Texas Wastewater Injection Wells Off The Hook For Causing Earthquakes

On September 10, the Texas Railroad Commission absolved a second oil and gas company of causing a series of earthquakes in northern Texas finding that the seismic activity was due to "natural tectonic processes." The Commission issued two preliminary reports in the past two weeks addressing whether two oil and gas companies—XTO Energy and EnerVest— caused earthquakes by injecting wastewater into the ground produced by the drilling industry. The Commission, which oversees Texas's oil and gas industry, found the connection between the two companies' wastewater injection practices and the recent increase in earthquakes to be too small to imply causation.

In October 2014, the Commission adopted amendments to rules concerning wastewater disposal wells in areas that have experienced or are likely to experience seismic activity. Under the rule amendments, the Commission was granted authority to modify, suspend, or terminate a disposal well permit if it is determined that