$1.4M from Oklahoma’s Emergency Fund Tapped for Earthquake Research

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin approved the use of nearly $1.4 million from the state’s emergency fund to go to groups researching earthquakes. The fund is set aside for the state’s response to natural disasters. It has a current balance of $10.5 million, according to the Associated Press.

An allotted $1.387 million will go to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) and the Oklahoma Geological Survey (OGS). In response to a request by Fallin, the OCC and the Coordinating Council on Seismic Activity came up with the amount in one-time costs aimed at helping to better understand the earthquakes impacting parts of the state.

“I immediately made arrangements for the Corporation Commission and OGS to receive the money necessary to meet those needs,” Fallin said in announcing the allocation. “I’m committed to funding seismic research, bringing on line advanced technology and more staff to fully support our regulators at they take meaningful action on earthquakes.”

The emergency funds allocated by the governor will allow the OCC to proceed with much-needed computer updates and hire two contract geologists and other staff to work on seismic issues.

OGS will use its share of the emergency funds to install additional seismic monitoring stations in western Oklahoma, update its monitoring network and upgrade its mapping systems, according to the governor’s announcement.

The research agency also will conduct studies to shed light on how wastewater interacts with the Arbuckle formation, where most disposal wells operate, and the basement layer of rock below it.

The OCC will receive $387,000; the Oklahoma Geological Survey will receive $1 million.

Oklahoma has seen a significant increase in the number and strength of seismic events over the past several years. Much of that increase has been linked to high pressure injection wells used by oil and gas exploration companies to dispose of the wastewater that is a by-product of their operations. The OCC is the regulating body for the oil and gas industry in Oklahoma.

The state is now considered one of the most earthquake-prone areas in the world, with the number of quakes magnitude 3.0 skyrocketing from a few dozen in 2012 to more than 720 by the end of 2015, the AP reported.