"Study uncovers thousands of undocumented quakes, underscoring the link between injection sites and seismic activity."
"‘Guzzler.’ ‘Bottomless Pit.’ ‘Deep Thirst.’ ‘Big Swig.’
More like: ‘No Dice.’
The thirsty well names reflected the hopes of companies to fill them with oilfield wastewater, a problematic and toxic byproduct of the oil trade. But a series of earthquakes in the Permian Basin of New Mexico has prompted the state’s Oil Conservation Division to cancel these four and 71 other waste injection wells planned along the state’s southern border with Texas.
In addition, recent research by the state’s seismology lab has uncovered thousands of previously uncatalogued quakes in the area, further clarifying the link between wastewater injection and seismic activity. Meanwhile, a state agency’s plans to allow that wastewater to be used outside the oilfield took a beating."
Jerry Redfern reports for Capital & Main September 10, 2024.
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