TOWARD AN EVIDENCE-BASED FRACKING DEBATE
Research Report
TOWARD AN EVIDENCE-BASED FRACKING DEBATE: Science, Democracy, and Community Right to Know in Unconventional Oil and Gas Development
Gretchen Goldman
Deborah Bailin
Paul Rogerson
Jessie Agatstein
Jennifer Imm
Pallavi Phartiyal
Copyright Date: Oct. 1, 2013
Published by: Union of Concerned Scientists
Pages: 72
OPEN ACCESS
https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep00042
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  1. Front Matter
    Front Matter (pp. i-ii)
  2. Table of Contents
    Table of Contents (pp. iii-iii)
  3. Contributors
    Contributors (pp. iv-iv)
  4. Acknowledgments
    Acknowledgments (pp. iv-iv)
  5. CHAPTER ONE Introduction
    CHAPTER ONE Introduction (pp. 1-6)

    Fracking. A few years ago, this was not a familiar term for most Americans, but today it is a household word in many parts of the country. It sparks contentious debates in town halls, in company board rooms, in state houses, in the halls of Congress, in news outlets, and on social media.

    Hydraulic fracturing is one key step in what is considered an “unconventional” method for extracting oil and natural gas from shale or other types of rock formations a mile or more underground. While hydraulic fracturing has been used for several decades to extract oil from shales in...

  6. CHAPTER TWO Probing the State of the Science on Unconventional Oil and Gas Development
    CHAPTER TWO Probing the State of the Science on Unconventional Oil and Gas Development (pp. 7-24)

    The rapid expansion of unconventional oil and gas development in the last few years has limited the time researchers have had to study its environmental, health, and societal impacts and risks; as a result, gaps remain in our understanding (Schrope 2012). Moreover, the potential profitability and economic returns have left the science vulnerable to political and corporate interference. Below we outline current scientific understanding of the potential impacts of unconventional oil and gas development, cases of interference in the science, and current research needs.

    The science behind unconventional oil and gas development is complex and interdisciplinary. Although all impacts of...

  7. CHAPTER THREE Understanding the Regulatory Landscape
    CHAPTER THREE Understanding the Regulatory Landscape (pp. 25-34)

    As hydraulic fracturing has expanded rapidly, state and federal regulations have struggled to keep up. Outdated laws create regulatory gaps in covering hydraulic fracturing operations. Where new laws have been passed, they are frequently limited in scope or contain loopholes for the oil and gas industries that diminish their effectiveness, sometimes as a result of industry influence. Moreover, this lack of laws has been coupled with the weak role that federal agencies have taken more generally with regard to science, management, monitoring, and enforcement of the laws that do exist.

    Strong, well-crafted laws and regulations can play an important role...

  8. CHAPTER FOUR Right to Know in the Public Dialogue: Best Practices for Empowering Citizens
    CHAPTER FOUR Right to Know in the Public Dialogue: Best Practices for Empowering Citizens (pp. 35-50)

    The public has the right to know the known and potential risks and benefits of hydraulic fracturing and the industrial processes and practices accompanying it. The public needs evidence to make informed decisions about unconventional oil and gas development in its communities—information disclosed by industry and the government and information revealed through scientific research. As unconventional techniques for extracting oil and gas expand, lessons learned and best practices derived from experience in one region can play an especially important role in future decision making in other regions (EIA 2013).

    To effectively inform public decision making, scientific evidence and information...

  9. CHAPTER FIVE Toward Improved Dialogue and Decision Making
    CHAPTER FIVE Toward Improved Dialogue and Decision Making (pp. 51-53)

    The rapid growth of unconventional oil and gas development has outpaced the public’s ability to make informed, evidence-based decisions about the best way to ensure healthy, prosperous communities. The public has a right to know about the impacts—positive or negative—that unconventional oil and gas development may have. Citizens have a right to understand the uncertainties and limitations of our scientific knowledge. They have a right to know what is, can, or should be covered by regulations. And they have a right to be engaged in the discussion. Ultimately, citizens need to be empowered with the information needed to...

  10. References
    References (pp. 54-65)
  11. Back Matter
    Back Matter (pp. 66-66)