Alum-Led Panel Urges Increased Oversight of Fracking

Fracking is back in the headlines today after a federally-appointed natural gas subcommittee--convened by Energy Secretary Steven Chu and headed by MIT professor John Deutch ’61 PhD ’66--recommended increased oversight and greater public disclosure of the environmental effects of fracking, the controversial process in which water and additives are injected underground at high pressure to break apart geologic formations to release gas.

Environmental groups and some politicians have argued that fracking could contaminate water tables, but energy industry officials have repeatedly insisted that the practice is safe.

In an interview with the Financial Times, panel head Deutch said, "Our report is a compromise, and in that sense it will make nobody happy. This report is the only balanced discussion that I've seen of the shale gas industry." Deutch's involvement with the panel has been criticized due to the fact that he sits on the board of directors of two energy-related companies.

Four main concerns were highlighted in the panel's draft report:

1. Possible water pollution from chemicals used in fracking and from methane gas releaed by the process

2. Air pollution from methane and equipment emissions used in gas production

3. Potential disruption to communities

4. Acumulative adverse effects on their ecology.

Public comments on the draft report will be accepted for the next week, before the final version is submitted to Chu and President Obama.

Read the draft, submit comments, and let us know what you think on our Facebook page.