I’ve been reading for years that there’s a possible connection between fracking and earthquakes. I’m curious to see what happens if they shut the wells:
The Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission will consider temporarily shutting down two injection wells that have been linked to recent earthquakes in the region when it holds an emergency meeting today.
The wells are used by the natural gas industry for wastewater from production. The Oil and Gas Commission’s staff requested that two wells be shut down until the panel can reconsider the matter at a March 29 meeting.
“I can’t go into detail at this time, but I can say that we believe there is a potential correlation between injection operations and earthquakes at one or both of those wells,” said Shane Khoury, deputy director and general counsel for the commission.
One of the wells is outside Guy and is owned by Chesapeake Operating Inc. The other near Greenbrier is owned by Clarita Operating LLC.
Chesapeake Energy said it believes its wells are safe and that it would continue to provide information to the commission.
“We remain very confident that an objective review of the facts and science do not support the proposed action,” Danny Games Sr., director of corporate development, said in a written statement. “We have dedicated extensive resources and have consulted with several very qualified geophysicists and seismologists to better understand the science, including the natural seismicity of the area that long pre-dates our operations.”
The source of all the problems with fracking, how do you know what is happening down there? The wells are close to the New Madrid Fault, an active seismic zone with or without help. The wells may be causing all or some or none of the quakes and they may be causing some other problem we don’t know about yet. For all we know about subsurface geology, we don’t know jack.
My mom is right in the middle of all that shit. I wish she’d come home.