EPA site replaces 'fracking' with 'unconventional oil and gas'

Screenshots by Environmental Data and Governance Initiative

The Environmental Protection Agency has largely replaced the terms "hydraulic fracturing" and "fracking" on its website, according to a report released last week by the Environmental and Data Governance Initiative. The replacement phrase, "unconventional oil and gas," is a common term in the industry but not in common parlance.

There are two ways to interpret the EPA’s change, Brian Kahn writes for the environmentalist publication Earther: "The benign take is that the term is inclusive of a variety of ways fossil fuels are extracted. Fracking is just one step in one process to get at hard-to-access oil and gas. Unconventional oil and gas include all sorts of things like tar sands, for example, though the new EPA pages don’t get into those or even defining what the term means. There’s another, less charitable read on the change, though. Anti-fracking sentiment has been on the rise for years, and majorities of Americans of all political stripes favor tighter regulation, according to Gallup polling done earlier this year. The Trump administration does not agree."

EPA made many other changes in the overhaul, Kahn reports. It removed the section that said the agency promoted transparency and conducted outreach to stakeholders; added a section highlighting partnerships with oil and natural-gas sectors and industry associations, and removed "a lot of details of oil and gas extraction on air quality (of which there are many)," he writes. "It also removed a sentence describing how 'prudent steps to reduce these impacts [from rapidly increasing gas extraction] are essential now even as further research to understanding potential risks continues.'"

Risk of man-made earthquakes down in Texas, Okla. with decrease of oil field wastewater disposal

USGS says the risk of damaging quakes triggered
by oil field wastewater disposal is lower
this year but still significant.

Scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey say a decline in oil field wastewater disposal has led to a decrease in risk from man-made earthquakes in Oklahoma and Texas, Mike Soraghan reports for Energywire. But they warn "that there's still a significant chance for oil field activity to trigger a damaging quake in the next year."

USGS's second annual hazard map forecasting the danger of damaging quakes caused by man-made activity was published this week in the journal Seismological Research Letters, Soraghan writes. "The forecast showed a slight decrease in Oklahoma, although some portions are still considered to have a 10 to 12 percent risk of a damaging quake. But the Dallas area was removed from the map. That meant the number of people considered to be at elevated risk from man-made quakes dropped from 7 million to about 3.5 million."

"The likelihood of damaging ground shaking in central Oklahoma remains similar to that of natural earthquakes in high-hazard areas of California, according to the USGS assessment," Soraghan writes. "And USGS officials noted the level of hazard remains higher than what current building codes take into account. The forecast maps released yesterday indicate that the Raton Basin area along the Colorado-New Mexico border also remains at elevated risk. An area in West Texas, where companies have increased production from the Permian Basin, was added as being at a slightly elevated risk of damage from quakes."

Earthquakes down 31% in Oklahoma in 2016, but total strength of seismic energy release on the rise

Oklahoma earthquakes through Sept. 24, 2016 (USGS graphic)

The Oklahoma Geological Survey recorded 623 earthquakes of magnitude 3 or higher in 2016, Mike Soraghan reports for Energywire. While that's down 31 percent from the 2015 record total of 903, "some of the quakes were much stronger than in 2015, so 2016 still set a state record for seismic energy release, a measure of strength." In comparison, two of the nation's leading states for earthquakes, California and Nevada, combined for less than 300 in 2016.

"Oklahoma's earthquake swarms have been linked by scientists and state officials to deep injection of drilling wastewater by oil and gas companies," Soraghan writes. "The reduction in quakes has followed a reduction in wastewater injection because of government restrictions and an oil price slump." Prior to the oil and gas boom that began in 2009, Oklahoma averaged only two earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or higher per year.

"In the past few years, oil and gas regulators at the Oklahoma Corporation Commission have directed about 700 disposal wells in the state to close or scale back operations," Soraghan writes. "Because of that, the amount of wastewater being injected deep underground every day has dropped by about 800,000 barrels, or 34 million gallons. But companies struggling with the oil price slump cut injection by at least another 500,000 barrels a day beyond the state's directives. If prices rise, they could increase that much without violating the directives."

Oklahoma issues new guidelines to combat rise in earthquakes linked to hydraulic fracturing

Oklahoma regulators on Tuesday released "guidelines to deal with the risks of earthquakes induced from hydraulic fracturing operations in oil and gas development, an expansion of their previous responses to earthquakes linked to wastewater disposal wells" for fracking fluids, Paul Monies reports for The Oklahoman. Oklahoma had more earthquakes in 2015—941 of magnitude 3.0 or higher—than the combined total of every state except Alaska. Prior to the oil and gas boom that began in 2009, the state averaged only two earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or higher per year. (Natural Gas Intelligence graphic)

The guidelines "call for companies to shut down for at least six hours if a quake of magnitude 3 or greater is centered within 1.25 miles of a fracking operation," Mike Soraghan reports for Energywire. "During that time company officials and regulators would confer about how to change the operation. If there were to be a quake of magnitude 3.5, the fracking operation would shut down until company officials and regulators confer about whether the operation can continue."

"For quakes between magnitudes 2.5 and 3, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission is to contact nearby operators who are expected to implement their internal plans for earthquake mitigation," Soraghan writes. While the guidelines are voluntary, "OCC has the power to shut down an operation to address earthquake problems."

Many in the oil and gas industry praised the guidelines, Soraghan writes. Until recently many in the oil and gas industry, along with Republican Gov. Mary Fallin, refused to acknowledge a link between fracking and earthquakes. That changed last year when the Oklahoma Geological Survey, which originally denied any link between seismic activities and fracking operations, said "that most of the quakes are 'very likely' triggered by oil and gas activities." In March OGS for the first time released maps of earthquakes attributable to human activity.

Oklahoma regulations could drastically reduce earthquakes linked to fracking, says Stanford study

State regulations in Oklahoma could drastically reduce the number of magnitude-3 or higher earthquakes linked to injection wells used to dispose of drilling waste from horizontal hydraulic fracturing, says a Stanford University study published in Science Advances. Researchers say the regulations—which call for a 40 percent reduction in the volume of saltwater being injected in the seismically active areas—should significantly decrease the number of man-made earthquakes "by the end of 2016 and approach historic levels within a few years."

Oklahoma had more earthquakes in 2015—903 of magnitude 3.0 or higher—than the combined total of every state except Alaska. Prior to the oil and gas boom that began in 2009, Oklahoma averaged two earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or higher per year. The U.S. Geological Survey in March for the first time released maps of earthquakes attributable to human activity. USGS has attributed Oklahoma's increased seismic activity to injection wells. (Stanford map: Oklahoma earthquakes)

The study does have some problems, Mike Soraghan reports for Energywire. The model and prediction "assumes wastewater disposal doesn't increase in earthquake-prone areas. The current decline has been caused both by regulatory restrictions and reduced production because of low oil prices. The model predicts about 250 quakes of magnitude 3 or greater next year and about a 40 percent chance of a quake of magnitude 5 or greater."

Justin Rubinstein, a research geophysicist heavily involved in the Geological Survey's research into the man-made quakes, "said the Stanford model makes sense but seems optimistic," Soraghan writes. "Rubinstein noted some of the uncertainty in the study. The model is adapted from one used for much simpler scenarios—geothermal or oil and gas operations associated with a single well. And within their broad prediction," the study's authors "allow that isolated areas could continue having unusual quake levels beyond the predicted five to 10 years."

Earthquake between 4.3 to 4.5 magnitude in Oklahoma led to injection wells being shut down

An earthquake estimated between magnitude 4.3 to 4.5 that hit Oklahoma shortly after midnight on Wednesday has led oil and gas officials to shut down four injection wells used to dispose of drilling waste from horizontal hydraulic fracturing, the leading method for producing oil and gas in the U.S., Mike Soraghan reports for Energywire. Another 10 wells have had disposal volumes cut by 25 percent. The earthquake occurred near Pawnee (Best Places map) which in September had the largest quake ever recorded in the state.

"The quake occurred close to Osage County, home of the Osage Nation, where Environmental Protection Agency has jurisdiction over disposal wells," Soraghan writes. "EPA directed the operators of 26 wells to limit volume to the average injected in the last 30 days. Another six must reduce volumes to 75 percent of their 30-day average."

Oklahoma had more earthquakes in 2015—903 of magnitude 3.0 or higher—than the combined total of every state except Alaska. Prior to the oil and gas boom of 2009, Oklahoma averaged two earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or higher per year. The United States Geological Survey in March for the first time released maps of potential man-made earthquakes. USGS has attributed Oklahoma's increased seismic activity to injection wells. (Read more)

Record quake hits Oklahoma, where increased temblors are linked to disposal of fracking waste

The quake shook part of the sandstone facade off an old bank
building in Pawnee, Okla. (Photo from Tulsa Public Radio)

UPDATED, Sept. 9: The earthquake has been upgraded to 5.8 magnitude, making it the strongest ever in the state and the "strongest in the contiguous 48 states in two years, according to the U.S. Geological Survey," Corey Jones reports for Tulsa World.

Oklahoma once had one or two noticeable earthquakes (3.0 magnitude or greater) a year. Now it has hundreds, and Saturday morning it had a quake that tied for the strongest in the state's history, a 5.6-magnitude temblor that damaged a few buildings in Pawnee and was felt in at least eight states.

"The quake was so strong in Joplin, people there were worried it was the New Madrid Fault in far eastern Missouri, the site of the United States' strongest earthquake ever, in 1812," John Durkee of Public Radio Tulsa reported.

The U.S. Geological Survey has attributed Oklahoma's increased seismic activity to injection wells used to dispose of drilling waste from horizontal hydraulic fracturing, the leading method for producing oil andgas in the U.S. "The quake prompted state oil-and-gas industry regulators to order the shutdown of disposal wells in a more than 700-square-mile area near the quake’s epicenter," Paighten Harkins reported for the Tulsa World.

USGS placed the epicenter of the quake eight to nine mikes northwest of Pawnee and about four miles underground. "Preliminary information from the Oklahoma Geological Survey indicates the earthquake was a 'strike-slip event' off the southern edge of the Labette Fault, a major fault that runs through Pawnee and into Osage County," Harkins reported.

EPA says 'significant possibility' disposal wells are linked to rise in earthquakes in North Texas

The Environmental Protection Agency said in a report that that agency officials "believe 'there is a significant possibility' that recent earthquakes in North Texas are linked to oil and gas activity," Jim Malewitz reports for The Texas Tribune. Texas, home to thousands of wastewater disposal wells, "is the third-most at-risk state for man-made earthquakes, according to the U.S. Geological Survey—behind only Oklahoma and Kansas." It's believed to be the first time EPA has tied Texas earthquakes to industry activity.

The report states: “In light of findings from several researchers, its own analysis of some cases and the fact that earthquakes diminished in some areas following shut-in or reduced injection volume of targeted wells. EPA believes there is a significant possibility that North Texas earthquake activity is associated with disposal wells." EPA recommended "close monitoring of injection activity'  going forward, coupled with 'appropriate data analysis methods, in a coordinated effort to detect possible correspondence with seismic activity." (USGS map: Seismic activity in Texas from 1973 to Feb. 26, 2016)

States are learning how to prevent earthquakes linked to oil and gas drillers' disposal wells

In Kansas and Oklahoma, where an increase in earthquakes has been linked to oil and gas companies' wastewater injection wells, the states have found a solution to help reduce man-made seismic activity, Jen Fifield reports for Stateline. Since placing restrictions in March on "oil and natural gas operations in certain hotspots, Oklahoma is feeling an average of about two earthquakes a day, down from about six last summer, and Kansas is feeling about a quarter of the tremors it once did."

Oklahoma had more earthquakes in 2015—more than 900 of magnitude 3.0 or higher—than the combined total of every state except Alaska. Before the oil and gas boom that began in 2009, Oklahoma averaged two earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or higher per year. Oklahoma, which had 701 earthquakes of 2.8 magnitude or higher through the first six months of 2015, had 619 during that time period this year. (Stateline graphic: Oklahoma earthquakes)

"Using a growing body of research, along with trial and error, scientists and state regulators are gradually getting closer to pinpointing the cause of the startling increase in earthquakes in the Central and Eastern U.S., and preventing them," Fifield writes. "The general cause, scientists have found, is not drilling, but what happens after, when operators dispose of wastewater that comes up naturally during the oil and gas extraction process. The operators inject the wastewater into disposal wells that go thousands of feet underground, which can increase fluid pressures and sometimes cause faults underneath or nearby to move."

"To gather more data, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Texas are expanding their seismic monitoring systems this year, placing permanent stations across the states and moving temporary stations to new hotspots," Fifield writes. "And Oklahoma and Texas hired more staff or are contracting with scientists to study the geology of areas where earthquakes are occurring, the details of the quakes that happen, and the oil and gas activity that may be associated with them."

"About 7 million people across the Central and Eastern U.S. are now at risk of man-made shaking powerful enough to crack walls and rattle items off shelves, according to a one-year United States Geological Survey forecast released in March," Fifield writes. "The report outlined the risk from man-made earthquakes for the first time, listing the states with the highest risk in order as Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Colorado, New Mexico and Arkansas." (Read more)

Texas oil and gas industry 'almost certainly' caused 59% of earthquakes since 1975, says study

Nearly two-thirds of Texas earthquakes over the past 40 years can be linked to the oil and gas industry, says a study by the University of Texas and Southern Methodist University, published today in the journal Seismological Research Letters. The study "concludes that activities associated with petroleum production 'almost certainly' or 'probably' set off 59 percent of earthquakes across the state between 1975 and 2015," Anna Kuchment reports for The Dallas Morning News. "Another 28 percent were 'possibly' triggered by oil and gas activities. Scientists deemed only 13 percent of the quakes to be natural." (Morning News graphic)

The Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates the state's oil and gas industry, was quick to dismiss the study as arbitrary, Kuchment writes. "In November 2014 the commission tightened its rules for disposal wells. Since then, it has received 51 disposal-well applications. Of these, 22 permits were issued with special conditions, such as requirements to reduce daily maximum injection volumes and pressure and to record volumes and pressures daily as opposed to monthly. Nine permits were issued without special conditions. The rest were either withdrawn, returned to the applicant for more information, protested and sent to a hearing, or are still pending."

The study links man-made earthquakes back to the early days of the oil and gas industry, Kuchment writes. "The first man-made quake struck in 1925 in the Goose Creek oil field along the Gulf Coast east of Houston. Humble Oil, a precursor of Exxon, had extracted so much oil that the ground sank and caused houses to shake and dishes to crash to the floor. Over the years, different petroleum production methods have triggered quakes, including oil and gas extraction and enhanced recovery, in which operators pump water or carbon dioxide into reservoirs to boost the flow of oil. Each method can, in rare cases, raise or lower pressure on faults and cause them to rupture."

Environmental groups sue EPA, calling for updated, stricter rules for wastewater from fracking

Environmental advocacy groups sued the Environmental Protection Agency Wednesday, "saying the government has failed to adequately regulate the disposal of waste generated by oil and gas drilling," Brady Dennis reports for The Washington Post. The groups, which want stricter rules on the disposal of wastewater, "argue that EPA has neglected to revise its existing rules for nearly three decades, despite acknowledging in the late 1980s that stricter requirements were needed for the handling of oil and gas drilling waste." The groups also cited an increasing number of studies linking the oil and gas industry to earthquakes from fracking-disposal wells as another reason for stricter rules.

"In addition, the groups want EPA to ban the practice of dumping fracking wastewater on fields and roads, where it potentially could pollute drinking water sources," Dennis writes. "They also want the agency to require that ponds and landfills where drilling and fracking waste are dumped built to certain specifications and adequately lined to prevent leaks. The lawsuit asks the court to set strict deadlines for EPA to adopt updated rules."

A.J. Ferate, vice president of regulatory affairs for the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association, told the Post last year, “It’s hard to deny that in certain geographic locations with certain geologic circumstances, we’ve had some problems with some wastewater wells. But to make a blanket assertion that wastewater wells are always the cause, I don’t know that I can agree with that.” (Read more)

Pa. officials trying to determine if small earthquakes are linked to hydraulic fracturing

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources are conducting a study to see if a series of small earthquakes recorded Monday in Western Pennsylvania are linked to a nearby natural gas hydraulic fracturing operation, Laura Legere reports for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

"The U.S. Geological Survey says five minor earthquakes originated in an area just west of New Castle in a 22-hour period on Monday, all small tremors between magnitude 1.7 and 1.9, which is below what humans can feel," Legere writes. "The timing and proximity of the Lawrence County earthquakes—originally the geological survey had identified just two—suggest a link to a nearby natural-gas fracking operation, but seismologists were being cautious Thursday, saying it is too early to tell definitively if fracking triggered the quakes." (Post graphic)

"A DEP spokeswoman said Wednesday that the wells that were being fracked have horizontal wellbores headed northwest from the pad, which is the general direction of the closest earthquake," Legere writes. Michael Brudzinski, a geology professor at Miami University in Ohio, told Legere, "I think anyone looking at the situation would say there are earthquakes very close to where the well is at the time the well is being stimulated with hydraulic fracturing. That’s suggestive that there is a link. But I don’t think any of us are ready to say anything more conclusive than that.” Injection wells for disposal of fracking fluids have caused quakes in Oklahoma, officials there say.

USGS for the first time releases maps of potential man-made earthquakes

About seven million people in the U.S. live and work in areas "with potential for damaging shaking from induced seismicity," says a report released Monday by the United States Geological Survey that for the first time includes maps identifying "potential ground-shaking hazards from both human-induced and natural earthquakes," Jessica Fitzpatrick and Mark Petersen report for USGS. "In the past, USGS maps only identified natural earthquake hazards. This is also the first one-year outlook for the nation’s earthquake hazards and is a supplement to existing USGS assessments that provide a 50-year forecast."

Petersen, Chief of the USGS National Seismic Hazard Mapping Project, said, “By including human-induced events, our assessment of earthquake hazards has significantly increased in parts of the U.S. This research also shows that much more of the nation faces a significant chance of having damaging earthquakes over the next year, whether natural or human-induced.” (USGS map)

"The list of places at highest risk of man-made earthquakes includes Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Arkansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Ohio and Alabama," Joel Achenbach reports for The Washington Post. "Most of these earthquakes are relatively small, in the range of magnitude 3, but some have been more powerful, including a magnitude 5.6 earthquake in 2011 in Oklahoma that was linked to wastewater injection."

Scientists said "they do not know if there is an upper limit on the magnitude of induced earthquakes; this is an area of active research," Achenbach writes. "Oklahoma has had prehistoric earthquakes as powerful as magnitude 7. It's not immediately clear whether this new research will change industry practices or even whether it will surprise anyone in the areas of newly estimated risk. In Oklahoma, for example, the natural rate of earthquakes is only one or two a year, but there have been hundreds since fracking and horizontal drilling, with the associated wastewater injection, became commonplace in the last decade."

Oklahoma plan to slow earthquakes would reduce wastewater by 40% below 2014 totals

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission released a plan Monday to deal with the state's rise in earthquake activity—linked to the oil and gas industry—in the central part of the state, Paul Monies reports for The Oklahoman. "More than 5,200 square miles of central Oklahoma now will be covered under an expanded plan" that covers more than 400 disposal wells in all or parts of 11 counties. "The plan follows an expanded regional plan for northwestern Oklahoma released Feb. 16. Together, those two plans cover more than 10,000 square miles and more than 640 disposal wells." (Oklahoman graphic)

"Tim Baker, director of the commission's Oil and Gas Conservation Division, said the central Oklahoma plan, like the northwest one, will reduce the total volume of wastewater by 40 percent below the totals from 2014," Monies writes. "The volume reduction plan will be phased in over two months, with full compliance expected by May 28."

Oklahoma had more earthquakes in 2015—more than 900 of magnitude 3.0 or higher—than the combined total of every state except Alaska. Prior to the oil and gas boom of 2009, Oklahoma averaged two earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or higher per year. This year more than 200 earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or higher have been recorded, including seven of magnitude 4.0 or higher, Monies writes. "The central Oklahoma plan covers more than 120 operators."

Oklahoma had more earthquakes in 2015 than every state combined, excluding Alaska

Oklahoma—where seismic activity has been linked to the oil and gas industry—had more earthquakes in 2015 than the combined total of every state except Alaska, Brad Sowder reports for KOCO 5 in Oklahoma City. In 2015, Oklahoma had 857 earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or higher, compared to 729 in the other 48 states. Last year's total also easily surpassed the state record of 585 earthquakes from 2014. Prior to the oil and gas boom of 2009, Oklahoma averaged two earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or higher per year.

"State officials in April 2015 acknowledged that the increased shaking was related to oil and gas operations, ending years of waffling extended at times by interference from the politically powerful oil and gas industry," Mike Soraghan reports for Environment & Energy News. Last summer, Oklahoma Corporation Commission officials "started asking operators of wells in earthquake-prone areas to reduce injection volumes or cease operations. The agency's 'directives' are voluntary but backed by the threat of formal, mandatory action." (KOCO graphic)

During Sunday broadcast, TV news magazine to spotlight Oklahoma's man-made earthquakes

An Al-Jazeera television report on Oklahoma's man-made earthquakes scheduled to air on Sunday features the state's former seismologist speaking about the pressure he was under to not link the oil and gas industry to an increase in earthquakes, Mike Soraghan reports for EnergyWire. Prior to the oil and gas boom of 2009, Oklahoma averaged two earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or higher per year. Last year Oklahoma had 585 earthquakes and has had more than 800 this year.

Speaking on "Fault Lines," former Oklahoma Geological Survey seismologist Austin Holland "said oil titan Harold Hamm told him to 'watch how you say things' in a now-notorious 'coffee' meeting in the office of University of Oklahoma President David Boren," Soraghan writes. "He also said a position paper released in 2014, deeming the earthquakes to be natural, contradicted OGS's scientific understanding. OGS is part of the university, which at the time was seeking a $25 million donation from Hamm for a new building."

"OGS lagged behind federal and academic scientists in finding that the swarms of quakes were related to wastewater disposal from oil and gas operations," Soraghan writes. "Holland said it was clear to him and others at OGS by 2013, but OGS didn't formally acknowledge it until April of this year. Scientists say the unprecedented swarms of man-made quakes in the state since 2009 can be attributed to favorably aligned faults and production methods that create uniquely large volumes of wastewater."

Fault Lines will air at 9 p.m. (EST) on Sunday. Oklahoma officials said producers from CBS's 60 Minutes are also working on a story about Oklahoma's earthquakes. (USGS graphic)

Oklahoma earthquakes force 7 more disposal wells to be shut down, another 66 to reduce volumes

Oklahoma regulators have responded to another rash of earthquakes by ordering seven disposal wells to be shut down, Mike Soraghan reports for EnergyWire. "The Oklahoma Corporation Commission directed the owners of 66 other wells to reduce volumes by 25 to 50 percent. Operators of another 67 disposal wells were told to prepare for possible changes to their operations."

"Northern Oklahoma was shaken Monday afternoon by the second magnitude-4.7 earthquake in two weeks," Soraghan writes. "It was centered west of Medford but was felt as far away as Iowa. The first occurred the morning of Nov. 19, centered near Cherokee. It was the largest quake since the aftershocks of the state's largest-recorded quake, a magnitude-5.6 quake near Prague in 2011 that destroyed 16 homes and injured two people. In November, the state had 68 earthquakes of magnitude 3 or larger. This year, it has had more than 800, a substantial increase over the 585 in 2014."

"Scientists say the unprecedented swarms of man-made quakes in the state since 2009"—Oklahoma averaged two earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or higher per year before then—"can be attributed to favorably aligned faults and production methods that create uniquely large volumes of wastewater," Soraghan writes. (U.S. Geological Survey graphic)

Six wastewater wells shut down in Oklahoma after 4.7 and 4.0 magnitude earthquakes rock state

Oklahoma oil and gas regulators shut down six drilling wastewater disposal wells on Thursday after the largest quake in the state since 2011 was recorded, Mike Soraghan reports for EnergyWire. Two wells were shut down around Cherokee (Best Places map) after a magnitude 4.7 earthquake, which was felt more than 300 miles away in Dallas and Kansas City, hit. Another earthquake, this one magnitude 4.0, was near Crescent, closer to Oklahoma City, leading to the closure of four wells.

"The Oklahoma Corporation Commission also directed the owners of 23 other wells around Cherokee to reduce injection by 25 to 50 percent," Soraghan writes. "Overall, the volume of wastewater injected by the 25 wells near Cherokee is to fall by 41 percent. Further reductions in volume are expected in the Crescent area, and other operators near Cherokee were told they may be directed to reduce operations. There were a total of eight earthquakes, with five in the Cherokee area and three in the Crescent area." No major injuries were reported.

Oklahoma, which in 2014 led the lower 48 states in earthquakes with 584 of magnitude 3 or higher, has already surpassed that total this year. Prior to the oil and gas boom of 2009, Oklahoma averaged two earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or higher per year. (U.S. Geological Survey graphic)

Rash of earthquakes in rural North Texas not caused by injection wells, state officials rule

No link exists between wastewater disposal wells and a rash of earthquakes in 2013 and 2014 in two North Texas towns, despite research that suggests otherwise, state officials ruled on Tuesday, Jim Malewitz reports for The Texas Tribune. The three-member Republican panel of the Texas Railroad Commission unanimously cleared Houston-based EnerVest and ExxonMobil subsidiary XTO Energy from any responsibility for the more than two dozen earthquakes in the rural towns of Reno and Azle (Best Places map) in the Barnett Shale region. The ruling clears the companies to continue their usual business.

The Texas Railroad Commission "ordered hearings after a team of researchers led by Southern Methodist University concluded that industry activity 'most likely' unleashed the earthquakes," Malewitz writes. "The peer-reviewed research, published in April, linked the earthquakes to wells operated by XTO Energy and EnerVest. The SMU study said the operators’ withdrawal of brine—naturally salty water removed during oil and gas drilling—and the high-pressure injection of huge volumes of wastewater from gas wells likely spurred the quakes."

"In two rulings, commission examiners sided with the energy companies, writing that 'natural tectonic processes' surprised North Texans unaccustomed to shaky ground," Malewitz writes. "The SMU study is a 'commendable first-order investigation' of the issue, the examiners wrote in both decisions, but 'presents data indicating a weak temporal correlation between injection and seismic activities—too small, however, to imply a causal relationship without further corroborating evidence.'” (Read more)

Two southern Kansas counties had more earthquakes in two weeks than state had from 1990-2013; likely triggered by injection wells

From Oct. 15-26 two south-central Kansas counties had 52 reported earthquakes, more than the entire state had from 1990 to 2013, Ryan Schuessler reports for The Washington Post. The state, which had 19 reported earthquakes from 1990 to 2010, had none in 2011 and 2012 and four in 2013, before experiencing 817 in 2014, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The rise in earthquakes is being blamed on increased hydraulic fracturing, especially along the border of Oklahoma, which in 2014 led the lower 48 states in earthquakes with 585 of magnitude 3 or higher and has already surpassed that total this year. The number of wells in Kansas has grown from 2,000 in 2000 to 7,000 in 2014. (Hutchinson News graphic: Earthquakes from Oct. 14-20 in Harper and Sumner counties in Kansas)

Rex Buchanan, interim director of the Kansas Geological Survey at the University of Kansas, "said fracking has been going on in Kansas since the 1940s, but the recent innovation of horizontal drilling—instead of vertical—requires more water," Schuessler writes. "The wastewater is injected into disposal wells—'not exactly where it came from,'  Buchanan said. He added that the earthquakes are likely being caused by the wastewater disposal wells, not the act of drilling itself," He told Schuessler, “In Kansas, you produce a lot more saltwater than you do oil in the oil and gas production process. We’re dealing with much greater volumes of water than ten years ago.”

Harper and Sumner counties had 40 reported earthquakes from Oct. 14-20, John Green reports for The Hutchinson News. Harper County had 28 earthquakes from Oct. 6-12, including nine on Oct. 11 and seven on Oct. 12, while Sumner County experienced four earthquakes that week, Green writes in a separate story.