The Railroad Commission of Texas, the governmental agency tasked with overseeing oil and gas production in the state, is investigating the 5.1-magnitude earthquake that rattled much of West Texas Monday night for any connection to produced water disposal wells related to petroleum extraction.
The Railroad Commission said in a statement to the Avalanche-Journal Wednesday the agency is looking into the more than 50 earthquakes that have stricken Martin and surrounding counties since Monday, including a magnitude 5.1 quake originating 28 miles north of Midland that shook cities and towns across the western part of the state — one of the strongest in Texas history.
“The RRC has been in contact with operators and sent inspectors to the area as part of our efforts to reduce seismicity possibly caused by underground injection of produced water into disposal wells,” the agency wrote. “The RRC will then evaluate next steps that could potentially be taken to mitigate earthquakes to protect residents.”…