By Stephen Cunningham
January 23, 2023
A recent spike in earthquakes in the US Permian basin of west Texas and southeast New Mexico is drawing renewed scrutiny to wastewater disposal methods from shale operations, adding another potential layer of costs for producers.
Back-to-back 5.4 magnitude earthquakes that struck the heart of the Permian basin in late 2022 have lent a new urgency to calls to restrict the use of wastewater injection wells, which have been linked to increased seismic activity. Oil regulator the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) has responded by expanding the boundaries of areas identified as most at risk and has asked producers that operate within theses areas to limit the amount of wastewater they pump underground, as well as to curb the use of deep wells.
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