Environmental Defense Fund: “Our natural gas supplies would plummet precipitously without hydraulic fracturing”

This from EDF’s Scott Anderson’s appearance on E&E TV’s On Point program this morning:

E&E TV

E&E TV

: “Do you believe that [hydraulic fracturing] can be used safely?” (5:23)

EDF’s Scott Anderson

EDF’s Scott Anderson

: “Yes I do. I think in the vast majority of cases, if wells are constructed right and operated right, that hydraulic fracturing will not cause a problem.” (5:19)

E&E TV: “How difficult is it for states to regulate this practice? And should it be done on a state-by-state bases, a region-by-region bases or nationally?” (2:11)

EDF’s Scott Anderson

EDF’s Scott Anderson

: “The states actually have a lot of knowledge and experience in regulating well construction and operation. We think that states have every reason to be able to tackle this issue and do it well. We also think that if states fail in that and the federal government has to takeover, the states will have no one but themselves to blame.” (2:00)

E&E TV: “Without this practice of hydraulic fracturing, what would our natural gas supplies look like?” (1:38)

EDF’s

EDF’s

Scott Anderson: “Our natural gas supplies would plummet precipitously without hydraulic fracturing. About 90 percent of gas wells in the United States are hydraulically fractured, and the shale gas that everyone talks about as being a large part of the future of natural gas production is absolutely dependent on fracturing in each case.” (1:33)

E&E TV: “So you would say that this is a necessary part of our energy future?” (1:09)

EDF’s Scott Anderson

EDF’s Scott Anderson

: “Yes. At the Environmental Defense Fund we don’t pick fuels, we are realist, we recognize that fossil fuels will be around for a while, a long while most likely. We recognize that natural gas has some environmental advantages compared to other fossil fuels, so we do believe that natural gas will be around, and has a significant role to play….” (1:05)

NOTE: The full interview can be viewed HERE.