Thursday, October 22, 2015

Oklahoma Corporation Commission Takes New Actions to Reduce Volumes for Disposal Wells in the Cushing Area

On October 19, 2015, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) announced that more wastewater disposal wells have been added to the Commission’s volume-reduction plan in the Cushing area due to recent induced earthquakes in said area. The Commission implemented this plan on September 18, 2015.

The OCC imposed operational changes to thirteen disposal wells operated by five oil and gas companies in the Cushing area. Under the expanded volume-reduction plan, the Commission developed a new system establishing zones in the “Area of Interest” “defined from a centrally located point between the two most recent magnitude 4+ earthquakes . . . near the town of Cushing.”

The Commission identified three zones within the “Area of Interest” and declared that “any company that has been identified as operating one or more Arbuckle disposal well(s) located within one of the three zones . . . will need to reduce volumes disposed into such well(s)” according to a specific schedule defined by the Commission.

Further information on the defined “Area of Interest” and schedule is available at http://www.occeweb.com/News/10-19-15CUSHING%202.pdf.

Written by Chloe Marie - Research Fellow
10/22/2015

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