\ UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
8 WASHINGTON D.C. 20460
OFFICE OF THE ADMINISTRATOR
SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD
June 27, 2013
EPA-SAB-13-005
The Honorable Robert Perciasepe
Acting Administrator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20460
Subj ect: Consultation on the EPA's Progress Report: Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing
on Drinking Water Resources - December 2012
Dear Administrator Perciasepe:
At the request of the EPA's Office of Research and Development, the Science Advisory Board's (SAB)
Hydraulic Fracturing Research Advisory Panel held a consultation meeting in Washington, D.C. with
agency staff on May 7 and 8, 2013, to discuss the EPA's December 2012 Progress Report: Potential
Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing on Drinking Water Resources.
The EPA's December 2012 Progress Report describes the status of its research on the potential
environmental and human health implications of hydraulic fracturing with special emphasis on the
relationship between hydraulic fracturing and drinking water resources. At the May 2013 consultation
meeting, ORD briefed the Panel on the current status of its research, and the SAB Panel members
individually addressed 12 charge questions spanning each of the five components of the hydraulic
fracturing lifecycle, including water acquisition, chemical mixing, well injection, flowback and
produced water, and wastewater treatment and waste disposal. Members discussed the charge questions
and also developed written responses. The written comments of the individual experts on the Panel are
posted on the SAB May 2013 meeting webpage.
An SAB consultation is a mechanism to provide individual expert comments for the agency's
consideration early in the implementation of a project or action. No consensus report is provided to the
agency because no consensus advice is given.
The SAB understands that the agency will request SAB advice when the EPA completes a draft report of
results on the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing on Drinking Water Resources in 2014. In
addition, the SAB Staff Office recognizes the need to keep the SAB Panel informed about new and
emerging information related to hydraulic fracturing and the EPA ORD research project. There will be
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periodic opportunities for the public and ORD to provide new and emerging information to the Panel
and announcements of these opportunities will be available through the Federal Register and the SAB
website (www.epa.gov).
Sincerely,
Dr. David A. Dzombak
Chair
SAB Hydraulic Fracturing Research Advisory Panel
cc: Dr. David T. Allen, Chair
Science Advisory Board
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