On August 11th a high level advisory panel to US Secretary of Energy released its preliminary recommendations on the issues surrounding production of shale gas. Earlier this year President Obama had asked Secretary of Energy Chu for an advisory report on shale gas and the production process known as hydraulic fracturing (fracking). Reasonably priced natural gas supplies are critical to the development of CHP and decentralized energy projects. The revolution in shale gas production has led to rapid expansion of gas production and lower and more stable commodity prices. The report focuses on ways to increase transparency of the production process and share best practices. Specific recommendations include:

• Making information about shale gas production operations more accessible to the public;
  
• Immediate and longer-term actions to reduce environmental and safety risks of shale gas operations, with a particular focus on protecting air and water quality;
• Creation of a Shale Gas Industry Operation organization committed to continuous improvement of best operating practices; and
  
• Research and development (R&D) to improve safety and environmental performance

The report is expected to be finalized by November 18, 2011. There is an opportunity to provide input and comments on the report before the findings and recommendations become final. If you have an interest in filing comments on the report independently or jointly with WADE please contact David Sweet at dsweet@localpower.org or +1 202 667 5600.

The subcommittee report is available at: DOE Shale Gas Report