Investigators probe link of oil industry to West Texas earthquakes

Was there an earthquake? West Texas shaken by 5.4-magnitude temblor  centered outside of Midland - ABC13 Houston

 

Investigators for the Texas Railroad Commission spent the weekend probing the most recent large quake that shook the Permian Basin.

Their job is to determine whether wastewater disposal wells used in the oil and gas drilling in the Basin might have been the cause of at least two recent strong quakes.

The latest measured 5.4 magnitude near Midland and was in the region where the Railroad Commission directed producers to lower their injection volumes—something similar to what Oklahoma regulators did a few years ago when Oklahoma experienced a series of quakes.

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