Finally EPA’s Science Advisory Board has issued an assessment of the agency’s draft report: “Assessment of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing for Oil and Gas on Drinking Water Resources.” This is the Science Advisory Board’s peer review of the June 2015 report written by EPA’s Office of Research and Development. The EPA report on impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water has been undergoing public review and comment as well as the Science Advisory Board review. So here we are six months later and EPA’s Science Advisory Board is going to hold a Public Teleconference on February 1, 2016 to discuss their assessment of the draft report. Comments are due on the Science Advisory Board’s assessment by January 21, 2016. There are already 300 comments just on their assessment. Most of which read like: “Hey you fatheads at EPA, we really don’t like hydraulic fracturing and we don’t care that your report says hydraulic fracturing hasn’t caused widespread contamination of drinking water – just stop it.” It looks like the Science Advisory Board’s report is only a small one, just 133 pages. At least we are coming somewhere near a conclusion (I hope) on the final report.  I’ll scope out the Science Advisory Board’s report and teleconference and let you know what the next steps are to finalizing EPA’s Assessment Report.