‘Fracking’ waste disposal tied to Ohio earthquakes

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Washington Times:

The disposal of wastewater used in the booming practice known as “fracking” is responsible for a rash of recent earthquakes in Ohio, and critics have latched on to the seismic events as evidence that the popular natural gas extraction method is dangerous and should be banned.

Ohio has experienced at least 11 tremors since March, including a 4.0 temblor that shook Youngstown on New Year's Eve. State officials say the earthquakes were triggered by deep injection wells, where the water, sand and chemical cocktails used to frack wells are deposited.

State officials have shut down all disposal wells within a five-mile radius around the epicenter of the Dec. 31 tremor, which reportedly was felt as far away as upstate New York.

The events have cast more doubt on the safety of fracking, which has enabled companies to tap natural gas trapped thousands of feet below ground and, in the process, helped fuel economic revivals in Pennsylvania, North Dakota and elsewhere.

Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency blamed the process for the contamination of drinking water in the small town of Pavillion, Wyo. The industry has denied those charges, and a third-party review of the EPA report is expected to begin soon.

Further investigation of the Ohio earthquakes is also under way, and fracking supporters are sticking to their guns.

“There’s plenty of data out there that suggests this is not a recurring problem,” said Rob Nichols, spokesman for Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican. “Natural gas could generate tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of jobs in Ohio. For those out there who are willing to drive a stake through the heart of what could be an economic boon, we’re not going to let that happen.”

Mr. Nichols stressed that fracking itself - as distinct from the waste disposal - is in no way responsible for the tremors, despite several news reports to the contrary. Federal officials have confirmed that the practice is unlikely to generate significant seismic activity.

“The fracking itself probably does not put enough energy into the ground to trigger an earthquake. … That’s really not something that we should be concerned about,” William Leith, senior science adviser for earthquake and geologic hazards with the U.S. Geological Survey, said in an interview with National Public Radio last month.