{"id":3282,"date":"2012-10-11T21:31:33","date_gmt":"2012-10-11T21:31:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/?p=3282"},"modified":"2012-10-12T15:03:40","modified_gmt":"2012-10-12T15:03:40","slug":"natural-gas-a-question-of-sustainability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2012\/10\/11\/natural-gas-a-question-of-sustainability\/","title":{"rendered":"Natural Gas: A Question Of Sustainability"},"content":{"rendered":"

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This commentary was originally posted on the EDF Texas Clean Air Matters Blog<\/a>. <\/em><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

Today there are around 45,000 shale gas wells<\/a> operating in the United States \u2013 triple the number in 2005 \u2013 and as a result, people are rightfully concerned about the extent of the shale boom\u2019s potential damage to the environment.<\/p>\n

The issue became the focal point of discussion this month in \u201cCan Natural Gas Be Sustainable<\/a>?,\u201d a five-person panel presentation at the second annual SXSW Eco conference<\/a> in Austin. As part of the panel, we discussed how stronger standards and employing best practices could minimize impacts of increased natural gas production in the wake of growing public concern about the health and environmental impacts of drilling.<\/p>\n

Attendees of SXSW Eco represented a broad swath of perspectives, ranging from those who were against any natural gas development to those who wanted to see much more natural gas development. One attendee even criticized the title of the panel, presenting the position that developing any non-renewable resource is inherently not sustainable.<\/p>\n

As for the sustainability question, one thing is clear: the natural gas industry has a lot of opportunity for improvement, and there is mounting public pressure to address environmental concerns. Nearly 61 percent<\/a> of Americans have negative views about the oil and gas industry \u2013 higher than any other industry (David Blackmon, from FTI Consulting, actually joked that this was an improvement!)<\/p>\n

As part of the discussion, I spoke about the many environmental and health impacts associated with natural gas development. Construction and drilling equipment can degrade local air quality<\/a> with smog-forming pollutants and air toxics (Example: activities at the Barnett Shale in Texas<\/a>). I also spoke about the implications of faulty well construction as one of the major causes of natural gas leakage, and emphasized that while natural gas is touted as a low-carbon fuel source, leaks from the production, distribution, and use of natural gas could undermine the greenhouse gas advantage combusted natural gas has over coal.<\/p>\n

EDF is working hard to address the key problem areas associated with natural gas development<\/a>: exposure to toxic chemicals and waste products; faulty well construction and design; climate impacts from methane leakage; local and regional air pollution; and land use and community impacts. Our team is engaging with community, government and industry stakeholders to help identify ways to minimize both human health and environmental risk, including:<\/p>\n