Oklahoma has announced a new plan to slow the staggering rise of earthquakes in the state, reports The Rural Blog. The earthquakes have been linked to fracking and wastewater disposal performed by the oil and gas industry. The new plan will cover more than 5,200 square miles of central Oklahoma.
This plan comes on the heels of an expanded plan, already in place, that covers northwestern Oklahoma. Together, the two projects cover more than 10,000 square miles and more than 640 disposal wells. The central Oklahoma plan hopes to reduce wastewater volume by 40 percent below their 2014 totals.
Last year Oklahoma had more earthquakes than the combined total of every state except Alaska. The state saw more than 900 quakes of magnitude 3.0 or higher. Prior to the fracking boom, Oklahoma averaged only two such earthquakes per year.