Energy Integrated Science Team Active

Sources/Usage: Public Domain.

The United States is one of the largest users of energy, consuming annually about one-quarter of the energy resources produced in the world. The energy industry and government regulators work to provide energy resources to the public safely and effectively. Management of energy byproducts such as waste materials (including both solid and liquid wastes) from oil and gas development are a critical part of that work. However, spills, leaks, and other factors can create pathways for contaminants to enter the environment and result in exposures to humans and biota. 

The associated health effects of specific spills have not been demonstrated in many cases, yet the perception of risk can drive action by industry and regulators. Hydrologists, chemists, biologists, and geologists on the Team conduct studies outside the mission of other federal agencies, by assessing actual versus perceived health effects to humans and biota due to exposures to energy production materials in the environment. This effort utilizes a watershed-and aquifer-based interdisciplinary science approach, providing a "big picture" that helps show where energy development activities are causing adverse health impacts on biota due to environmental contaminant exposures, as well as where they are not causing impacts. With this information in hand industry, land managers and other decision makers are able to balance the critical need for energy with further action, if any, to minimize health risks associated with energy production materials in the environment. 

The USGS Energy Lifecycle Integrated Science Team (IST), a part of the Environmental Health Program, conducts research on potential contaminant exposures in the environment that might originate from the life cycle of energy resources. Their research is completed in laboratories, at targeted field sites, and in watersheds across the Nation to collectively deliver science on exposures and risks to wildlife, humans, ecosystems, and water resources. Potential contaminant releases are associated with transportation, storage, extraction, and management of energy-related products and wastes.

The team provides science to support balanced utilization and protection of our Nation’s resources. The Team is combining their findings on sources, fate, transport, and degradation of the contaminants with an understanding of the exposure and effects on wildlife and humans for a One-Health approach that recognizes the inextricable connections between the physical and living environment.

The Energy IST is unique in that they bring together geochemists, microbiologists, ecologists, toxicologists, geophysicists, hydrologists, and modelers along with remote sensing capabilities with more than 60 scientists from 16science centers across USGS. This breadth of research abilities allows the Team to address complex nationwide questions related to the lifecycle of energy resources that would be out of reach for individual and small groups of scientists The value of their research is enhanced by the active participation of stakeholders. 

The Team Aims to:

• Identify Sources of Contaminants from Energy-Related Materials 
• Identify Potential Pathways of Contaminants to/in the Environment
• Determine Toxicity and Risks to Organisms from Energy-Associated Materials in the Environment
• Evaluate Environmental Responses and Recovery from Energy Lifecycle Activities 
• Evaluate Reuse Potential of Unconventional Oil and Gas (UOG) Wastes 

Current Science Questions and Activities

• Materials from oil and gas (OG) extraction may contain toxic or radioactive elements from the geologic formation, additives such as biocides used during OG development, and products of natural degradation. What is the composition of the materials generated, the potential pathways to the environment, the mode-of-action and the effects, if any, on receptor organisms from exposure to these constituents?
• Energy development occurs nationwide on public and private lands at scales ranging from town to regional to state-level development. This work is focused on the regional, and especially watershed or aquifer scale, energy-resource associated releases (for example spills, pipeline breaks) to the environment. Are there contaminant exposures and actual, not perceived, public health concerns throughout the watershed or underlying aquifers downstream or downgradient of the release?
• Releases of energy-associated materials to the environment can occur at various time scales thereby altering biogeochemistry and potential health effects on fish and wildlife as well as contaminant exposures to humans. Is persistence related to actual health effects?