The House Subcommittee on Energy and Environment held a hearing earlier this week to review federal hydraulic fracturing research activities. The hearing examined research activities by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Interior (DOI) in an inter-agency effort to “address the highest priority challenges” related to the production of domestic unconventional oil and natural gas resources. Readers may recall we have posted about fracking issues before.
Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) noted a widely publicized handful of unsubstantiated charges that fracking pollutes ground water; the EPA is at the center of this debate, linking fracking to water contamination in at least three cases, only to be forced to retract their statements after further scrutiny.
Members questioned administration witnesses on the objectives of the interagency initiative as they relate to the administration’s regulatory intentions and track record of unsubstantiated attacks on the safety of hydraulic fracturing.
Dr. Kevin Teichman, Senior Science Advisor, Office of Research and Development, Environmental Protection Agency
Mr. Guido DeHoratiis, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oil and Gas, Office of Fossil Energy, Department of Energy
Dr. David Russ, Regional Executive, Northeast Area, U.S. Geological Survey
Dr. Robin Ikeda, Acting Director, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Department of Health and Human Services
The hearing also noted the administration’s interagency working group had committed to release a draft of their research plan by October 2012 and complete the final plan by January 2013. The Administration has yet to even release a draft for public comment.
Energy Subcommittee Chairman Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) noted that her home state of Wyoming is at the center of this issue since the EPA put it in the national spotlight with a “draft” report implying that fracking was somehow responsible for the quality of the water. However, in the days and weeks that followed this announcement, the State of Wyoming, industry, and other federal agencies exposed EPA’s study as deeply flawed.
Environment Subcommittee Chairman Chris Stewart noted that largely as a result of the expanded use of cheap natural gas from 2005 to 2011, the U.S. has decreased its carbon dioxide output more than any other nation, including those countries that have implemented aggressive green energy agendas, such as Germany and Spain. It is perhaps ironic that many of the most passionate advocates for action on climate change also oppose fracking.