2 leave after panel’s probe

Institute head resigns and professor retires; UT accepts criticism.

The University of Texas announced Thursday that the head of its Energy Institute resigned and a prominent UT professor retired following findings by an independent panel that excoriated the university and the professor over conflicts of interest involving a controversial report on natural gas exploration.

The panel recommended that the original report, “FactBased Regulation for Environmental Protection in Shale Gas Development,” which was released in February, be withdrawn by the university.

UT said Thursday that the report’s principal investigator, professor Charles Groat, retired effiective Nov. 30. Ray Orbach, the head of the Energy Institute, submitted his resignation as the institute’s head effiective Dec. 31. Orbach, who didn’t directly oversee the report, will remain on the

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