Last week more than 300 angry residents packed an Edmond, Oklahoma, ballroom to voice concerns over a dramatic rise in earthquakes. Now 14 Edmond residents have filed a lawsuit against a dozen oil and gas companies, reports StateImpact Oklahoma. The lawsuit claims the companies acted negligently. It asserts that companies’ use of disposal wells constitutes an “ultrahazardous activity” that “causes or contributes” to earthquakes.
The lawsuit stems from two widely felt quakes that struck near Edmond on Dec. 29 and Jan. 1.
The suit seeks to stop the use of 16 saltwater disposal wells operated by the energy companies. Scientists have determined that Oklahoma’s earthquake surge is linked to wastewater pumped into disposal wells during the fracking process. This is just the latest in a bevy of quake-related court cases in Oklahoma.
