Public Webinar to Discuss CCST’s Scientific Review of Oil and Gas Development Technologies in California

January 9, 2014 | CCST Newsroom, Events | Contact: M. Daniel DeCillis

At the request of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) is conducting an independent scientific review of oil and gas development technologies in California.

On Thursday, January 16th at 9am PST, CCST will host a public webinar (instructions for joining the webinar are below). During the webinar, CCST will discuss the purpose, scope and methodology of the report. The audience will be welcome to ask clarifying questions about the study. Any questions about the webinar itself can be sent to [email protected].

The purpose of the assessment is to synthesize and assess the available scientific and engineering information associated with well completion techniques, including hydraulic fracturing, in California. The review will rely on published information to summarize the history of well completion techniques, changes in the potential for oil and gas development in California made possible by advanced well completion techniques and evidence of environmental hazards attributable to these technologies.

CCST is leading the scientific review effort and will issue the final report. “Our effort is to provide independent, scientific, peer-reviewed information that can inform policymakers,” said Susan Hackwood, Executive Director of CCST. A steering committee to oversee the effort is chaired by Dr. Jane C.S. Long and includes experts in technical areas relevant to fracking and its impacts in California. The report will not make any policy recommendations, said Jane Long.

Interested parties are also invited to propose relevant, technical, scientific, peer-reviewed literature to the CCST steering committee. Literature can be submitted before and after the webinar. Submissions can be emailed as attachments to [email protected] and through the following website:
https://ccst.us/projects/fracking_public/submission-form.php

The final report will be peer reviewed and is anticipated in Spring of 2014.

Instructions for joining the webinar:

Go to https://resources.webex.com/resources/j.php?ED=233425742&UID=1598448297&RT=MiM0
If you do not already have Webex software installed, you should plan to visit the website 20 minutes early to download and install the software. To use Webex software you will need to be running the latest version of Java and may be prompted to update Java if necessary.
Enter your name and email address.
Click “Join”
Call-in toll-free number: 1-877-709-6327, Attendee access code: 578 942 1

NOTE: Please, DO NOT put the call on “hold” – please use the mute button on your phone or use “*6” to mute and unmute your line through the webex system. If you need to answer another call, simply hang up from the conference call and dial back in when you are ready. If you experience technical difficulties, call Jennifer Kofoid at (916) 600 – 7870. Thank you!

The CCST is a nonpartisan, impartial, nonprofit created in 1988 by a unanimous vote of the California Legislature. It is designed to offer expert advice to the state government and to recommend solutions on science and technology-related policy issues. The CCST is governed by a board of directors composed of representatives from its sponsoring academic institutions, from the corporate and business community, as well as from the philanthropic community.