Ohio: Fracking set off a dozen earthquakes [View all]

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http://www.newsday.com/news/nation/ohio-fracking-set-off-a-dozen-earthquakes-1.3592002

Ohio: Fracking set off a dozen earthquakes

Published: March 9, 2012 5:32 PM
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A dozen earthquakes in northeastern Ohio were almost certainly induced by injection of gas-drilling wastewater into the earth, state regulators said Friday as they announced a series of tough new rules for drillers.

Among the new regulations: Well operators must submit more comprehensive geological data when requesting a drill site, and the chemical makeup of all drilling wastewater must be tracked electronically.

Both could mean extra costs for gas drillers looking for new wells and ways to get rid of wastewater — much of which is taken in by Ohio.

The state Department of Natural Resources announced the tough new brine injection regulations because of the report's findings on the well in Youngstown, which it said were based on "a number of coincidental circumstances."

For one, investigators said, the well began operations just three months ahead of the first quake

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