"Improving the Safety & Environmental Performance of Hydraulic Fracturing"

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 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 Subcommittee met for the first time on May 18, 2011. Subsequently, they held public meetings on June 1-2, June 13, June 28, and July 13, and October 31 to gather information and discuss issues surrounding hydraulic fracturing. Details on those meetings can be found in the Resources section of this website.

The Subcommittee has received a tremendous amount of public input since its first meeting. You can view all comments on the Public Input page of this website. In addition, a number of comments were received regarding the Subcommittee's 90 day report. A summary of those comments is available.

The Natural Gas Subcommittee's August 18, 2011 90-day interim report and its November 18, 2011 Final Report are now available.