Oklahoma Lawmaker Pushes For Earthquake Task Force

An Oklahoma State Senator is calling for a task force to look into why we’ve had nearly 900 earthquakes in the past year.

Sen. Jerry Ellis says he’s convinced many of the quakes are connected to injection and wastewater wells. He says something needs to be done before it’s too late.

However, petroleum engineer Steve Blair says in Central Oklahoma, the deepest wells go less than two miles into the earth.

“All of the big earthquakes, not the aftershocks, but all the first earthquakes have been three miles or deeper,” he said. “So to say this activity that’s happened a mile higher is the cause of this happening is very premature.”

Blair says he still supports further investigation. Ellis says the task force he’s calling for would have recommendations by the end of the year.