American Gas - February 2012 - (Page 5)

industrynews PEOPLE TRENDS EVENTS SHALE GAS BOARD More Progress Needed to Cut Environmental Impact MORE PROGRESS needs to be made by industry, the administration, state governments and public interest groups to reduce the impact of shale gas production, the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board Subcommittee (SEAB) on Shale Gas Production said in its second and ﬁnal 90-day report. But the subcommittee said it was “gratiﬁed” by the actions already taken and planned in implementing 20 recommendations it made in its Aug. 18 initial report. “ e subcommittee cautions that whether its approach is followed or not, some concerted and sustained action is needed to avoid excessive environmental impacts of shale gas production and the consequent risk of public opposition to its continuation and expansion,” the subcommittee said in a news release. Subcommittee Chairman and Institute Professor at MIT John Deutch said, “Industry, working with state and federal regulators and public interest groups, should increase its best ﬁeld engineering practices and environmental control activities by adopting the objective of continuous improvement, validated by measurement and disclosure of key operating metrics. is is the surest path to ensure that shale gas is produced in an environmentally sound fashion and in a way that meets the needs of public trust. “ e development of shale gas is one of the biggest energy innovations, if not the biggest, in several decades,” Deutch continued. “It is now about 30 percent of total U.S. natural gas production; it has reduced energy costs and created thousands of jobs. “But to ensure the full beneﬁts to the American people, environmental issues need to be addressed now—especially in terms of waste water, air quality and community impact. We believe that our 20 recommendations provide the basis for a pragmatic route forward and hope that they will be acted upon.” AGA President and CEO Dave McCurdy said the subcommittee’s recommendations “reﬂect principles supported by AGA and our member companies for responsible and sustainable development of our nation’s natural gas resources.” McCurdy said, “We commend the subcommittee for providing recommendations that embrace sustainable environmental practices, energy security and economic opportunity as key elements for ensuring continued development of our nation’s abundant shale gas resources. “ e Department of Energy has made a valuable contribution to the public discourse by engaging policy leaders dedicated to making sure our natural gas resources are produced responsibly, enabling our customers and our economy to beneﬁt for decades to come,” he said. COURTESY OF ArabianOilandGas.com FEBRUARY 2012 AMERICAN GAS 5 http://www.ArabianOilandGas.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Gas - February 2012

American Gas - February 2012
Contents
President’s Message
In the News
Ask AGA
ROI
Go, Team!
Going for the Gold
Places to Be
Noteworthies
Jobline
Marketplace
Advertisers' Index
Facts on Gas

American Gas - February 2012