On May 5, 2011, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu charged the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (SEAB)Natural Gas Subcommittee to make recommendations to improve the safety and environmental performance of natural gas hydraulic fracturing from shale formations.
President Obama directed Secretary Chu to form the Natural Gas Subcommittee as part of the President’s "Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future" - a comprehensive plan to reduce America's oil dependence, save consumers money, and make our country the leader in clean energy industries. The Subcommittee's task is defined as:
"The Subcommittee will work to identify, within 90 days, any immediate steps that can be taken to
improve the safety and environmental performance of fracking and to develop, within six months,
consensus recommended advice to the agencies on practices for shale extraction to ensure the
protection of public health and the environment." (Blueprint, page 13)
The Natural Gas Subcommittee met for the first time on May 18, 2011. Subsequently, it has conducted public meetings on June 1-2, June 13, June 28, and July 13, to gather information and discuss issues surrounding hydraulic fracturing. Details on those meetings can be found in the Resources section of this website. As of July 15, 2011, the Department of Energy has received over 25,000 public comments. A summary of those comments is now available.
The Natural Gas Subcommittee's initial report is expected on August 18, 2011, and its final report on November 18, 2011.
As required, the Natural Gas Subcommittee will report its 90 day findings to the full SEAB Committee and the SEAB will review those findings. Pending consensus, the report will be delivered by SEAB to the Secretary on August 18th, 2011.
The draft 90-day report is now available. On August 15, 2011, the full SEAB Committee will convene a public meeting via conference call to discuss the draft report. Please read the Federal Register Notice for further details of that meeting and how you can participate.
Members of the public may submit comments on the draft report at any time, but comments must be submitted by noon on August 15, 2011, in order to be considered at this stage. Any comments not received by this time will be considered before the Subcommittee's final report is issued in November.