Peer

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) independent Science Advisory Board (SAB) has formed a Hydraulic Fracturing Research Advisory panel of independent experts to peer review the EPA’s 2014 draft report of results for its national study on potential health and environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. EPA said the SAB panel will provide scientific feedback on EPA’s research in “an open and transparent manner.”

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) independent Science Advisory Board (SAB) has formed a Hydraulic Fracturing Research Advisory panel of independent experts to peer review the EPA’s 2014 draft report of results for its national study on potential health and environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. EPA said the SAB panel will provide scientific feedback on EPA’s research in “an open and transparent manner.”

New Brunswick should require a portion of any natural gas found in its shale plays be set aside for use in the province and should put in place a water use strategy for the shale gas industry, but it should not place a moratorium on the industry, according to a report by Louis LaPierre, a professor emeritus in biology at the University of Moncton.

The University at Buffalo (UB) will not change the operations of the Shale Resources and Society Institute (SRSI), despite a controversy over an SRSI hydraulic fracturing (fracking) study that threatened to overshadow its conclusions, UB said.

Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) took center stage at a House hearing Wednesday on the fiscal year (FY) 2013 Interior Department budget, with Secretary Ken Salazar saying that he hopes that federal government research into the shale gas practice will end “a lot of the hysteria” surrounding the drilling practice.

Like its peer Petrohawk Energy Corp. (see related story), SM Energy Co. is focusing more on the Eagle Ford. Plans for its Haynesville holdings are evolving.

Despite its on again/off again relationship with petroleum futures, July natural gas accepted some peer pressure Tuesday as it dropped lower on its expiration. After notching a low of $6.900, July expired at $6.976, down 16.2 cents on the day.

Alliance Pipeline Project declared it has come of age within itspeer group of Canadian natural gas transporters with a symbolicshuffle in its executive suite. Dennis Cornelson was replaced asAlliance president by the organization’s chairman since 1997,Norman Gish. Cornelson, a specialist in project and businessdevelopment rather than corporate administration, had said allalong he expected to leave when Alliance matured into atransportation company. The Alliance board of directors describedGish as an ideal choice. His industry experience has been as asenior executive of Canadian oil and gas-field service andproduction companies, the sector that launched Alliance againstfierce opposition by the pipeline establishment. He was presidentof North Canadian Oils, a leading gas production and marketinghouse when it was merged in 1993 into Norcen Energy Resources (nowthe Canadian arm of Union Pacific Resources). Gish also has arecord in other fields described as grooming him well for a role atthe helm of a pipeline. He has been a regulator, serving aschairman of the British Columbia Energy Commission in 1977-80. Hehas also been a professional diplomat. A lawyer, Gish started outas a trade commissioner, serving in Hong Kong and Ottawa in the1960s.