Photo Credit: Calin Tatu/Shutterstock.comKevin A. Schug, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, The University of Texas (UT), Arlington, USA

As part of the Earth Day celebration in Dallas, Texas, USA, earlier this year, the Collaborative Laboratories for Environmental Analysis and Remediation (CLEAR) at U.T. Arlington hosted the first annual Responsible Shale Energy Extraction (RSEE) symposium. Even though Kevin Schug and his group have been very involved in this conversation for the past several years, several points stood out.

The Collaborative Laboratories for Environmental Analysis and Remediation (CLEAR) at U.T. Arlington hosted the first annual Responsible Shale Energy Extraction (RSEE) symposium (www.shalescience.org) earlier this year. We had an exceptional range of speakers who conveyed all sides of the issue, including U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry and atmospheric scientist Katherine Hayhoe from Texas Tech University, one of Time’s top 100 most influential people. We had representatives from major oil producers, environmental groups, land management groups, water recycling service companies, and scientists conversant on many key issues related to unconventional oil and gas (UOG) extraction. Even though we have been very involved in this conversation for the past several years, several points stood out:

• According to Scott Tinker of the University of Texas Bureau of Economic Geology (UT‑BEG), despite the increasing availability of alternative energy sources, such as wind and solar, worldwide, 86% of energy is still generated by fossil fuels. Price, cost, technology, policy, and demand are all interacting variables that control the production and use of energy resources in different parts of the world.
• According to Secretary Perry, if Texas were its own country, it would be the 12th‑largest economy in the world. Although that is an interesting statistic, he also emphasized that despite its fossil‑fuel‑loving reputation, Texas is the largest wind-energy producer in the United States. I did some cursory research and found that the Texas wind power generation capacity is a little less than four times that of its nearest competitor, California. Yet, currently about 12–13% of Texas’s energy comes from wind energy; 50% is from natural gas.
• According to Katherine Hayhoe, 97% of scientists agree that there is sufficient evidence to indicate that man-made climate change is real. This situation must be addressed now, if we are to avoid some of the most severe consequences that will result from continued global warming. Interestingly, scientists have known since the 1890s that the release of additional gases from the burning of fossil fuels (then, predominantly coal) had the potential to increase planet warmth. Further, one billion people in developing nations across the world do not have access to fuels and are living in energy poverty—a situation that can only be addressed by the further development of alternative energy sources. UOG may be a bridge (and some very much dislike this moniker), but it is a bridge that needs to end sooner rather than later.
• According to Anne Epstein from Texas Tech University, peer-reviewed studies have indicated a significant correlation between increased birth defects and the density of UOG operations in rural Colorado.

And for you separation scientists out there, Guido Verbeck of the University of North Texas spoke about “Earth-Based Separations”, and how the volatility, diffusion rates, and weather patterns can be used for sourcing detected air emissions. In fact, he spoke of a significant amount of research performed in collaboration with CLEAR in the Eagle Ford shale, where a hybrid electric car, equipped with a membrane inlet mass spectrometer was used to monitor BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene) emissions from UOG well-pad sites (1). Various new technologies are being introduced to help with monitoring of air, soil, and water that can be useful in the effort to help ensure responsible shale energy extraction.

This is just a snapshot of the wealth of information and views conveyed at the RSEE symposium. We are working now to post all of the presentations, so that all of the information can be shared with the public to increase understanding of the critical issues. There are some truly exceptional presentations in that collection. We want to thank all of those that participated in the presentations and discussions. The names include many more than those listed above. We would also like to thank the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation and Earth Day Texas for their support of the programme. We plan to do it again next year, in hopes that this continuing dialogue can help better create a middle ground where opposing opinions can open honest discussions to increase knowledge, awareness, and the development and use of best practices in the UOG extraction industry.

Reference

1. Z.L. Hildenbrand, P.M. Mach, E.M. McBride, M.N. Dorreyatim, J.T. Taylor, D.D. Carlton Jr., J.M. Meik, B.E. Fontenot, K.C. Wright, K.A. Schug, and G.F. Verbeck, Sci. Tot. Environ. 573, 382–388 (2016).

Kevin A. Schug is a Full Professor and Shimadzu Distinguished Professor of Analytical Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at The University of Texas (UT) at Arlington. He joined the faculty at UT Arlington in 2005 after completing a Ph.D. in Chemistry at Virginia Tech under the direction of Prof. Harold M. McNair and a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Vienna under Prof. Wolfgang Lindner. Research in the Schug group spans fundamental and applied areas of separation science and mass spectrometry. Schug was named the LCGCEmerging Leader in Chromatography in 2009 and the 2012 American Chemical Society Division of Analytical Chemistry Young Investigator in Separation Science. He is a fellow of both the U.T. Arlington and U.T. System-Wide Academies of Distinguished Teachers.

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