{"id":24770,"date":"2015-08-13T15:04:48","date_gmt":"2015-08-13T20:04:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/?p=24770"},"modified":"2015-08-13T15:12:12","modified_gmt":"2015-08-13T20:12:12","slug":"regulation-accelerates-as-officials-move-from-hesitation-to-direct-correlation-on-oil-linked-earthquakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/2015\/08\/13\/regulation-accelerates-as-officials-move-from-hesitation-to-direct-correlation-on-oil-linked-earthquakes\/","title":{"rendered":"Regulation Accelerates as Officials Move from Hesitation to \u2018Direct Correlation\u2019 on Oil-Linked Earthquakes"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_24778\"  class=\"wp-caption module image center\" style=\"max-width: 620px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-24778\" alt=\"Gov. Mary Fallin speaking to the media after an earthquake council meeting in August 2015.\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2015\/08\/20150804-seismic-council-pics038_WEB.jpg\" width=\"620\" height=\"413\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2015\/08\/20150804-seismic-council-pics038_WEB.jpg 620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2015\/08\/20150804-seismic-council-pics038_WEB-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2015\/08\/20150804-seismic-council-pics038_WEB-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2015\/08\/20150804-seismic-council-pics038_WEB-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Joe Wertz \/ StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gov. Mary Fallin speaking to the media after an earthquake council meeting in August 2015.<\/p>\n<\/div><p>In the five years since earthquakes first began blitzing Oklahoma, state officials have been hesitant to agree with scientists who blamed the oil and gas industry.<\/p><p>While the shaking doesn\u2019t appear to be slowing, the regulatory response is now quickly ramping up.<br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/219087754&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=false\" height=\"150\" width=\"100%\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p><p><!--more-->When Gov. Mary Fallin talked about the earthquakes a year ago at the 2014 state energy conference, she was circumspect and noncommittal.<\/p><p>\u201cMany have been quick out in the public sector, or even in the private sector, to draw conclusions about its cause,\u201d she said in remarks opening the Oklahoma City event last year<\/p><p>As scientific evidence has mounted, however, the doubt has eroded. Speaking at the state Capitol last week, Fallin publicly agreed with what researchers have said for years.<\/p><p>\u201cI think we all know now that there is a direct correlation between the increase of earthquakes that we\u2019ve seen in Oklahoma with disposal wells,\u201d Fallin said.<\/p>\n<h3>Stress, slip<\/h3><p>Disposal wells are the sewers of the oil field. Oil and gas companies pump them full of waste fluid from drilling and fracking. Once underground, the fluid can build pressure and cause stressed faults to slip and trigger earthquakes.<\/p><p>Oklahoma\u2019s regulatory response to oil and gas earthquakes has evolved, too. Initially, Oklahoma authorities reacted more slowly and passively than other states experiencing earthquakes linked to oil and gas activity, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB8QFjAAahUKEwjdu6bYpqbHAhUFpYgKHVYYAgk&url=https%3A%2F%2Fstateimpact.npr.org%2Foklahoma%2F2013%2F05%2F16%2Foklahomas-response-to-manmade-quakes-is-more-passive-than-other-states%2F&ei=EK7MVd3zN4XKogTWsIhI&usg=AFQjCNEHjegvFekb6xT4L_MaB-Qpv4xPog&sig2=5DKE3ly5DjtqSwqyZsEeIA\">2013 investigation by StateImpact<\/a> showed.<\/p><p>The Corporation Commission enacted new monitoring requirements that went into effect in September 2014. The agency then started <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCIQFjAAahUKEwjvj4LWqKbHAhVPO4gKHebEA5c&url=https%3A%2F%2Fstateimpact.npr.org%2Foklahoma%2F2014%2F04%2F17%2Foklahoma-oil-and-gas-regulator-uses-red-tape-not-rules-to-manage-disposal-wells-in-earthquake-country%2F&ei=JLDMVe_tPM_2oATmiY-4CQ&usg=AFQjCNHLf78WuM5aiJnXjd5naOqalLsy1A&sig2=IXr-4j-W6QUVOVHTOUrGIQ\">scrutinizing permits<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/2013\/10\/03\/disposal-well-shutdown-after-swarm-of-earthquakes-in-south-central-oklahoma\/\">individual disposal wells<\/a> in shaky areas.<\/p><p>Today, new or expanded quake-related field actions sent to operators, known as \u201cdirectives,\u201d are more frequently dispatched by state oil and gas authorities.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_24777\"  class=\"wp-caption module image center\" style=\"max-width: 620px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-24777\" alt=\"Oklahoma oil and gas regulators in August 2015 ordered oil and gas companies to sharply limit waste fluid injection at disposal wells, including this one, Equal Energy's Goodnight SWDW No. 5 in Logan County.\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2015\/08\/20150806-disposal-wells045_WEB.jpg\" width=\"620\" height=\"413\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2015\/08\/20150806-disposal-wells045_WEB.jpg 620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2015\/08\/20150806-disposal-wells045_WEB-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2015\/08\/20150806-disposal-wells045_WEB-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2015\/08\/20150806-disposal-wells045_WEB-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Joe Wertz \/ StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oklahoma oil and gas regulators in August 2015 ordered oil and gas companies to sharply limit waste fluid injection at disposal wells, including this one, Equal Energy&#39;s Goodnight SWDW No. 5 in Logan County.<\/p>\n<\/div><p>Oklahoma\u2019s oil and gas regulator <a href=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/2015\/03\/25\/regulators-issue-tougher-disposal-well-directives-as-oklahomas-quake-risk-rises\/\">in March<\/a> directed the operators of nearly 350 disposal wells to limit the pumping of fluid into crystalline basement rock, <a href=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/2015\/05\/28\/plug-back-or-prove-it-oklahomas-anti-earthquake-orders-in-action\/\">an underground rock formation<\/a> known to trigger earthquakes. That action was broadened and tweaked <a href=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/2015\/07\/17\/state-authorities-broaden-disposal-well-regulations-in-earthquake-prone-regions\/\">in July<\/a> and applied to hundreds of additional wells.<\/p><p>Some scientists have questioned Oklahoma\u2019s focus on well depths and requirements that operators \u201cplug-back\u201d \u2014 fill in to make shallower \u2014 wells found to be injecting into basement rock.<\/p><p>\u201cFrom a scientific standpoint, I think a number of us had doubts about whether that was going to be effective in and of itself,\u201d says Bill Ellsworth, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey.<\/p><p>Stanford University geophysicist Mark Zoback agrees with Ellsworth. Zoback authored <a href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/2015\/06\/22\/416390029\/report-oklahoma-quakes-linked-to-oil-and-gas-wastewater\">a June 2015 paper<\/a> that concluded Oklahoma\u2019s earthquake surge was largely driven by the pumping underground of massive amounts of waste fluid.<\/p><p>\u201cI think that plugging back is going to be effective only in rare cases,\u201d Zoback wrote in an email to StateImpact. Zoback communicates regularly with the state\u2019s Coordinating Council on Seismic Activity \u2014 <a href=\"http:\/\/earthquakes.ok.gov\/what-we-are-doing\/coordinating-council-on-seismic-activity\/\">a Fallin-created <\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/earthquakes.ok.gov\/what-we-are-doing\/coordinating-council-on-seismic-activity\/\">committee<\/a> \u201ccharged with organizing state resources and related activities related to Oklahoma\u2019s recent increase in seismic activity.\u201d<\/p><p>Ellsworth, Zoback and other scientists think the <i>amount<\/i> of drilling waste fluid \u2014 and the <i>rate<\/i> oil companies pump it underground \u2014 could be a bigger factor in triggering earthquakes. That analysis has been shared with Oklahoma officials and earthquake council members, Ellsworth says.<\/p><p>\u201cThere\u2019s no secrets that are being held back,\u201d he says. \u201cThey\u2019ve got good lines of communication and they\u2019re talking to the right people.\u201d<\/p><p>There are signs Oklahoma oil and gas authorities are moving towards broader volume cuts.<\/p><p>After a widely felt 4.5-magnitude quake struck near the town of Crescent in late July, regulators responded quickly and directly: They <i>asked <\/i>the oil industry to <a href=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/2015\/07\/28\/oil-companies-shut-down-wells-near-earthquake-swarm\/\">shut down three disposal wells<\/a> and <i>told <\/i>companies to <a href=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/2015\/08\/03\/after-spate-of-earthquakes-oklahoma-oil-regulator-slashes-disposal-well-activity-in-shaky-region\/\">slash fluid volumes<\/a> at 23 wells. This is the first time the Oklahoma agency has issued volume cutbacks for groups of wells, says Corporation Commission spokesman Matt Skinner.<\/p><p>\u201cIt is an across-the-board 38 percent cut,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<h3>Kansas comparison<\/h3><p>At the same time Oklahoma regulators were issuing plug-back directives, their counterparts in Kansas were ordering volume cuts in that state, which is also experiencing oil and gas earthquakes.<\/p><p>On March 19, the Kansas Corporation Commission, citing the need \u201cto protect the public from immediate danger to health, safety, and welfare,\u201d signed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB8QFjAAahUKEwiG-rauvKbHAhXLOIgKHdRdAuY&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kcc.state.ks.us%2Fpi%2Fpress%2F15-01.htm&ei=ysTMVYbtKcvxoATUu4mwDg&usg=AFQjCNE3X36L-NQBROSIiIwWdq8p4gVFLw&sig2=5w2yLD4bbuTqjlDQNIp66g\">an order<\/a> demanding operators reduce the volume, rate and pressure of waste fluid pumped into disposal wells, including about 70 such wells in two counties near the Oklahoma border.<\/p><p>Rex Buchanan, the interim director of the Kansas Geological Survey, says Kansas\u2019 waste fluid reductions are showing promising results.<\/p><p>\u201cWe\u2019re still pretty early in this data-gathering process, but there\u2019s no question that you see a reduction in activity,\u201d he says.<\/p><p>Oklahoma and Kansas are both experiencing quake activity, but the two states aren\u2019t an exact comparison. Oklahoma has a much bigger oil and gas industry \u2014 and a lot more earthquakes.<\/p><p>Low oil prices have been an economic drag in both states. But Buchanan says the slowdown presents an opportunity to do as much earthquake research as possible before oil prices climb and both drilling and fluid disposal boom again.<\/p><p>Preliminary data are encouraging, but Buchanan and other earthquake researchers say it\u2019s unwise to focus on rapid solutions and treat oil and gas earthquakes as a short-term problem.<\/p><p>\u201cIf we don\u2019t learn everything, we can learn we risk going through this all over again,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the five years since earthquakes first began blitzing Oklahoma, state officials have been hesitant to agree with scientists who blamed the oil and gas industry.While the shaking doesn\u2019t appear to be slowing, the regulatory response is now quickly ramping up.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":24778,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[490],"tags":[390,489,500,238],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24770"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/36"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24770"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24770\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24788,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24770\/revisions\/24788"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24778"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24770"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24770"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24770"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}