Top Texas scientists to release fracking impact study

A drilling rig sits north of the Davis Mountains last year. Houston-based Apache Corporation plans to drill and hydraulicly fracture wells on 350,000 acres along southern Reeves County, near the town of Balmorhea. Some residents worry about the impacts. (Michael Ciaglo/Houston Chronicle) less A drilling rig sits north of the Davis Mountains last year. Houston-based Apache Corporation plans to drill and hydraulicly fracture wells on 350,000 acres along southern Reeves County, near the town of ... more Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Staff Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Staff Image 1 of / 9 Caption Close Top Texas scientists to release fracking impact study 1 / 9 Back to Gallery

A respected state research cooperative will release on Monday a report on the effects of hydraulic fracturing on communities in Texas.

The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas, a conglomerate of Texas research scientists across disciplines, has spent two years reviewing the impacts of shale oil and gas development on earthquakes, wildlife, air quality, water, transportation and area residents.

The academy, known as TAMEST, touts the report, Environmental and Community Impacts of Shale Development in Texas, as the first comprehensive analysis of its kind.

RELATED: State begins testing Balmorhea springs as Apache drills nearby

“The goal of the TAMEST Shale Task Force report is to provide a clear, science-based assessment of these impacts and the gaps in our current knowledge of them,” said task force chair Christine Ehlig-Economides, a petroleum engineer and professor at the University of Houston.

TAMEST calls itself “Texas’ premier scientific organization,” which includes all of the state’s Nobel Laureates, plus Texas-based members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

The Shale Task Force report is an analysis of existing peer-reviewed scientific literature, following the same processes used by the National Academies, TAMEST said.

The Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation paid for some of the project. TAMEST neither sought nor accepted funding from the oil and gas industry interests.

Editor's note: The report has now been released. For more, see Study of oil and gas drilling finds pollution and connection to earthquakes