WASHINGTON, May 6 (UPI) -- A panel of experts was named to develop a set of best practices for the use of so-called fracking in natural gas drilling, the U.S. Department of Energy said.
The panel of academics and analysts will make recommendations on how to best extract gas using the rock-cracking process while at the same time minimizing the risk of contamination of underground water supplies.
"We need to ensure we harness these resources safely," Secretary of Energy Steven Chu said in a statement Thursday. "I am looking forward to hearing from this diverse, respected group of experts on best practices for safe and responsible natural gas production."
The hydraulic fracturing process uses liquid chemicals pumped deep under ground to break up shale formations that contain significant volumes of gas. The chemicals, however, can include toxic substances that critics say make their way into well water.
The commission appointed by Chu includes university engineering professors, Environmental Defense Fund President Fred Krupp, energy analyst Daniel Yergin and John Deutsch, a former Energy Department official and CIA director who is now a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The seven-member panel, which does not include any industry executives, will submit a preliminary report in 90 days followed by formal recommendations in about six months, the Energy Department said.
