The announcement last week that Secretary of Energy Stephen Chu has appointed a top-flight panel to study hydraulic fracturing is a positive sign — for the environment, for the people living in the Marcellus Shale region, and even for the natural gas industry.

The industry has largely failed to convince the public of its credibility when it comes to fracking water — including the proper treatment and disposal of millions of gallons of the toxic chemical-laced water. Another public relations problem is tied to the industry’s initial refusal to disclose to government regulators the exact chemicals used in fracking water. That secrecy has produced only increased public suspicions about gas extraction using fracking technologies.

And from a practical standpoint, it was absurd for the industry to argue that fracking water could be cleaned or recycled in water treatment plants even when the plant operators had not been told by gas drillers what chemicals were to be captured or neutralized.

President Barack Obama views natural gas as an integral part of his energy plan, which calls for increased domestic production of oil and gas. The idea behind the fracking panel is that improved technologies could lead to fewer accidents and maybe reformulate fracking compounds using less toxic chemicals.

Chu named seven members to the panel and set a 90-day timetable for it to make recommendations to make natural gas fracking cleaner and safer.

The panel is made up of people with strong scientific and industry credentials. Heading the group is John Deutch, a former undersecretary in the Energy Department and head of the chemistry department at MIT. He also serves on the board of Schlumberger, a leading company in the oil-services industry.

Other panel members serve as directors of energy companies and leaders of environmental groups. One member was a part of the group that examined the Deepwater Horizon accident in the Gulf of Mexico.

The panel’s balance and solid scientific and industry credentials deserve respect from those most concerned with protecting the environment as well as those focused on efficient extraction of natural gas from the Marcellus Shale formation.

Recent gas industry accidents, including several in Pennsylvania, have focused more attention on drilling practices. Well-documented claims of well-water contaminated by drilling operations and the mystery and potential risks surrounding fracking water all build support for finding ways to make the industry safer for people and the environment.

The industry has brought much negative attention on itself and it should now welcome the chance to improve its image by letting this group complete the study — and possibly embracing its recommendations. A major advancement the group should focus on is finding a new formulation for fracking water chemicals that is benign, or at least less toxic than what is now being used.

Natural gas from Marcellus Shale represents a great economic opportunity for Pennsylvania and has many advantages for the United States in developing domestic energy supplies. Extracting Marcellus gas safely and efficiently is critical to further industry development in this state and beyond — and this study panel can help.