(The Woodlands, Texas - April 16, 2009) -- The Environmentally Friendly Drilling Systems (EFD) Program, a collaborative project led by the Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC), is one of nine projects selected nationwide for funding by the Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America (RPSEA) to help meet U.S. energy demands, create jobs and lower costs to the consumers.
The HARC-led effort will now prepare for negotiations leading to a $2.2 million award under the 2008 Unconventional Resources Program which focuses on increasing the supply of domestic natural gas and other petroleum resources.
In addition to HARC, EFD project participants include Texas A&M University and its Global Petroleum Research Institute, Sam Houston State University, University of Arkansas, University of Colorado, Utah State University, University of Wyoming, West Virginia University, Argonne National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Terra Platforms, L.L.C, the Environmentally Friendly Drilling Joint Industry Partnership, The Nature Conservancy, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the New York State Energy Research Development Authority (NYSERDA).
Richard C. Haut, who will serve as the project director and principal investigator of the RPSEA funded project, explained that the project seeks to reduce the environmental footprint associated with operations for unconventional natural gas while at the same time providing greater access to energy resources. Dr. Haut said team members will introduce new low-impact technologies, such as light weight drilling rigs with reduced emission engine packages and on-site waste management systems, that industry can use to increase production in sensitive areas while at the same time safeguarding the environment.
"In addition, we plan to foster dialogue among all stakeholders â€" the public, industry, environmental organizations, academia, and government agencies/regulators â€" concerning systems that can be used in environmentally sensitive ecosystems to produce unconventional natural gas reservoirs should these areas open up for development." Dr. Haut said.
Created in 2005, the EFD program is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory and the energy industry. The growing EFD partnership consists of universities, national laboratories, energy producers and service companies, environmental organizations, and government agencies.
Created in 1982, HARC is a not-for-profit organization based in The Woodlands, Texas, dedicated to improving human and ecosystem well-being through the application of sustainability science and principles of sustainable development.
RPSEA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit consortium with more than 145 members, including 25 of the nation's premier research universities, five national laboratories, other major research institutions, large and small energy producers and energy consumers. The mission of RPSEA, headquartered in Sugar Land, Texas, is to provide a stewardship role in ensuring the focused research, development and deployment of safe and environmentally responsible technology that can effectively deliver hydrocarbons from domestic resources to the citizens of the United States.
NOTE: For full text of the April 2009 RPSEA announcement "RPSEA Selects Projects for the 2008 Unconventional Resources Program," which names all nine projects selected for awards, see Business Wire news release at http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20090409005998/en.
Contact: Rich Haut at 281-364-6093 or rhaut@harc.edu