The University of Texas says it will commission and independent review of a fracking impact study.
"There have been several developments following the disclosure of a substantial unstated financial relationship between Charles Groat, who supervised a University of Texas Energy Institute study of environmental impacts of gas drilling, and a drilling company.
In an e-mail exchange with a reporter for StateImpact Texas, Groat said his industry relationships had no bearing on the analysis, which he did not directly work on. But he did not address questions raised about his failure to provide full disclosure of potential conflicts of interest.
In a statement distributed to journalists tonight, Steven Leslie, provost and executive vice president of the University of Texas at Austin, said the study of gas drilling impacts would be reviewed by independent experts in the next few weeks and criticized Groat’s failure to report income from his relationship with a drilling company."
Andrew C. Revkin reports for his Dot Earth blog in the New York Times July 24, 2012.
SEE ALSO:
"Charles Groat, University Of Texas Professor, Sparks Controversy With Fracking Study" (AP)
