Yukon, Oklahoma: Fracking again directly causing earthquakes; Citizen Energy had to shut down, then cut back frac volumes by 50%

Yukon Company Cuts Back Fracking Operations by Dana Hertneky, November 28, 2017, News9

News clip at link

YUKON, Oklahoma – Experts say a recent surge in earthquakes in the Yukon area have been clustered around a fracking site. Now the oil company, Citizen Energy, has cut back its operations.

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission has had guidelines in place relating to fracking and earthquakes for the past year. According to those guidelines, oil companies have to cut back or stop operations if earthquakes are a magnitude 2.5 or greater.

[Compare:

UK frac quake “red light” is 0.5M, in Alberta, it’s 4.0M

Fox Creek frac quakes make AER play deregulation with you and your loved ones: “Red Light = Green Light”

End Compare ]

Martin Saenz moved to this home in rural Yukon for the peace and quiet but ever since Citizen Energy erected this fracking operation across the road it’s been anything but. In addition to the noise and light in recent days he’s been feeling as many as two or three earthquakes a day.

“They don’t last very long, but you feel them then they just go away,” he says.

Because of those earthquakes, Citizen Energy has had to reduce volume on several stages of the frack and most recently by 50 percent. According to the Corporation Commission such action typically works in quickly managing earthquakes believed to be caused by fracking.

“Most of the time it’s not quite instantaneous, but it’s a very short period of time. Unlike what we’ve seen so many times with earthquakes caused by disposal wells when you’re talking about a decline over a long period of time.”

Skinner says earthquakes caused by fracking are also usually smaller and less than four percent of fracking operations cause earthquakes. The Yukon earthquakes have all been below a 3.0 magnitude. [Emphasis added]

Yukon earthquakes linked to fracking well by Sarah Stewart, November 27, 2017, KFOR

YUKON, Okla. – Don Parrish said he’s been feeling a whole lot of shaking at his home near S.W. 29th and Czech Hall Road.

“When it hit the house, it was loud. I mean, and it shook,” Parrish said. “It’s beginning to be quite a few earthquakes around. We used to didn’t have a thing.”

“The earthquake activity around Yukon has come on very hard and very fast. And, so, over the holiday, we have been working it,” said Matt Skinner with the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.

The OCC has been investigating and said the recent earthquakes have been linked to a fracking well at S.W. 44th and Richland Road.

“We’ve been working with that operator since Thursday to modify their frack stages to mitigate the risk of felt earthquakes,” Skinner said.

According to the Oklahoma Geological Survey, there have been two earthquakes near Yukon and 6 near the southwest corner of Canadian County in the last 15 days.

But, all of the shaking also comes on the heels of seismic testing in the area.

An out-of-state company just finished the testing that’s been going on since the beginning of October.

It involved vibrator trucks that actually shake the ground to determine if there’s any oil underneath.

“They vibrate the ground, and it’s a pretty good roar when they do that,” Parrish said.

But, both the Corporation Commission and Oklahoma Geological Survey said there is no credible evidence seismic testing can cause earthquakes.

“They all say that there’s no link to seismic activity and that kind of seismic testing,” Skinner said.

The more likely cause is the hydraulic fracturing.

After a 2.7 earthquake around 2:30 Monday morning, the volume at the S.W. 44th and Richland Road well was reduced once again in the hopes of stopping the quakes.

The well is owned by Citizen Energy.

The company told the Corporation Commission hydraulic fracturing operation should end by December 5. [Emphasis added]

Yukon fracking operation shut down due to earthquakes by Crystal Price, November 24, 2017, Koco.com

YUKON, Okla. — The Oklahoma Corporation Commission has shut down some fracking operations in Yukon after a series of earthquakes rocked the area this week.

“It’s a violent shake of the property,” one resident said.

Residents say they’re shaken up after at least three 2.5-magnitude quakes hit the area.

But residents say these aren’t your typical tremors.

“Normally earthquakes are kind of rolling,” Debbi Cunningham told KOCO. Instead, he says these are large jolts they don’t see coming.

“We hear a loud boom that sounds like 10 or 12 trash cans full dumped on your roof, and then the house will start shaking,” Cunningham said.

Friday the Oklahoma Corporation Commission confirmed that in response to this shaking, a fracking operation in Yukon was shut down.

An OCC spokesperson says if there is no further seismicity, operations will resume with a 50 percent cut in volume and pressure.

Residents just hope it’s enough.

“I mean, consistent violent shakes every day to your property has to cause some damage eventually,” Cunningham said. “The more they can do to subdue it, I think the better it would be.” [Emphasis added]

[Refer also to:

2017 10 26: Oklahoma seismologist, Austin Holland, scolded by fracked academia (the dean!) for linking earthquake swarms to powerful oil and gas industry

2017 03 01: Pawnee Oklahoma’s 5.8M earthquake caused river to rise. Not just waste injection causing earthquakes in Oklahoma, frac’ing causing them too, like in BC & Alberta

2016 09 10: Spencer, Oklahoma: 3.8M earthquake felt by 1,300 people up to 928 km away. Question for NEB’s Darrin Barter (previously synergizing enabler at AER): When trucks drive by, are they felt 900 km away?

2016 03 16: The U.S.’s New Earthquake Capital: Oklahoma. “Some seismologists say that even if all disposal activity stopped in the state immediately, there could be earthquakes for decades.”

2015 12 09: Former Oklahoma state seismologist Austin Holland confirmed industry pressure and conflicts of interest by state officials handling swarms of frac waste quakes shaking & damaging the state

2015 10 11: Cushing, Oklahoma: 4.5M earthquake ignores newly imposed frac quake prevention rules

2015 03 02: Oil & gas execs ‘pressured’ Oklahoma geologists not to reveal fracking-quakes link; Industry Pressure Kept Oklahoma’s Scientists Silent on Earthquake-Fracking Link Since 2010: Report ]

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