U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Steven Chu described an initial report on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) as “practical, thoughtful and insightful,” as the subcommittee that compiled it began developing a timeline over the next 90 days for federal and state regulatory agencies to implement its recommendations.

In a 41-page report issued Aug. 11, the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (SEAB) Natural Gas Subcommittee encouraged regulators and the industry to develop and enact a “best practices” strategy on fracking in order to allay public fears of the practice and for shale gas development to be successful (see NGI, Aug. 15).

Chu formed the subcommittee in May following a policy speech by President Obama calling for both increased development and scrutiny of natural gas (see NGI, May 9).

“As the president has said, natural gas will continue to play an important role in our nation’s energy portfolio, helping create jobs, stimulate the economy and reduce our dependence on imported oil,” Chu said. “But the president’s commitment to continuing to leverage this abundant domestic fuel source … is built on our ability, working with industry, to improve the environmental performance of the processes that have allowed us to take full advantage of this important resource.”

The subcommittee report, which took 90 days to complete, essentially advocates creating a national culture of continuous technological improvement in the shale gas industry, and having those improvements put into place either at a state or regional level. The report said air and water quality issues were integral to any plan outlining the industry’s best practices.

Other recommendations made by the subcommittee include requiring companies to disclose the chemical contents of fracking fluids, reducing the use of diesel fuel, improved communication between state and federal regulators, minimizing drilling impacts on communities and providing more information on shale gas to the public. A final report is due Nov. 18.

Industry groups were largely supportive of the SEAB subcommittee’s report, but the American Petroleum Institute (API) said that many regulatory and industry successes on fracking were overlooked. The API also criticized the makeup of the subcommittee, a grievance it shares with some environmental groups (see NGI, June 13; May 23).

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