Environmental concerns surrounding domestic natural gas production are surmountable, Enregy Secretary Ernest Moniz said Wednesday.

As U.S. production of the fossil fuel has climbed, so have concerns about the environmental footprint of drilling operations and systems that transport natural gas across the country.

Conservationists worry about water contamination from natural gas escaping from poorly secured wells and the chemicals used in its extraction. Environmentalists also are concerned about methane leaks at the well pad and in the transmission systems undermining the potential climate benefits of power plants switching from coal to cleaner-burning natural gas.

“Issues around environmental footprint have to be resolved,” Moniz told the U.S. Conference of Mayors gathering in Washington. “Although there are a lot of data that still need to be collected, if you look at the challenges that are out there, each one of them looks challenging but manageable.”

Moniz acknowledged problems in the past. “Best practices have not always been applied all the time,” he said bluntly.

“The job is to get out there and manage those environmental impacts,” he said, and “one way or another, get best practices in place all the time, everywhere.”

via Fuel Fix » Moniz: Natural gas risks can be ‘managed’.