HEI Research Planning Workshop #2: Understanding Population-Level Exposures Related to the Development of Oil and Natural Gas from Unconventional Resources, September 2018, Austin, TX

Each breakout group was assigned one of the three questions below. Groups had 20 minutes for discussion before reporting back to all workshop participants. 

• What are the most important gaps in information or data that could be filled to improve UOGD policies and regulations to protect human health and the environment? Please consider perceived or actual gaps that are important to non-governmental stakeholders or local governments. Are there opportunities for filling any of the gaps that would be enhanced by collaboration with multiple stakeholder groups (i.e., industry, academia, government, NGOs, affected communities)?
• What research would be most helpful to those faced with making near term decisions (e.g., regulators, industry, and community leaders) given the concerns of various stakeholders? What research needs to be conducted in the next few years that would represent an enormous missed opportunity if not conducted? 
• Which UOGD operations and potential exposures to them should be studied to provide information most broadly relevant to various locations, populations, and UOGD operational practices across the United States? What locations might be particularly useful to include in exposure research? Are there opportunities for research that would be enhanced by collaboration with multiple stakeholder groups (i.e., industry, academia, government, NGOs, affected communities)?

Each breakout group was assigned one of the three questions below. Groups had 20 minutes for discussion before reporting back to all workshop participants. 

• What critical research questions about exposure are most amenable to being addressed using available data? Are there data, databases, and ongoing research that the Committee may not have heard about that would help in understanding potential human exposures?
• What are the most important exposure pathways that should be studied (an exposure pathway includes a chemical or non-chemical agent, a specific population exposed to the agent(s), and a pathway in the environment that connects them)? Is there a priority order for the studies in terms of the most pressing potential problems and the availability (or lack thereof) of pertinent data and information?
• At the last workshop, the Committee heard recommendations for research about exposures related to air quality but fewer related to water quality. What potential human exposures related to air should the Committee consider studying? What are the potential human exposures related to water that the Committee should consider studying, whether related to exposure to groundwater, surface water, or reused flowback or produced water?