ms. craddick: good morning. my name is christi craddick and is chairman, i appreciate the opportunity to provide testimony at today's hearing. this is an important issue with a direct impact on texas today as well as other states affecting thousands of jobs across the country. since hydraulic fracturing has become a widely used practice it has been surrounded by misinformation and propagated the groups more interested in prohibiting than understanding the complex science. setting hyperbole aside reveals a simple truth -- there are no confirmed instances of groundwater contamination caused by hydraulic fracturing in texas. with proper oversight, it is safe. the thriving energy sector in texas is due in part to the railroad commission which is responsible for ensuring the safety of oil and gas statewide through a rigorous process of monitoring and inspecting operations. for 90 years, the commission has served as the primary regulator of the oil and gas industry and is recognized as a regulatory leader throughout th

ms. craddick: yes sir. what i think some of these studies do is rule out -- they can never say specifically what is causing it. rep. johnson: thank you. dr. siegel, many advocacy groups claimed that the methane found in drinking water of various homes was caused by hydraulic fracturing. if methane is naturally occurring, how can you tell if it is naturally occurring or as a result of oil and gas wells? rep. smith: i always thought it was fairly simple. if you have fugitive gas from a gas well, if it gets out and gets into a domestic water supply what you will find is methane alka-seltzer being produced. there are some places in pennsylvania and new york where we have naturally methane alka-seltzer occasionally coming out of some drinking water where there is no drilling a t all. the state of pennsylvania doesn't identify fugitive gas by analyzing and seeing dissolved concentrations that you can't see. homeowners say, my well is bubbling gas and it hasn't bowled before and there is a gas well nearby. very fe

ms. craddick, you said it well. we have to take reasonable precautions with something that has helped us achieve another goal and we have to, as to, as policymakers balance the dangers the potentially come from an industrial operation. and the fact that some things are going on the ground. we may or may not be up to see. some things are happening at the surface were there is a collision of an industrial operation and the school next-door and worthy you whether you need a curb cut for the trucks and what is going on in the year. is there is there an escape of methane or some other emission into the air? and mr. lomax mr. lomax knows that we have been having a discussion in colorado on a pretty heated basis whether it should be local government state government, or federal government. colorado, similar to taxes it, it is the state government basically that has the final say. our colorado oil and gas commission that is generally where i have been we cannot ignore the potential for dangers. we as policymakers have to re

ms. craddick, it is good to see you. i wanted to just make -- ask you a question about just some of the recent activities that have happened in texas. i think it is perfectly reasonable that we would want to be able to produce any of our fossil fuels and natural resources that we have for energy here so we don't have to depend on the middle east now particularly with all the craziness that is going on over there, i think it is perfectly reasonable that we would want to be able to produce our minerals. i also think it's perfectly reasonable whether you're a fisherman or a hunter or you just like gardening in your backyard, you want to be able to have clean air and clean water and that is where your agency and city councils and what have you, they take those things into consideration when trying to pass ordinances. in 2009, your hometown, midland, had some issues with spacing. the city council there, which is a community that is pretty much completely dependent upon oil and gas for the most part, they wanted to be able to

ms. craddick: good morning. hristi craddick and is chairman, i appreciate the opportunity to provide testimony at today's hearing. this is an important issue with a direct impact on texas today as well as other states affecting thousands of jobs across the country. since hydraulic fracturing has become a widely used practice it has been surrounded by misinformation and propagated the groups more interested in prohibiting then understanding the complex science. setting hyperbole aside reveals a simple truth -- there are no confirmed instances of groundwater contamination caused by hydraulic fracturing in texas. with proper oversight, it is safe. the thriving energy sector in texas is due in part to the railroad commission which is responsible for ensuring the safety of oil and gas statewide through a rigorous process of monitoring and inspecting operations. for nine years, the commission has served as the primary regulator of the oil and gas industry and is recognized as a regulatory leader throughout the world. i