On the very first morning of 2012, public relations consultants for the natural gas industry woke to headlines reporting that a fracking-related well had triggered a magnitude 4.0 earthquake in Youngstown, Ohio. Its shaking was felt as far away as Buffalo and Toronto.
Happy New Year, boys. Time to renew your contracts and jack up your spin fees.
The public debate over environmental and health risks associated with natural gas fracking (hydrofracturing) was one of the hottest environmental issues of 2011 in the Northeast. The news of the Ohio quakes can only spur efforts by opponents of fracking to ban or significantly curb the use of the controversial gas-extraction process.
The Christian Science Monitor in How fracking caused an Ohio earthquake notes that the quake was not caused by fracking wells themselves but apparently by an well used to inject waste fluids from the fracking process back into porous rock
formations deep underground.
It’s not the first time that Ohio had encountered seismic problems related to fracking injection wells.
The Monitor reports that a “string of quakes last year prompted the state to ban drilling new
wastewater-injection wells within five miles of the well suspected of
triggering the temblors. At the state’s request, the well itself was
shut down Dec. 24.”
Ohio is not alone. In July, the Arkansas Oil
and Gas Commission banned wastewater-injection wells from a
1,150-square-mile area overlying key shale deposits because of increased
earthquake activity linked to the wells, according to the Monitor story.
*** Use the signup form in the upper right column to receive free email blog updates ***
Related:
Oil and gas ‘fracking’ wastewater caused 11 earthquakes in Ohio
Ohio delays four fracking wastewater wells in wake of quake
Ohio earthquake further evidence of link to drilling waste disposal
Recent blog posts:
Federal court freezes EPA cross-state air pollution rules
Time runs out on Delaware’s offshore wind project
Philadelphia now recycling milk & juice containers, too
In NJ, a clash over control of environmental regulations
EPA report links fracking to groundwater contamination
———————————————————————————————————————————-
Like this post? You’ll love our daily newsletter, EnviroPolitics
Try it free for 30 days! No obligation. Cancel anytime with one click
