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Executive Order Calls for Gas Study Group
Today, President Obama issued an executive order supporting safe and responsible development of unconventional natural gas resources, which includes hydraulic fracturing. The executive order focuses on developing policy through an interagency working group. The order reads, “To formalize and promote ongoing interagency coordination, this order establishes a high-level, interagency working group that will facilitate coordinated Administration policy efforts to support safe and responsible unconventional domestic natural gas development.” The group will be chaired by the Director of the Domestic Policy Council, and will include representatives from the Department of Defense(DOD), Department of Interior(DOI),Department of Energy(DOE), Health and Human Services(HHS), Department of Transportation(DOT), Department of Agriculture(USDA), Department of Commerce(DOC), Department of Homeland Security(DHS), Environmental Protection Agency(EPA), Office of Management and Budget(OMB), Council on Environmental Quality(CEQ), Office of Science and Technology Policy(OSTP), the National Economic Council(NEC) and other agencies that the Chair sees fit to participate. The working group will:
- Coordinate agency policy activities,
- Coordinate among agencies the sharing of scientific, environmental and related technical and economic information,
- Engage in long-term planning and ensure coordination among the appropriate Federal entities with respect to such issues as research, natural resource assessment and the development of infrastructure,
- Promote interagency communication with stakeholders, and
- Consult with other agencies and offices as appropriate.
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