where geoscience and policy meet
The February 2010 edition of Washington Watch is now available online. It reviews the status of climate change legislation in the Senate and considers how this controversial legislation could evolve in an election year.
The Secretary of Energy is seeking nominations of experts to serve on two Technical Advisory Committees (TACs) according to a letter issued this week by Christopher Smith, Deputy Assistant Secretary for oil and natural gas.
Under Subtitle J Section 999 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the Secretary of Energy “must carry out a program of research, development, demonstration, and commercial application of technologies for ultra-deepwater and onshore unconventional natural gas and other petroleum resource exploration and production, as well as addressing the technology challenges for small producers, safe operations, and environmental mitigation (including reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and sequestration of carbon).”
The Secretary created two technical advisory committees to advise on the various elements of the annual …
Beginning last month the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) in the White House began an open conversation about public access to the results and publications from federally funded research.
The National Institute of Health now requires all research it funds to be made freely available to the public within 12 months of publication. OSTP is considering whether such a requirement be expanded to other federal agencies who fund research and development.
As a scientific and professional association and publisher of scientific journals and books, such a measure could affect both AAPG and its members.
“AAPG seeks to provide geologic information to the public and finds merit in the cross-disciplinary research the federal government seeks to stimulate by …
Energy Secretary Steven Chu indicated on Friday that he believes that hydraulic fracturing — a well stimulation technique used routinely to enhance natural gas flow from low permeability rocks, such as shale – “can be done responsibly.”
The technique, despite being used for more than half of a century, has been the subject of much debate recently, with fears that it could lead to the contamination of groundwater resources.
Critics also leave the impression that the process is unregulated, which is untrue. It is regulated at the State level by trained professionals, as explained by the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission.
According to Chu, hydraulic fracturing can be done properly without jeopardizing groundwater resources.
As quoted by …
