handled in accordance with state regulations, yet at the lowest possible cost.

The NORM Technology Connection website is intended to help the industry meet this challenge by allowing operators to identify and obtain the applicable regulations, determine what commercial services are available, and communicate with others who have relevant experience and knowledge.

A key component of the NORM Technology Connection website provides access to information about the regulation of NORM, including a state-by-state directory of agencies that have jurisdiction over petroleum industry NORM. For each agency, contact information is provided and existing regulations applicable to petroleum industry NORM (if any) are identified. Where available, links to state agency websites and to online copies of the applicable regulations are provided.

Another main component of the NORM Technology Connection website is a database of information about companies that provide various NORM services, such as site characterization and remediation support, sample collection and analysis, equipment cleaning/reconditioning, radiation safety program development, radiation safety and NORM training, NORM waste treatment and disposal, and general consulting.

Users can search the database to find companies providing a specific type of service - for example, to find all NORM disposal companies - or to find companies providing services within their state. Company-specific information profiled on the website includes current contact information plus a brief description of the company's capabilities. If available, email addresses and a link to the company's own website also are provided. Individual companies are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of the information posted on the website. Company participation is free, meaning that any company wishing to post information about itself will be able to do so at no charge. Similarly, public access to the website also is free.

A third component of the website is a discussion forum within which individuals can post and respond to specific questions related to NORM management. The discussion forum is served by a mail list and individuals may subscribe and unsubscribe at any time.

The website was developed by Argonne National Laboratory's Environmental Assessment Division, with funding from the DOE's National Petroleum Technology Office in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

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For more information, contact:
Hattie Wolfe, DOE Office of Fossil Energy, 202-586-6503, email: hattie.wolfe@hq.doe.gov

Technical contacts:
John Ford, DOE National Petroleum Technology Office, 918-699-2061, email: jford@npto.doe.gov

Karen P. Smith, Argonne National Laboratory, 303-986-1140 (ext. 267), email: smithk@anl.gov