WASHINGTON – Yesterday, Energy In Depth sweated it out at U.S. Dept. of Interior’s forum on “Natural Gas Hydraulic Fracturing on Public Lands” – not because we were nervous, but because the room was outrageously hot – and provided a real-time stream of live updates to our more than 1,300 Twitter followers. While this isn’t the first time we’ve live-blogged and fact-checked in real-time, yesterday’s event did thankfully include actual oil and natural gas production experts who understand the critical role that hydraulic fracturing continues to play for our nation’s economy, overall energy security, and increasingly, our environment.

Below is a transcript of the afternoon’s proceedings (official transcript available here):

• Tweeting from Interior Dept.’s Forum on Natural Gas Hydraulic Fracturing on Public Lands. Live stream: http://tinyurl.com/39b6fng.

1:27 PM Nov 30th

• Salazar: Natural gas is clean, abundant, and American. Forum: http://tinyurl.com/39b6fng.

1:31 PM

• Salazar: BLM will roll out regs on disclosure. Forum: http://tinyurl.com/39b6fng.

1:32 PM

• Browner: Nat gas is a tremendous opportunity for our country; will drive down dependence on foreign oil.

1:33 PM

• Browner: There’s broad bipartisan support for increased domestic nat. gas production.

1:33 PM

• BJs Services panelist says company adheres to highest environmental practices; doesn’t tolerate leaks.

1:34 PM

• BJs Services panelist: we endorse GWPC disclosure framework.

1:36 PM

• BJs Services: frac fluid made up of more than 99 water/sand; very small amount is pet. distillates.

1:39:26 PM

• Exxon panelist: XOM largest nat gas producer in the US; proud to play leading role

1:39:52 PM

• XOM panelist: working on workable system on disclosure; states (CO, WY), GWPC — state regulators best positioned to handle fracturing

1:42:03 PM

• XOM expert: expanded nat gas access can be balanced w/ the envir., ecosystem

1:43:44 PM

• XOM expert: energy future will be sustainable when it’s based on free market forces, not govt picking winners-losers

1:44:05 PM

• Anadarko expert: 90 percent of nation’s gas wells require fracturing

1:46:17 PM

• APC expert: nat gas is domestically abundant, which means stable supplies, and we can avoid price spikes

1:47:55 PM

• APC expert: we place a priority on protecting groundwater by placing impenetrable steel pipes in the ground

1:49:54 PM

• APC: American natural gas has helped put 3 million folks to work

1:57:40 PM

• APC expert: hydraulic fracturing is a safe, proven and highly regulated process

1:57:53 PM

• APC expert: steel pipe is cemented information; fluid or gas cannot communicate w/ groundwater

2:00:53 PM

• NRDC exec dir: says they want HF disclosure. Has he visited Energyindepth.org, or seen HALs, RRCs, EQTs, Chiefs, etc. sites?

2:01:44 PM

• NRDC: we are very broadly supportive of nat gas (hey, we’ll take it)

2:02:02 PM

• Trout Unlimited: we support natural gas production on public lands, if done right.

2:14:26 PM

• Trout Unlimited cites need to recycle, manage water withdrawal. He should know PA shale gas producers recycle more than 80 percent of water

2:14:57 PM

• Question on well design/casing: APC expert says we protect groundwater at all possible costs, follow API cement specifications

2:33:14 PM

• XOM follows up: state by state regs ensure casing goes well below fresh groundwater

2:33:33 PM