On Nov. 3, Daniel Whitten, vice president of strategic communications for America’s Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA) released the following statement on the US Environmental Protection Agency’s final hydraulic fracturing study plan.

“We welcome the EPA’s clear support for the positive role natural gas can and should play in our nation’s clean energy future, and we look forward to more fully reviewing the agency’s detailed plan.

“ANGA companies continue to support the congressional mandate that the agency use ‘a transparent, peer-reviewed process’ that will ‘ensure the validity and accuracy of the data.’ This transparency is critical to providing the public with confidence about the methodology and assumptions employed in this study.

“ANGA is committed to being an active and vocal participant throughout the study process. We remain confident that a scientific and data-driven examination will provide policymakers and the public with assurance of the safety of the hydraulic fracturing process. And, we will continue to emphasize to policymakers and the public our community’s ongoing commitment to the safe and responsible development of this clean, abundant American energy resource.”

ANGA represents 30 of North America’s largest independent natural gas exploration and production companies. The organization’s aim is to provide information to the public and promote the use of clean-burning, abundant American natural gas.