Confirmed: Fracking practices to blame for Ohio earthquakes

[muon2]

This is consistent with our knowledge that fracking per se is not associated with earthquakes, but injection wells are. Wastewater injection wells are used with other mining practices besides fracking so there should be a study of the whole business of injection wells and not the earthquakes from them. In any case it doesn't make a case against fracking. There are other wastewater disposal methods available for fracking, but many states are content putting it underground where there is no public exposure.

[muon2]

I don't really know anything about the engineering of this or whether there is any real danger from these earthquakes. 

But, why are we allowing private corporations to dispose of waste products like this.  As I understand it, the environmental laws have been amended to exempt fracking from regulations on pollution of ground water.  Why does that make any sense?   

It seems like pollution and safety hazards to ground water should be treated as seriously as hazards to surface water.  Certainly, I don't see why fracking deserves an exemption from regulation.

Fracking doesn't have an exemption from ground water pollution. Depending on the state it either has the same regulation as other water from mining (and other types of mining use a lot of water) or it has more stringent regulations for ground water compared to other mining because states are more sensitive to issues of fracking technology because it's new.

The problem in many cases is that this is new to areas that generally haven't seen mining in the past, or at least the recent past. When fracking companies arrive the states start by applying the mining regulations that are already on the books. However in these new areas that aren't accustomed to mining practices things can be quite messy. A further complication for states that have ongoing conventional mineral extraction (that's most of the states) since the states don't want create a new burden on established firms.

[muon2]

I don't really know anything about the engineering of this or whether there is any real danger from these earthquakes. 

But, why are we allowing private corporations to dispose of waste products like this.  As I understand it, the environmental laws have been amended to exempt fracking from regulations on pollution of ground water.  Why does that make any sense?   

It seems like pollution and safety hazards to ground water should be treated as seriously as hazards to surface water.  Certainly, I don't see why fracking deserves an exemption from regulation.

Fracking doesn't have an exemption from ground water pollution. Depending on the state it either has the same regulation as other water from mining (and other types of mining use a lot of water) or it has more stringent regulations for ground water compared to other mining because states are more sensitive to issues of fracking technology because it's new.

The problem in many cases is that this is new to areas that generally haven't seen mining in the past, or at least the recent past. When fracking companies arrive the states start by applying the mining regulations that are already on the books. However in these new areas that aren't accustomed to mining practices things can be quite messy. A further complication for states that have ongoing conventional mineral extraction (that's most of the states) since the states don't want create a new burden on established firms.

I'm referring to SDWA Section 1421(d)(A)-(B) which was added in 2005.

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That excludes fracking from SDWA regulations.

I believe that only exempts the actual fracking process from US-EPA well regulations. Fracking wastewater disposal is still covered. Also states can and do regulate both the fracking and wastewater disposal process as well.