Many Oklahomans are sick of all the shaking going on: “Five years from now, they’re probably going to wonder why 2 million Oklahomans got cancer”

Rally at State Capitol protests Oklahoma lawmakers favoring corporate interests over citizens by Marianne Rafferty, April 12, 2016, kfor.com

OKLAHOMA CITY – Many Oklahomans are sick of all the shaking going on.

They are making their voices heard at the State Capitol.

“If they would do what they did 40 years ago and stop the fracking and the underground storage, I think that would relieve these earthquakes,” said David Hennessy, a concerned Edmond resident who has been directly impacted by recent earthquakes.

Protesters at the rally are focused on two bills.

They like a proposal to ensure home owners can collect on their earthquake policies, but lawmakers killed it.

They dislike Senate Bill 809 which limits a city or town’s right to restrict fracking or disposal wells within city limits, which some said does away with local control.

“Which is tantamount to saying no regulation at all,” said former Attorney General Drew Edmondson, on hand at the rally to support the protesters.

The Oklahoma Oil and Gas Association has a different take.

In a statement, the group said in part:

“Regulators and researchers have taken several science-based steps to address increased seismicity in Oklahoma, and the state’s oil and gas companies have worked in full cooperation with regulators to address these concerns.”

But, for homeowners concerned about our drinking water and our health, it’s just not enough to ease fears.

“Five years from now, they’re probably going to wonder why 2 million Oklahomans got cancer,” Hennessey said.

Organizers of the rally said it was an effort to keep the heat on lawmakers to look out for homeowners, even though corporations have a lot of lobbying power. [Emphasis added]

[Refer also to

Frac Waste Quakes Make Time Magazine: 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.”

5.1 M: Oklahoma frac waste quakes rumbling bigger & bigger as USGS predicted. Children scurry under school desks, “and it was great,” say administrators. Quake related? Oklahoma City supermarket evacuated because of possible gas leak

Frac Hell in Oklahoma: Endless quakes. “There’s no lack of conversation. There’s a lack of action.” Plumber blamed for gas leak in elementary school. Company says boiling oilfield waste alternative to injection wells, breathable air be damned

Oklahoma: Frac fire totals almost $50 million in damages and fire crews’ gear now soaked with hazardous fluids, too flammable to wear for other emergencies

Updated because the frac quakes go on & on & on: Oklahoma again orders oil & gas drillers to reduce amount of frac waste water injected. Why? The natural gas leak & home explosion in Oklahoma City? Where will the frac waste go?

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

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

Oil companies can be sued by earthquake victim in 7-0 Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling, Oklahoma has been hit by a dramatic spike in earthquakes in last 5 years

MUST WATCH! 24 MIN CLIP BY AL JAZEERA

Matt Skinner, Oklahoma Corporation Commission – “When we call up OGS (Oklahoma Geological Survey), and they can’t get their computers to come up, that’s a problem.”

…

Austin Holland, Oklahoma Geological Survey – “Last year we recorded, or were actually able to locate more than 5000 earthquakes and we probably had another 10,000 that our systems have identified, that we didn’t have a chance to look at.”

…

Reporter – “… In August, Austin Holland resigned as head seismologist at the Oklahoma Geological Survey, we were with him on his last day. … Holland leaves behind a state in which the earthquake rate continues to rise. Not long after he announced his departure, his colleague, Amber Lee Darold, did the same. Now Oklahoma, the most seismically active state in the continental US, is left without a state seismologist.”

More Frac Quakes Rumble ‘n Rock Oklahoma: The Big Warning Causes Sleepless Night for Thousands. When will the shaking stop? When will the “regulator” regulate?

Meanwhile in West Virginia:

West Virginia politicians vote in law to take away frac harmed citizens’ right to sue. Judge Derek Swope: “Would I want one of these wells next to my property? I live in the country on a rural road, and the answer is ‘no.’” ]