ODNR Hits "Pause" Button Again

From the Daily Kos, 9/9/14

It's only temporary, but the Ohio Department of Natural Resources has suspended fracking operations at two wells:

State regulators suspended operations at two deep-injection wells for fracking wastewater in northeastern Ohio yesterday after discovering possible evidence that the operation caused a 2.1-magnitude earthquake last weekend.

Officials downplayed the severity of the quake, but suspended operations anyway:

“Due to the seismic array proactively placed in the area, ODNR was able to determine that possible evidence exists linking the American Water Management Services' injection well operation to a recent 2.1 seismic event. This is a relatively minor event, but out of an abundance of caution, ODNR issued chiefs orders to the company to suspend injection operations while a full investigation takes place.

The company has cooperated with our request and the two injection wells on site remain closed. We will continue to evaluate all the data to determine what exactly happened and will share more information as it is available.”

Local activists, also known as "residents affected by the aftermath of fracking", are praising the move and asking for more information:

The citizens group Frackfree Mahoning Valley had called for an immediate halt to deep injection at the wells after the earthquake.

“The suspension was a prudent thing to do,” said Youngstown State University geologist Ray Beiersdorfer, who is affiliated with the group. He said he hopes the state will release more information regarding the pressures at the Weathersfield site after its investigation.

Buster asks:  70 to 140 billion gallons of water per year down the drain for fracking!  If we run low on fresh water, can we drink frack gas?