Udall Congratulates CSU, Colorado School of Mines Teams on Receiving Energy Department Support
The Schools' Research Projects Explore Better Ways to Safely Develop, Extract Shale Gas
Mark Udall congratulated research teams at Colorado State University and the Colorado School of Mines on being two of 15 projects the Department of Energy has selected to receive federal funding to research shale gas extraction.
The Colorado State University research is aimed at developing a GIS-based tool to help companies optimize fluids management during shale gas development and production in the Wattenberg field in northeast Colorado. The School of Mines research is aimed at developing a set of web-based tools to support shale gas producers, regulators, and others in the effort to characterize, treat, use, and manage produced water and fracking flowback water.
“Colorado is an all-of-the-above energy state. It is critical that we continue to find ways to better and more safely develop fossil fuels, like shale gas, while reducing the environmental impact,” Udall said. “Colorado State University and the Colorado School of Mines are to be commended for their work to improve how we extract shale-gas and manage water issues related to that development. I am glad the Department of Energy agrees that we need to support the important research taking place in Colorado.”
The CSU research project will receive $1,395,949 over the next two years. The Colorado School of Mines project will receive $286,984 from the Department of Energy over the next three years.
According to the Department of Energy, the Colorado School of Mines’ research goals include improving the public’s understanding of the chemical compositions of flowback and produced waters and developing a database of water qualities and quantities, as well as case studies from industry partners that illustrate and validate application of the tools.
Udall has been a strong proponent of an all-of-the-above national energy policy. He has led the charge in the U.S. Senate to extend the wind Production Tax Credit and has advocated for a national Renewable Energy Standard mirroring what Colorado passed at the polls in 2004.