Following up on President Obama’s mandate earlier this spring, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu has announced a group of environmental, industry and state regulatory experts that will make recommendations to improve the safety and environmental performance of natural gas hydraulic fracturing in shale formations.

Chu said it is important to harness a “vital domestic energy resource” while “ensuring the safety of our drinking water and the health of the environment.”

In late March Obama directed Chu to convene the group as part of the administration’s 44-page Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future, a plan to reduce America’s oil dependence, save consumers money and make the country the leader in clean energy industries (see Shale Daily, April 4; March 31).

(To read the full story go to shaledaily.com.)

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