A new Shale Task Force will study the impact of shale oil and gas development in Texas.
Related: Texas Oil & Gas Industry Challenges Study
The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas (TAMEST) has created a new Shale Task Force to help Texans better understand the impacts of shale oil and gas development in Texas, and offer advice for future research topics and priorities.
The Shale Task Force will review existing scientific research on the effects of shale oil and gas development in Texas in order to offer advice for future research topics and priorities. Over the next year, the task force will work to draft a comprehensive, peer-reviewed report to be published in mid-2017. The group’s work will focus on six areas:
- Seismicity
- Land resources
- Water
- Air
- Transportation
- Community impacts
“The development of vast deposits of oil and gas in the Lone Star State has had a tremendous impact on the state’s economy and the lives of everyday Texans, and provides an opportunity to learn. This task force will report findings from studies in Texas, and identify the missing gaps in our knowledge. This will help improve practices for the industry, inform our society and improve policies for the regulators and lawmakers that oversee it.”
The TAMEST Shale Task Force will hold a public meeting on October 5, 2016 in Austin that will include presentations and discussion with numerous invited expert speakers.