Submitted to us by a reader this weekend, this report: After quakes, Ohio plans tough gas-drilling rules.
A dozen earthquakes in northeastern Ohio were almost certainly induced by injection of gas-drilling wastewater into the earth, state regulators said Friday as they announced a series of tough new rules for drillers.
“Our evidence strongly suggests that the injection fluid lubricated a previously unmapped fault and contributed to seismic activity,” said Natural Resources spokesman Carlo LoParo. “It was an unfortunate situation, and the operator drilled the well to specifications and operated within all permitted levels.”