CEEP > Projects > Managing the Risks of Shale Gas: Identifying a Pathway toward Responsible Development

Managing the Risks of Shale Gas: Identifying a Pathway toward Responsible Development

In 2011, RFF’s Center for Energy Economics and Policy (CEEP) launched an initiative to identify the priority risks associated with development of shale gas in the United States and to recommend strategies for responsible exploration and production. This analysis, made possible by a $1.2 million grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, is one of the first independent, broad assessments of the key risks associated with the shale gas development process.

 

 The project includes five key components:

• A survey of academic, industry, government, and NGO experts to identify the high-priority risks involved in the shale gas development process (based on the Risk Matrix for Shale Gas Development).
• A survey of the public in several states to understand public willingness to pay for mitigation of various types of risks.
  
• Statistical analyses of shale gas development’s potential impacts on water quality in rivers and streams in Pennsylvania.
  
• An assessment of current state and federal shale gas regulations and nonregulatory initiatives (maps).
• Recommendations for how to best reduce risk through regulatory reform and/or voluntary industry actions.​
  

Download more about the project here.

Press Releases

• March 11, 2013: Impacts of Shale Gas Development on Rivers and Streams
• February 7, 2013: What the Experts Say about the Environmental Risks of Shale Gas Development
• July 10, 2012: RFF Releases Review of Shale Gas Regulations by State; Study team finds significant difference in regulatory approaches
• June 7, 2012: RFF Releases Analysis Identifying Potential Shale Gas Risks; Risk “pathways” will guide surveys of experts, public
• July 18, 2011: RFF Launches New Initiative on Risks and Regulation of Shale Gas​
  

​ ​