Fracking, a process used to extract natural gas from bedrock, produces wastewater.
And that wastewater has to go somewhere.
That somewhere is a called a deep injection well, and they’ve been around since the 30s.
These wells have come under fire lately because of an earthquake near Youngstown Ohio on New Years Eve. This is the largest of a string of earthquakes in the area since March of last year.
After consulting with seismologists, state officials say it’s likely the quakes are due to the injection of fracking wastewater into the well. This process could trigger blocks of earth to slip.
The 4.0 quake came one day after the state told D&L Energy to shut down operations at the well.
Bill Kinney is the president of Summit Petroleum, a company that’s drilled some of the nearly 200 injection wells in Ohio, but not the one in Youngstown.
KINNEY: It’s clear that there is something wrong with that particular well.
He and other industry groups say this is a rare event, due to the specific geology and construction of this well.
State representative Bob Hagan from Youngstown Ohio isn’t convinced it’s a fluke. He wants these wells to be shut down until issues like this are resolved:
HAGAN: I’m not opposed to drilling. But I’m opposed to doing it in a way that environmentally endangers our area.