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Sun 1 Jan, 2012 12:21 pm
Earthquake Strikes Near Ohio Fracking Site
by The Associated Press
January 1, 2012
Officials said Saturday they believe the latest earthquake activity in northeast Ohio is related to the injection of wastewater into the ground near a fault line, creating enough pressure to cause seismic activity.
The brine wastewater comes from drilling operations that use the so-called fracking process to extract gas from underground shale. But Ohio Department of Natural Resources Director Jim Zehringer said during a news teleconference that fracking is not causing the quakes.
"The seismic events are not a direct result of fracking," he said.
Environmentalists and property owners who live near gas drilling wells have questioned the safety of fracking to the environment and public health. Federal regulators have declared the technology safe, however.
Zehringer said four injection wells within a 5-mile (8-kilometer) radius of an already shuttered well in Youngstown will remain inactive while further scientific research is conducted.
A 4.0 magnitude quake Saturday afternoon in McDonald, outside of Youngstown, was the 11th in a series of minor earthquakes in area, many of which have struck near the Youngstown injection well. The quake caused no serious injuries or property damage, Zehringer said.
Thousands of gallons of brine were injected into the well daily until its owner, Northstar Disposal Services LLC, agreed Friday to stop injecting brine into the earth as a precaution while authorities assess any potential links to the quakes.
Michael Hansen of the Ohio Seismic Network said Saturday that more quakes are possible, most likely small ones, until the pressure at the fault line has been completely relieved.
The temblor Saturday appeared to be stronger than others, which generally had a magnitude of 2.7 or lower. Some residents reported feeling trembling farther south into Columbiana County and east into western Pennsylvania.
Area residents said a loud boom accompanied the shaking. It sent some stunned residents running for cover as bookshelves shook and pictures and lamps fell from tables.
A few miles from the epicenter, Charles Kihm said he was preparing food in his kitchen when he heard a noise and thought a vehicle had hit his Austintown home.
"It really shook, and it rumbled, like there was a sound," said Kihm, 82. "It was loud. It didn't last long. But it really scared me."
There are 177 similar injection wells around the state, and the Youngstown-area well has been the only site with seismic activity, the department said. Zehringer said that to shut down all of the wells because of seismic activity near one would be an overreaction.
@BumbleBeeBoogie,
It might be more useful to add this to one of the threads on fracking.
http://able2know.org/topic/177192-1#post-4725702
How does NPR get away with this type of reporting; the first paragraph says “Officials said Saturday they believe the latest earthquake activity in northeast Ohio is related to the injection of wastewater into the ground near a fault line, creating enough pressure to cause seismic activity.” yet the very next paragraph which sites a “official” says the complete opposite. Is this the type of propaganda we are supposed to accept from a government sponsored network? I though manipulation of the press only happened in China!
@nursabby,
NPR is in no sense a "government sponsored network." What country are you posting from, nursabby?
You might also note that the story is attributed to the Associated Press, not to NPR staff research. It's not what is known in the trade as an "enterpriser." Both NPR and the AP are private organizations, NPR a not-for-profit corporation.
@nursabby,
Quote: Is this the type of propaganda we are supposed to accept from a government sponsored network? I though manipulation of the press only happened in China!
Boy, are you ever naive, Nursabby. The manipulation of the press in the US is far more effective that the manipulation that goes on in totalitarian states. The major difference is that Americans believe the crap the are fed.
The US press maintains a constant stream of propaganda that works wonders on a way dumb US public.
Just consider how much there is describing terrorist actions from this group and that group when the totality of those actions doesn't even begin to come close to the terrorist actions of the US government against other countries of the world.
@JTT,
15 to 20 percent, huh? And, in your eyes, that makes it somehow a "government sponsored" news outlet? The point is that NPR's revenues derive roughly 75 to 80 percent from contributions of "members" e.g. myself who find the commercial-free lack of a specific bias in reporting somewhat refreshing.
http://www.npr.org/search/index.php?searchinput=sources+of+NPR+revenue
@Lustig Andrei,
Quote:15 to 20 percent, huh? And, in your eyes, that makes it somehow a "government sponsored" news outlet?
You do have a reading comprehension problem, don't you, Merry? You were oh so right when you made the admission that English wasn't your long suit.
The 15 to 20 percent just illustrates that you were mistaken in your analysis, by about 15 to 20 percent. But hey, no worries, you've done much worse many a time.
@nursabby,
Here's just one tiny example, Nursabby.
Quote:Pentagon spokesman George Little announced the Christmas Day sale on Friday night.
He noted that the U.S. and U.A.E. have a strong defense relationship and are both interested in "a secure and stable" Persian Gulf region.
http://able2know.org/topic/182457-1
The US is interested in propping up dictators in the ME in order to advance US business interests, ie. in order to allow the US to steal the wealth from poor Middle Eastern people.
@ehBeth,
It's encouraging to see that your inner self has at least some small measure of honesty, Beth.
@Lustig Andrei,
You heard that, did you, Merry?
Earthquake in Ohio
@JTT,
Yes? So?
If you have a point, please make it.
@Lustig Andrei,
Not at all surprised that you missed it, Merry.
@Lustig Andrei,
Please respect me and my post by not trying to divert the topic to satisfy your need for conflict attention.
Earthquake in fracking site.
BBB
There's concern over here about plans to open up large scale fracking operations just outside Blackpool. And there have been earthquakes, the problem is there's not really enough information. Pro frackers claim Blackpool often has minor eathquakes and that it's all unconnected, the anti camp claim the opposite. There doesn't seem to be enough science available. Correct me if I'm wrong, but nobody has been able to successfully predict an eathquake, we can just record them when they happen, and rate the probability of another one happening.
@izzythepush,
I can offer no corrections.
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