By: Terrence Henry, KUT NEWS
When someone says “earthquake,” Texas probably isn’t the first state to come to mind. But in recent years, during the oil and gas drilling boom, the number of recorded quakes has increased tenfold. Scientists have known for a while that the quakes are connected to drilling. And as KUT’s Terrence Henry reports for StateImpact Texas, state regulators are starting to respond.
After years of quakes scientifically linked to drilling activity, Texas’ oil and gas regulator is taking some steps to address the issue. The Railroad commission which it oversees drilling in Texas , hired a seismologist earlier this year. And this week the agency approved changes to its rules for disposal wells, where wastewater from drilling is sent deep underground to get rid of it. That waste can cause faults to clip and cause earthquakes. So after years of tremors, what got the commission to act?
PORTER: “Roughly a year ago, when the activity in Azle started coming to attention. On the first of the year, I went to Azle and had a town hall meeting. For that enjoyable evening.”
That’s Railroad Commissioner David Porter. He’s talking about a North Texas town that’s had dozens of quakes over the last year. The town wasn’t happy with a lack of answers. So they mobilized and called on the commission to take action, which they’ve now begun to do. Here’s some of what’s in the new rules. Before companies can drill a new disposal well, they have to do a survey of the area for earthquake risk. And if a disposal well is found to be causing quakes, the commission can slow or stop operations at the well. The new rules go into effect in a few weeks. Terrence Henry, KUT News.
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