William J. Kemble is reporting in the Daily Freeman the Catskill Town Board has been asked to prohibit use of fluids containing hydraulic fracturing materials as highway de-icing agents. The request was made during a meeting Tues., Oct. 1, when members of the grassroots group Green Renewable Energy and Environmental Network said the ban would help protect the environment from radioactive material. Fluid from hydraulic fracturing comes from the waste material used in wells during the process of dissolving shale to obtain natural gas. Town officials said information about the proposed ban would be reviewed, but they did not anticipate that the fluids would be used on local roads. The use of production brine is prohibited in the Village of Catskill. The Village Board passed the Brine Prohibition Act in September. Read the full story in the Daily Mail.