Kansas ultra-conservative governor to investigate fracking & earthquakes

[guzzijohn]

I must say I am in shock that our governor would even consider looking into this. For once, good for him.
GuzziJohn



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Gov. Sam Brownback appoints panel to study fracking, recent earthquakes


    By Dion Lefler
    The Wichita Eagle


    Published Monday, Feb. 17, 2014, at 12:08 p.m.


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Calling it a “matter of public safety,” Gov. Sam Brownback has appointed a committee to study whether fracking is behind the recent spate of minor earthquakes in Kansas oil- and gas-extraction areas.


Fracking is a process using high pressure water and chemicals injected deep underground to fracture rock strata and open previously unrecoverable pockets of gas and oil.


Expansion of fracking has coincided with a series of minor quakes in areas that had long been seismically stable.


“Recent seismic activity in south-central Kansas has raised concerns that fluid injection might be related,” Brownback said in a statement. “I have asked the task force to study the issue and report back with a state action plan.”


The committee members are Rex Buchanan, interim director of the Kansas Geological Survey; Kim Christiansen, executive director of the Kansas Corporation Commission; and Mike Tate, chief of the Bureau of Water at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.


The group is scheduled to hold its first meeting on April 16 at Wichita State University’s Eugene M. Hughes Metropolitan Complex.


Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/2014/02/17/3294789/gov-sam-brownback-appoints-panel.html#storylink=cpy

[spruce]

I don't know how they will ever be able to say for sure if fracking contributes to quakes or if it doesn't.  There are earthquakes happening all the time in areas where there is no fracking taking place.  So if one occurs where fracking is being done how could anyone say for sure it's related?
 
That area of the country has a long history of earthquakes.  In fact the largest ever recorded in the U.S. was centered in Madrid Missouri.  In a short period from late 1811 to early 1812 there were thousands of quakes recorded in the general area.

[guzzijohn]

Yea, I could easily see the panel being made up of all oil company related people. We will see.
GuzziJohn

[twoshooter]

The news reports a series of quakes in OK, definitely NOT an area of seismic activity historically, and it is a long way from the bootheel to OK. Also, the quakes reported have all been small 2-3 on the scale. The New Madrid quake was over 200 years ago, but it was around 9- now that was some major tectonic shift. Just how dangerous this becomes is certainly unknown, but obviously you cannot remove huge volumes of material without some side effects, whether it is simply the ground settling, or something really bad like those folks lighting their tap water. If my tap water suddenly started being flammable, I think I would not be a happy camper.

[spruce]

No matter which side of the fence you're on it can't be scientifically proven because there is no control group.
 
The one thing we do know is that earthquakes occur.  They occur in areas where no fracking is taking place, and they have, or will, occur in areas where fracking is being done.  If there is a quake in an area where fracking is/has been done how can anyone say with any certainty it was caused by fracking or if it would have occurred anyway?
 
You can guess, or theorize, but you can't scientifically prove it.

[magooch]

Here's what you know for sure--if it were a Dumycrat Governor, the panel doing the research and investigation would all be environmentalists, social scientists and various other non-geologists.  And there would be no doubt at all what the findings would be.