May 2013, Vol. 240, No. 5

In The News

CMU Pushes Need For Shale Gas, Environment Initiative

A team of Carnegie Mellon University researchers visited Capitol Hill March 13 in hopes of establishing a government-university-industry research and education initiative to inform the public about issues surrounding shale gas and the environment so the nation can better prepare for its energy future.

A new guide published by energy experts at CMU’s Scott Institute for Energy Innovation in Pittsburgh is designed to provide policymakers with a primer on shale gas development and an overview of CMU research results assessing the impact of shale gas development on water resources, air quality, greenhouse gas emissions and orphaned shale gas wells.

For instance, in Pennsylvania there are more than 100 surface water monitoring stations for 86,000 miles of rivers and streams and almost 4,000 lakes, reservoirs and ponds – yet 80% of Pennsylvania’s land mass is included in the Marcellus Shale geological formation.