Rep. Morrissette Wants Energy Firms to Finance Reparation Fund for Earthquake Damage

“Peace of mind no longer exists for our residents.” Rep. Richard Morrissette.





Days after holding a public hearing to gather testimony about earthquake damage and causes in Oklahoma, state Rep. Richard Morrissette (D-OKC) announced he plans to ask for emergency legislation to establish guidelines for a victim reparation fund endowed by the oil and gas companies he contends are responsible for the state’s massive increase in earthquakes. He also is encouraging those who attended the hearing and testified about damage to their homes and businesses to contact their legislators immediately to insist upon legislation to deal with all of the earthquake issues, to include a call for a moratorium.

“I can say that the level of damage to both lives and property is simply shocking,” said Morrissette at the conclusion of the hearing. “Until these testimonials, our state had no collective record of the scope of the damage. We had no record of how many ways drilling and injection disposal might forever ruin our land and water. And peace of mind no longer exists for our residents.”

He said the intensity and severity of the damage has the potential to ruin the state’s economy and way of life for years to come.

“The reckless decisions by gas and oil companies to ‘drill baby drill’, obviously without a clear understanding of the potential dangers, threaten to ruin our economy and the environment,” said Morrissett in a statement this week. “And the irresponsible legislation that permits the industry to make these decisions must immediately be repealed.”

Rep. Morrissette contends it could take decades to repair the damage and that victimized private citizen should be made responsible for an energy company’s mistakes.

“No citizen should have to shoulder the burden of home repairs and earthquake insurance policies,” he asserted. “We need a reparation fund established by the industry to begin the process of making these people emotionally and financially whole and we need at least a partial moratorium on injection well disposal.”

Since his hearing on Jan. 15, at least half a dozen more earthquakes have shaken northern Oklahoma. It was also reported that through the first 19 days of January, Okalhoma recorded eight earthquakes of magnitude 4.0 or greater which is a record for a single month. The previous record was seven.