Two Federal Agencies to Cooperate in Study of Air Issues at Drilling Sites

This week the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) of the U.S. Department of Energy announced that it has entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to research air quality and emissions at natural gas drilling sites.  In its press release, NETL explained that, “The research will enable the development of modeling tools to predict and quantify potential risks associated with shale gas reserves that require hydraulic fracturing and assist researchers in analyzing greenhouse gas lifecycle emissions.”  According to the NIOSH press release, the research will also be used address worker health and safety concerns in the oil and gas industry.