(Photo via Kansas Geological Survey)A task force appointed by Governor Sam Brownback has been looking into possible connections between oil and gas production and recent earthquakes in Kansas. As KPR’s Stephen Koranda reports, the group has drafted a plan and is seeking comments from the public.
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The monitoring plan involves multiple state agencies. The Kansas Geological Survey will report instances of seismic activity to other state regulators. The other agencies will then examine the events' proximity to oil and gas wells that are using hydraulic fracturing and similar methods. The goal is to find out if the oil and gas activities could be leading to the increased number of recent earthquakes, which are mostly in south central Kansas. The Kansas Corporation Commission will be taking written, telephone, and email comments until May 16.