WorldWide Drilling Resource

15 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® SEPTEMBER 2015 At the Railroad Commission (RRC), we’re deeply committed to protecting the public, and our natural resources, while providing a stable regulatory environment for the energy industry. That’s why it’s so important facts, not fear, drive the research and review of recent seismic activity in Irving, [Texas]. Unfortunately, rather than informing the public, it seems misreporting and hyperbole in the media is serving only to scare them. Let’s begin with what we know: there have been 18 earthquakes with magni- tudes greater than 2.5 up to magnitude 3.6 in and around Irving since November 2014. That’s when I began reviewing seismic events in the area. Understandably, residents of the region want to know what’s causing them, and whether there is anything possible that can be done to stop or reduce seismic activity. While speculation has run rampant that this recent seismic activity in Irving is the result of oil and gas operations in the area, there is no evidence at this time to indicate any connection. I base my current assessment not on speculation or assumption, but on a scientific review of seismic activity that has occurred, all oil and gas activity in Dallas County and the surrounding area, and information shared by researchers with Southern Methodist University (SMU). Suggestions by the media that I “quickly dismissed” oil and gas activity as a cause of earthquakes in Irving are simply wrong. Getting back to what we know. There are two gas wells just north of the estimated epicenters of earthquakes in Irving; both wells are inactive. One of those wells never produced, and the other has not been operational since 2013. The nearest active disposal well is more than ten miles away in Tarrant County. Following a 3.6 earthquake in Irving on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015, the Commission dispatched inspectors to both inactive wells and the disposal well to check for any possible damage. None was found. The Commission is also requesting daily pressure reports from the Tarrant Co. disposal well operator. All of this is being done out of an abundance of caution so residents can be confident the Commission is making public safety our top priority. It’s also important to consider that recent swarms of low-magnitude seismic activity in other parts of North Texas, much like those in Irving, have dissipated almost as quickly as they began. To date, none of these swarms has reached a magnitude that would cause even nominal damage. I’ll conclude with what we don’t know: what’s causing the earthquakes in Irving. I will continue to work closely with SMU researchers and review any information that could help determine the precise location and cause of recent seismic activity in Irving. And most impor- tantly, I will let facts, not fear, drive this process to assure all Texans, especially those in the Irving area, the Railroad Commission is doing all we can to protect them and provide them with a clear understanding of what is happening. Editorial Note: This article originally appeared in the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers NewsLine. It was reprinted with permission. Irving Area Earthquakes: Separating Facts From Fear by Craig Pearson, Ph.D., RRC Staff Seismologist