Tornadoes, maybe. Even hurricanes. But Texans are not used to feeling rumbling earthquakes in their state. At least, they weren’t used to it until recently, when earthquakes began to happen more frequently around the Dallas-Fort Worth area in northern Texas.
While the cause of these quakes has yet to be officially determined, scientists and citizens are sure that leftover liquid in oil and gas disposal wells are causing plates to shift underground. That translates into an earthquake on land. And Texas has had more than 50 since 2008.
KUT reporter Mose Buchele notes that this story has taken on a national spin. But local politicians wary of the intervention of the federal government are unlikely to give the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency a warm welcome.