4.5 Mag Quake Centered In Moratorium Zone

  Oklahomans were awakened by a 4.5 magnitude earthquake again, last night. Again it was centered in Pawnee County, where a ban on injections was put in place by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission and the Federal EPA.
  Within minutes, the USGS had the epicenter located  next to an oil well and large collection of holding tanks. 
  But this coordinate is right at the OCC's injection ban zone. the site is just 20 miles from Tulsa county, which has a population of over half a million people.
 On Labor Day weekend, a 5.8 magnitude quake was centered just a few miles away from this event. That development led to an unprecedented action by the OCC, to vastly limit the allowable volume of re-injection of the saltwater byproducts of the oil producers.
The OCC created a "Stop Injections" zone, with a wider ring around it where limited injections were to be carefully reduced. This event happened at the pink ring where no injections are allowed.

Read the OCC's report of new restrictions, imposed after the 9/3/2016 major quake, in Pawnee County, OK

The 11/2/2016 quake epicenter is marked with a red pin. At the bottom of the photo is an oil production facility.

Seven weeks ago, the OCC released this memorandum about their latest regulations in the Pawnee area.

​News from the Oklahoma Corporation Commission

Matt Skinner, Public Information Director
Phone: (405) 521-4180, [email protected]
Jim Palmer – Public information
Phone: (405) 521-4018, [email protected]

September 12, 2016
MEDIA ADVISORY – LATEST ACTION
REGARDING PAWNEE AREA

   Based on new data, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission’s Oil and Gas Division (OGCD) is taking further action in the area of the 5.8 earthquake that occurred in the Pawnee area on September 3, 2016. Key points:

•  This action is a collaborative effort involving the OGCD and the Environmental Protection Agency, as it involves Osage county, which is under EPA jurisdiction.
•  The new data is the result of work by the Oklahoma Geological Survey and the United States Geological Survey.
•  Total size of action area (Area of Interest, or AOI): 1,116 square miles
•  Number of wells in AOI: 48 Arbuckle disposal wells within OCC jurisdiction, 19 Arbuckle disposal wells within EPA jurisdiction. Total: 67 Arbuckle disposal wells.
•  Number of wells to cease operations: 32 (27 in OGCD jurisdiction, 5 in EPA jurisdiction).
•  Total volume reduction: 40 thousand barrels a day (OCC jurisdiction only).
•  Reason for action: New fault data
•  The action is an evolution of the directive issued on September 03, 2016. As such, the latest directive is taken under the OCC’s emergency authority** and is mandatory.

**Approved by the Oklahoma Legislature last session at OCC request.