Corporation Commission takes swift action in wake of record earthquake

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission's Oil and Gas Division is in the process of implementing a mandatory directive to shut down all Arbuckle disposal wells within a 725 square mile area, based on the location of Saturday morning's earthquake, according to a spokesperson.

The area will include 211 square miles of Osage County, which is under the jurisdiction of the Environmental Protection Agency. OCC is working with the EPA and says they will determine what action is taken in that area.

This move comes hours after OCC had ordered all disposal wells within a 500 square mile area of Saturday’s earthquake to shut down.

The Corporation Commission has routinely asked operators of injection wells to cease operation in the wake of seismic activity.

The 5.6 magnitude earthquake that rattled Oklahoma Saturday was centered near Pawnee, and caused damage to structures in Pawnee, Oklahoma City and Stillwater, among other places.

Governor Mary Fallin said via twitter that staff from the state’s Department of Emergency Management will travel to Pawnee and that state officials are requesting that structural engineers assess building safety around the state.