Recently, an environmental issue in Texas has hit national headlines. An increase in earthquakes in the North Texas area sparked the interest of researchers a while ago. Now, findings from an SMU research group and the EPA point to certain practices of oil drilling companies as the reason behind this seismic activity. In fact, the increase in seismic activity since 2008 has been quite notable. In the past 8 years, the North Texas area has seen about 130 small to medium sized earthquakes. One couple in Irving Texas describes experiencing numerous earthquakes that left their paintings and pictures askew on the wall.
Much of this seismic activity is thought to be due to the water disposal system many companies use after the fracking process. (Fracking is a process used to drill for oil and gas, in which high-pressure water is directed at rock deep underground in order to release the gas that has collected in the shale rock. It has long been a source of controversy due to its numerous possible ecologically damaging effects.)
The leftover water must be removed. However, to leave it above ground runs the risk of polluting any of the areas water sources. Therefore, often the water is injected into the ground. This increases the pore pressure in the area, as the space between the small rocks that make up the soil fill with water. Scientists have also noted a rise in the general elevation of the earth around these wastewater injection sites. The EPA and Texas Railroad Commission are now exploring possible avenues for changing the rule regarding wastewater and injection and general drilling practices.
This problem is another in a long string of environmental issues that oil and gas companies have faced over the past few decades, even the past century. For our generation, the biggest example is likely the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill of 2010. An oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico caught fire and sank into the water, killing eleven people and releasing a previously unimaginable amount of oil (around 5 million barrels) into the surrounding water. BP spent approximately $14 billion cleaning up and became the face of a horrible tragedy. Many people and environmental groups were left furious. Should we be feeling the same anger now? The damage seems less at face value, but again the effects of these massive projects on our environment haunt us.
The question we must ask ourselves is: Where do we draw the line? On one side of the line are the belief in Laissez-faire economy and the need for oil that permeates through every inch of our current economy. On the other side is the need to protect our environment and the lives of people and wildlife making a home here. How much time, money, and energy should be spent finding new ways to keep the environment safe? At times like these, many point to alternative energy resources, ones that would have a lesser impact on the environment. The thing we must remember, however, is that oil drilling is not the only thing leaving these cracks in our earth. Many of the choices we make as a society and the practices that drive our economy and world leave their mark on our environment. In a way, there is something simply human about leaving our mark on the world. However, on the other hand, it is naïve to think that we will never face the effects of our actions. We have to be careful. We must approach with caution. The earth is often far more delicate than one would think a spinning ball of rock would be.
Katherine Estep is a junior majoring in neuroscience.
Sources
https://www.texastribune.org/2016/08/22/epa-north-takes-quakes-likely-linked-oil-and-gas-a/
http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/09/us/texas-earthquakes-fracking-studies/
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-14432401
http://www.bp.com/en_us/bp-us/commitment-to-the-gulf-of-mexico/deepwater-horizon-accident.html
https://www.britannica.com/event/Deepwater-Horizon-oil-spill-of-2010