Water tanks preparing for a hydraulic fracturing job.
The recent magnitude 5.7 earthquake that hit Oklahoma last 2008 was said to have been the result of fracking, a process wherein energy companies use drilling techniques and fluid injection to cause underground gas reserves to be vented out. The number of people who have filed a case against certain energy companies related to injuries sustained due to man-made tremors has increase gradually since the early 1940's.
While the lawsuits didn't become as significant until recently, it may be attributed to the effects of hydraulic fracturing of the shale gas reserves or coal beds tapped by the energy company's drilling operations.
The 5.7 magnitude earthquake may have yet been the strongest earthquake related to fracking, but there have been more and more reports and filed reports indicating that the injection of millions of gallons of water into the shale layer underneath to cause the release of gas reserves contribute to the increase of instability of the area.
However, geologists on the defense of fracking have been vigilant in seeking from complaints filed against the energy companies any scientific proof and extensive studies that would indicate that the tremors and earthquakes are caused by the terraforming effects of fracking. They are also quick to indicate that the said process does not cause earthquakes but instead natural geological processes.
Still, complaints from individual victims of related earthquakes and environmental groups have been persistent in indicating that not only does this drilling method cause ground instability, but also increase the risk of letting toxic fumes out of the drill, not to mention the amount of toxic waste formed as a by-product. One injury claim case is that of Sandra Landra, who suffered leg injuries back in 2008. She sued the energy companies who she believed have abused the stability of the ground underneath.
However, at this point, no scientific proof has been concluded that will seal the fate of this energy industry currently enjoyed by the country.
