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DOE Warns of Potential Shale Gas Dangers, Offers Recommendations

A committee charged by the U.S. Department of Energy to examine regulatory concerns in regard to shale gas development in the U.S. released a statement Thursday voicing concern.

The Secretary of Energy Advisory Board released its Second Ninety Day Report, and with it a news release expressing that there had been much less progress than the SEAB had "hoped."

"Absent action there will little credible progress in toward reducing the environmental impact of shale gas production, placing at risk the benefits of this domestic energy source," the report states.

The SEAB Second Report offers 20 recommendations, some for state-level government, some for the federal government and other relevant regulations.

"The Subcommittee's judgment that if action is not taken to reduce the environmental impact accompanying the very considerable expansion of shale gas production expected across the country – perhaps as many as 100,000 wells over the next several decades – there is a real risk of serious environmental consequences and a loss of public confidence that could delay or stop this activity," the report states.

Subcommittee Chairman John Deutch, an MIT professor, said the committee had serious concerns, but it was not interested in stopping development of what could be a transformative industry.

"The development of shale gas is one of the biggest energy innovations, if not the biggest, in several decades," continued Deutch. "It is now about 30 percent of total U.S. natural gas production; it has reduced energy costs and created hundreds of thousands of jobs. But to ensure the full benefits to the American people, environmental issues need to be addressed now – especially in terms of waste water, air quality, and community impact. We believe that our twenty recommendations provide the basis for a pragmatic route forward and hope that they will be acted upon."

The draft of the report is available online, and public comment is being accepted. The report will be sent to DOE Secretary Steven Chu after Nov. 14 following a conference call to discuss the report.

The final report will focus on implementation of the 20 recommendations.

Federal recommendations include improving information available to the public, increasing intergovernmental cooperation, reducing emissions, collecting emissions data, encouraging emissions reductions, disclosure of fracturing fluid composition and developing new research.

States are recommended to measure and publicly report composition of water stocks and flow throughout the fracturing and cleanup process, adopting best practices in well construction and requirements for background water quality information.

The subcommittee met for the first time in May and has held public meetings to gather input on its recommendations. According to the website, comments should be submitted by noon Monday.