Ohio Finds Gas-Drilling Injection Well Led To Earthquakes, Imposes Tough New Regulations
Source: ASSOCIATED PRESS
By JULIE CARR SMYTH | Associated Press | 22 minutes ago in
A dozen earthquakes in northeastern Ohio were almost certainly induced by injection of gas-drilling wastewater into the earth, Ohio oil and gas regulators said Friday as they announced a series of tough new regulations for drillers.
Among the new regulations: Well operators must submit more comprehensive geological data when requesting a drill site, and the chemical makeup of all drilling wastewater must be tracked electronically.
The state Department of Natural Resources announced the tough new brine injection regulations because of the report's findings on the well in Youngstown, which it said were based on "a number of coincidental circumstances."
For one, investigators said, the well began operations just three months ahead of the first quake.
Read more: http://www.newser.com/article/d9td2shg2/ohio-finds-gas-drilling-injection-well-led-to-earthquakes-imposes-tough-new-regulations.html