AUSTIN — State oil and gas regulators proposed new guidelines for injection wells Tuesday after a rash of earthquakes rocked North Texas several months ago.
The proposal was met with skepticism from an environmental group, saying it does little more than collect data without holding any drillers accountable.
Over the past nine months, the Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates oil and gas, has come under fire for its dismissive response to the more than 30 recorded earthquakes in Azle, a town near Fort Worth that sits atop the Barnett Shale.
The suggested changes would require oil and gas companies to provide more information in their permit applications for underground disposal wells used to store waste from drilling. Other required data would include the presence of fault lines, past earthquake activity and geologic mapping.
After the quakes, North Texas residents packed town halls and agency meetings to air their concerns. Some studies show a link between disposal wells and earthquakes, including a report last year from the U.S. Geological Survey.
The quakes prompted a Southern Methodist University scientist to set up monitors in the area, and the Texas House created a subcommittee to study earthquake activity.
Several months later, the Railroad Commission hired a staff seismologist to study the issue.
The three railroad commissioners have expressed doubts about the connections between earthquakes and disposal wells.
“With more than 34,000 of these wells currently operating in Texas, it is important that sound science be our guide in determining if there are any links to seismic activity,” Commissioner Christi Craddick said in a statement earlier this year.
The proposed changes would require injection well operators to supply geological data and previous earthquake activity in the area where they plan to put injection wells. Also, companies would need to report more frequently on fluid pressures and other well data.
Other changes would allow the commission to suspend or terminate a permit if the injection well is suspected as the culprit in an earthquake. Currently, “causing seismic activity” is not on the list of reasons for which a well could lose its permit.
Sharon Wilson of the environmental group Earthworks said the agency’s proposals don’t go far enough to ensure safety.
“All they are doing is gathering information,” Wilson said.
The agency is accepting public comments on the rule until Sept. 29.
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