Scientists Say Obama Fracking Panel is Financially Tied to Gas Industry

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The Natural Gas Subcommittee of the Secretary of the Energy Advisory Boardย released their draft report today, which outlines immediate actions to improve the health and environmental risks associated with hydraulic fracturing. The report, a culmination of 90 days of research, is a part of President Obamaโ€™s larger plan for unconventional gas in his โ€œBlueprint for a Secure Energy Future.โ€ย 

The panel, handpicked by Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, is directed to investigate the safety of shale gas development and to make recommendations for both improvements to the process as well as โ€˜best practiceโ€™ strategies that can act as recommendations to relevantย agencies.ย 

The 41-page report makes clear the conviction that the current state of distrust surrounding the gas industry is bad for business. The industry, the panel suggests, needs to become more transparent, well-regulated and engaged. โ€œAnd industry response that hydraulic fracturing has been performed safely for decades rather than engaging the issues concerning the public will notย succeed.โ€

Besides, the report goes on, modern hydraulic fracturing has really only been performed since 2002 or 2003 and not since the 1940โ€™s.ย 

Despite the panelโ€™s recommendations to make the gas production process more transparent to the public, there is still a strong industry back-bone running throughout the reportโ€™s body.

Weighing the pros and cons of shale gas production against environmental risks is of no interest to the panel. Oh, the drilling will happen, they say, but we need to also โ€œgive the public concrete reason to believe that environmental impacts will be reduced and well managed on an ongoing basis, and that problems will be mitigated and rapidly corrected, if and when they occurโ€ and so on and soย forth.

The committee leaves this responsibility largely to the industry itself while making no mention of repealing the numerous exemptions enjoyed by industry at the federal level, nor the instances of industry capture of regulators at the stateย level.

The constitution of the panel has come under severe scrutiny for its industry-supportive bias. There is little to no independent, scientific representation on the board โ€“ that doesnโ€™t already have strong ties to theย industry.

Yesterday, scientists from 22 universities in 13 states voiced their concerns over the partiality of the panel, which they claim is โ€œperforming advocacy-based science.โ€ As the letter outlines, 6 of the 7 panel members still have strong financial ties to the oil and gas industry, like the panel chairman John Deutch, who received more than $1.4 million from two leading gas companies, Chinere and Slumberger between 2006 and 2009 alone. Deutch currently sits on the board of directors atย Chinere.ย 

As such, the group worries that the panel will in fact โ€œserve industry atย taxpayer expense rather than serving President Obama and the public with credibleย advice.โ€

Notable signatories of the letter include Dr. Robert Howarth, Dr. Anthony Ingraffea, and Dr. Sandraย Steigraber.

The letter is reminiscent of a July 13 letterย signed by 109 community and environmental representatives also asking for the Secretaryโ€™s reconsideration of panel members due to their โ€œsubstaintial financial tiesโ€ to theย industry.

Both letters make the specific and base demand that John Deutch step down from theย panel.

Food and Water Watch, in a statement released today, condemns the report for leaving the important task of overseeing hydraulic fracturing and gas production to the industry itself. The report, according to the release, โ€œdownplays the concerns of those affected by fracking – communities that have been turned into sacrifice zones at the expense of the natural gas industryโ€™s desire to turn aย profit.โ€

โ€œWe know that industry has gone to great lengths to influence local governments, and even greater lengths to avoid culpability at a nation level. Why should we let the industry police itself while leaving localities to fight for themselves?โ€ writes Wenonah Hauter, Food and Water Watch executive director.ย 

The report suggests that funding at the federal level could help the gas industry develop the kinds of โ€˜best practicesโ€™ needed to avoid unnecessary social or environmental side effects of gas drilling. โ€œThe federal government should be taking an active role in protecting consumers and the environment from hydraulic fracturing, not throwing money at a destructive and unprofitable industry,โ€ saysย Hauter.

The panelโ€™s report is only the first installment of its project. The full Committee report will be released mid-November. Comments on the draft report will be received until noon Augustย 15.

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