Watching Government: Oklahoma's earthquake response

Oklahoma authorities moved quickly after a magnitude 5.6 earthquake occurred the morning of Sept. 3 in Pawnee County. Members of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission's seismicity team went to work immediately to identify potential risks, a spokesman said on Sept. 6. Using emergency authority it received from the state's legislature last session, the OCC ordered 37 Arbuckle disposal wells shut down, he told OGJ.

"This isn't everything we might do," the spokesman said. "We'll take whatever steps we can based on what the data shows." The agency has begun to work closely with the US Environmental Protection Agency, which has jurisdiction over 211 sq miles in nearby Osage County within the quake's 750-sq-mile area of interest.

The earthquake was felt in multiple states and was Oklahoma's strongest since November 2011, when a magnitude 5.6 quake occurred in Lincoln County. "I'm glad to hear no one was seriously hurt in today's earthquake and damage appears to be limited," Gov. Mary Fallin (R) said on Sept. 3.

She promptly declared a state of emergency for Pawnee County on Sept. 3, allowing state agencies to make emergency purchases related to disaster relief and preparedness. The declaration also was a first step toward seeking federal aid should it be necessary, her office said.

Under the executive order, the state of emergency lasts 30 days. Additional counties may be added if necessary.

Fallin and state emergency management officials asked residents to use the OK Emergency mobile device application to submit photos of earthquake damage to their homes or businesses.

"Information on the earthquake is still being collected, and will be reviewed by my coordinating council on seismic activity, chaired by Secretary of Energy and Environment Michael Teague, as we continue to move forward to make our state safe," the governor said.

More incidents recently

State officials obviously were able to move quickly because the government has had to deal with more quakes recently. Prior to Sept. 3, the surrounding region of Oklahoma and Kansas hosted close to 80 other magnitude 4 or larger events over the past decade, according to the US Geological Survey's report on the latest quake.

The number of induced events across the central and eastern US has risen rapidly in the last 7 years, the report continued. In Oklahoma, the growth has been more than one in magnitude, it noted.

Scientific studies have linked this to wastewater injection in deep disposal wells, although fluid withdrawal, enhanced oil recovery, or hydraulic fracturing also may be involved. "In addition, regions with frequent induced earthquakes may also be subject to damaging earthquakes that would have occurred independently of human activity," the USGS report said.