WASHINGTON, August 1, 2013 – API Group Director of Upstream and Industry Operations Erik Milito welcomed passage of the EPA Hydraulic Fracturing Study Improvement Act by the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee. The Committee’s approval of H.R. 2850 will require the EPA to include a science-based and peer-reviewed assessment of any potential impact on drinking water in its ongoing study.

“Hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling are safe, proven technologies that have helped to fuel a once-in-a-lifetime energy resurgence in the United States,” said Milito. “Yet, we’ve seen the EPA jump to conclusions that had to be withdrawn in the face of scientific scrutiny. The EPA needs to make sure that its work adheres to the highest scientific principles, and this bill requires the agency to follow peer review procedures and provide quantitative analysis of the risks associated with any conclusions about hydraulic fracturing.”

The EPA study, which was requested by Congress in 2010, is expected to be finalized in 2014. Despite concerns raised by Congress and members of the EPA’s Science Advisory Board, the EPA has not indicated that it will offer a thorough risk assessment as part of its review. H.R. 2850 requires that the EPA include “objective estimates of the probability, uncertainly, and consequence of each identified impact.” It also requires that this assessment take into account the risk management practices of state regulators and industry.

“Hydraulic fracturing is already subject to robust regulation by the states and rigorous engineering standards,” said Milito. “A comprehensive study must give policymakers scientific context to understand what the data represents, and how it may inform decisions. Without this the proper information, an impact that poses no threat to human health could create needless uncertainly, resulting in lost jobs and higher production costs.”

API is a national trade association that represents all segments of America’s technology-driven oil and natural gas industry. Its more than 500 members – including large integrated companies, exploration and production, refining, marketing, pipeline, and marine businesses, and service and supply firms – provide most of the nation’s energy. The industry also supports 9.8 million U.S. jobs and 8 percent of the U.S. economy, delivers $86 million a day in revenue to our government, and, since 2000, has invested over $2 trillion in U.S. capital projects to advance all forms of energy, including alternatives.