FrackingState regulators discuss the connection between fracking and earthquake

Regulators from states with significant petroleum and natural gas exploration activities met last week in Columbus, Ohio as part of the 2014 Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission conference. The organization advocates for states’ rights to govern petroleum resources within their borders. One key topic of discussion at the conference was the potential implications of news published in the journal Seismological Research Letters, that numerous, unnoticeable earthquakes in Harrison County, Ohio, likely were linked to oil and natural gas exploration. 190 of the quakes which ranged from magnitude 1.7 to 2.2, occurred in the thirty-nine hours after fracking activity occurred at one well in late September and early October 2013.

Accordingto the North America Shale Blog, had the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ (ODNR) recently-announced stricter drilling regulations been in place when those earthquakes occurred, several drilling activities would have been halted. ODNR’s new rules require companies drilling within three miles of a known fault or an area of seismic activity greater than 2.0 magnitude to install sensitive seismic monitors to detect future disruptions. Should the monitors detect earthquakes in excess of 1.0 magnitude, drilling at the site will be halted pending an investigation. If an investigation establishes a probable connection between fracking and seismic activity, all drilling operations will be suspended.

“While we can never be 100 percent sure that drilling activities are connected to a seismic event, caution dictates that we take these new steps to protect human health, safety and the environment,” said ODNR director James Zehringer. “Not only will this reasonable course of action help to ensure public health and safety but it will also help us to expand our underground maps and provide more information about all types of seismicity in Ohio.”

The new regulations were a response to an earlier link between hydraulic fracturing activity and seismic activity suggested by the ODNR and what is believed to be a previously unknown microfault near Youngstown, Ohio. Thomas Stewart, executive vice president of the Ohio Oil and Gas Association, urged regulators that the seismic activity near Youngstown “was a rare and isolated event that should not cast doubt about the safety of hydraulic fracturing.”

Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas may soon join Ohio in imposing additional requirements on oil and gas exploration companies. Lawmakers in Oklahoma are currently reviewing whether the increase in seismic activity is the direct result of Hydraulic Fracturing. Roughly 4,200 earthquakes have occurred in the state so far this year according to the Oklahoma Geological Survey (OGS). State Representative Jason Murphey (R-District 31) has recommended that policy makers and seismic experts study the issue. One expert who attended a meeting on the topic on Tuesday believes that the increase in seismic activity could be due to a combination of manmade and natural problems.

To date, OGS has documented two earthquakes that are a result of hydraulic fracking, but the quakes were not large enough to cause any serious damage. Results from the proposed study could help change drilling guidelines in the state.

“Based on this study Oklahoma policy officials will know that the legislature is engaged. That we are ensuring that they are analyzing the data there, they are coming back to see if there is a correlation and that we are standing ready to ensure due process is followed,” said Murphey.