fracking News

Study Links Fracking Wastewater Injection to Surface Blowouts in West Texas Oil Wells

Fracking wastewater, injected underground for permanent disposal, traveled 12 miles through geological faults before bursting to the surface through a previously plugged West Texas oil well in 2022, according to a new study from Southern Methodist University. It’s the first …

Damaging West Texas Earthquakes Likely Caused by Oil and Gas Activity: USGS

Damaging earthquakes that rocked West Texas in recent days were likely caused by oil and gas activity in an area that has weathered tremors for decades, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. A sequence that began in 2021 erupted with …

Texas Earthquakes Prompt Oil Regulator to Inspect Disposal Wells

The Texas oil regulator said it’s investigating after several earthquakes hit the Permian Basin last week. Extremely salty water that naturally comes out of oil wells is discarded by injecting the slurry back into the ground, a practice that has …

Texas Ranchers Face Growing Risk as Abandoned Oil Wells Gush Gassy Water

In recent years, Schuyler Wight has noticed a growing number of abandoned oil wells coming back to life, gurgling fluids on the surface of his West Texas ranch. Last week he found the biggest one yet. Gassy water was gushing …

Recent Earthquakes in Oklahoma Serve as a Reminder of Ongoing Risk

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — After a dramatic spike in earthquakes in the early 2010s, state regulators in Oklahoma began taking steps to limit the injection of wastewater from oil and gas extraction deep into the ground. As a result, the …

Texas Regulators Suspend Well Permits to Address Rising Earthquake Frequency

The state’s oil and gas regulatory agency last month suspended nearly two dozen permits that let companies inject saltwater water into the ground, a routine industry practice that regulators said has contributed to the rising frequency and magnitude of earthquakes …

Britain Lifts Ban on Gas Fracking in England in Push for Energy Independence

Britain on Thursday formally lifted a moratorium on fracking for shale gas in England that has been in place since 2019, saying strengthening the country’s energy supply was an “absolute priority.” Energy prices have soared in Europe after Russia invaded …

UK Says Energy Aid Will Cost Treasury Billions and Cut Inflation

Liz Truss’s UK government announced a sweeping package of measures to contain spiraling energy bills, seeking to ease a historic squeeze on the cost of living that’s likely to define her premiership. Truss’s plan would cap the average cost of …

New Mexico Oilfield Regulators Reach $1.8M Settlement with XTO

State oil and gas regulators say they have reached a financial settlement with XTO Permian Operating to resolve violation notices at wastewater injection sites in southeastern New Mexico. The Oil Conservation Division this week announced that XTO will pay nearly …

Settlement Blocks New Federal Fracking Leases in California

Leasing for new oil and gas drilling on federal land in central California is temporarily blocked under a settlement announced this week between the state and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The deal, which still needs court approval, centers …