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Corporation Commission Increases Monitoring and Inspections of Disposal Wells

At a meeting Tuesday, Oklahoma Corporation Commission has stepped up monitoring and inspections of disposal wells in earthquake-prone regions of the state.

The efforts come as regulators, scientists and energy companies gather new information on the links between earthquakes and oil and gas production.

Agency inspectors are focusing on a small fraction of the roughly 12,000 injection wells where oil and gas waste is pumped deep underground.

Tim Baker with the Corporation Commission:

“If we were looking for a suspect that may be contributing to the problem, we are focusing on the high-capacity, high-volume Arbuckle disposal wells.”

A scientific study published in July concluded that wastewater from such wells could have triggered many of the earthquakes recorded near the town of Jones, the region where most of the seismic activity has been concentrated.

Joe was a founding reporter for StateImpact Oklahoma (2011-2019) covering the intersection of economic policy, energy and environment, and the residents of the state.
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