The US Geological Survey has given its first examination of the link between recent earthquakes and the oil and gas industry. This was the most definitive statement made yet about the dangers and risks of energy production. Oklahoma has been the state hardest hit by these earthquakes. This has been determined to be because of leftover waste water from drilling wells by injecting water into the earth. Eight other states have also been highlighted, including around Lake Erie and the Rocky Mountains, that are at risk for major earthquakes in the future. Oklahoma's earthquakes in particular have increased in frequency and magnitude by at least one hundred times in the past decade. This report by the Geological Survey came after the governor of Oklahoma has acknowledged that he does know the cause of these after all, that it is a direct consequence of human interaction with the environment. Although hydraulic fracturing has drawn a lot of attention lately, in fact the injection of water in order to create wells has had an even more profound effect on the environment.
I can't believe that they did not already agree on this. I feel like this has been all over the news for a couple years now, that messing with the ground causes it to shake. This reminds me of the oil spill in the gulf not long ago. We do not treat the environment well enough and so the environment is harmed. This logic does not seem like such a stretch. It is good though that people in power and finally acknowledging that something is going on. Like the debate on climate change, this is a time sensitive issue, and something has to be decided before all of the resources on the earth are wasted away.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/24/us/us-maps-areas-of-increased-earthquakes-from-human-activity.html?_r=0
There are recent studies that predict fracking leads to environmental changes that could lead to ground shifting.
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