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International Energy Agency leader Maria van der Hoeven sees "a very real possibility that public opposition to drilling for shale gas will halt the unconventional gas revolution and fracking in its tracks 0 inShare Comments (0) Larger | Smaller Printable Version Email This Font Environmental concerns about hydraulic fracturing are legitimate, but banning the technique thwarts efforts to wean the world off dirtier fuels, the head of the International Energy Agency told a Rice University audience Friday. The agency's executive director, Maria van der Hoeven, called on natural gas producers to improve transparency around hydraulic fracturing and its impact on aquifers and greenhouse gas emissions. Lingering questions about the natural gas production technique sometimes called "fracking" are fueling opposition worldwide and could increase global dependency on coal, she said. "Companies have to realize that they need to be transparent about what they are doing and they need to take the people's concerns seriously," van der Hoeven said, speaking at the university's Baker Institute Energy Forum. "There's a very real possibility that public opposition to drilling for shale gas will halt the unconventional gas revolution and fracking in its tracks." The International Energy Agency, an independent Paris-based organization that monitors global energy dynamics, drew praise and criticism earlier this year when it released a global set of standards for shale gas production and hydraulic fracturing. Banned in France The proposed standards, called the "Golden Rules," promote better review of the environmental impacts of shale gas production and improved communication with affected communities. Without the standards and more public engagement, the natural gas industry could face more hydraulic fracturing bans, as it has in France, van der Hoeven said. Natural gas has been promoted as a cleaner alternative to coal that could bridge the world's transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Without the shale gas boom, the world's largest energy consumers - the United States, China and Europe - would rely increasingly on imports from Russia and the Middle East, van der Hoeven said. And coal would replace 75 percent of the shale gas lost, she added. She noted a recent drop in carbon emissions as more power companies generate with increasingly abundant natural gas instead of coal. "It's the shale gas revolution that made this possible," van der Hoeven said. Right balance Still, debate continues in the United States over the how to find the right balance of regulation and who should mete out the rules - states or the federal government. "The question is: What defines adequate transparency? When is information enough to allay public concerns?" asked Michelle Michot Foss, chief energy economist for the University of Texas Bureau of Economic Geology, who attended van der Hoeven's talk. "If everything is revealed and it's not used correctly, you haven't solved the problem."