By Dr. James Wright
Ohio state geological scientists have now deemed the previous suspected connection between hydraulic gas fracturing and seismic disturbances (earthquakes). Previously, earthquakes and seismic tremors had been tied to the deep injection disposal of “fracking” wastewater but this marks the first time scientists have made a firm connection between the actual gas drilling process (“fracking”) and seismic disturbances.
The Appalachian foothills of the Youngstown Ohio area have been the location of a series of seismic disturbances over the last several years that coincide with hydraulic gas drilling operations and fracking byproduct wastewater disposal in recent years. The drilling companies have routinely denied any connection between their fracking activities and the unusual new occurrence of earthquakes in the same area.
If scientific conclusions that the related deep-well injection disposal of wastewater byproduct from these drilling activities is linked to earthquakes it wouldn’t seem like much of a stretch that the drilling action itself is related to increased seismic disturbance. Moreover, the disposal of hazardous wastewater byproduct carries its own environmental concerns.
http://www.ohio.com/news/break-news/ohio-regulators-link-seismic-activity-to-fracking-1.480007