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Colo. Earthquakes Could Be Linked to Drilling

by KREX News Room
by Associated Press

Story Created: Dec 5, 2012 at 12:06 PM MDT

Story Updated: Dec 5, 2012 at 1:32 PM MDT

DENVER- A new report says earthquakes in Colorado and elsewhere may have been caused by a drilling procedure to dispose of wastewater.

In a report being announced Wednesday, geophysicists say an increase in earthquakes on the Raton Basin in Colorado, northern New Mexico and elsewhere has been tied to disposal wells where oil and gas drilling wastewater is injected.

Drilling companies use disposal wells to bury brine water and chemical waste that result from hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.

Colorado drilling regulators said more study is needed on the link between drilling waste disposal and the increase in earthquakes, but they have already started to look for seismic risk in permit reviews.

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native said on Wednesday, Dec 5 at 8:31 PM

duh ,oil companies dont care , their in it for the money !!!

oiler said on Wednesday, Dec 5 at 3:47 PM

Can you tell us who published this report? Other oil & gas fields have had extensive studies, when water injection for production stimulation was new in the late '50s & '60's. I wonder if we're reinventing the wheel, since injecting wastewater has been mandated fairly recently.

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