US Anti-Fracking Groups Demand Probe Of Earthquakes Near State Of Florida Border

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th April, 2019) Recent earthquakes near a border separating the US states of Florida and Alabama need to be investigated for links to oil and gas drilling before Florida issues any new permits for hydraulic fracturing (fracking), environmental groups said in a press release on Wednesday.

"Out of precaution, state agencies should put a pause on the issuing of any new permits in the area," Earth Action Director Mary Gutierrez said in the release. "Our group has filed a petition for an administrative hearing to challenge an intent to issue [permits] for additional drilling in the Jay area."

On Wednesday, environmental and water advocacy groups gathered at Florida's Escambia County government complex to call on Governor Ron DeSantis to fully investigate 12 recent earthquakes near the Florida-Alabama border that may be linked to oil and gas operations, the release said.

Geologists�have known for years that oil drilling in the region extending from Southern Alabama to the Jay Field in Escambia County may be prone to man-made earthquakes as a result of fracking, the release said.

Fracking involves injecting water and chemicals underground to break up rock formations that block oil and gas from reaching wellheads. By reviving depleted oil and gas wells, the procedure has helped make the United States a leading producer of oil and natural gas.

As far back as 1999, the USGS [US Geological Survey] found some evidence that a series of tremors in the Florida Panhandle could be related to oil operations, the release said. In 2015, the USGS also added the region to the list of areas likely to see an uptick in tremors from oil waste injection wells, the release said.

In 2016, the USGS confirmed that oil and gas operations were indeed inducing seismic activity in the states of Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Ohio, according to the release.