Oklahoma is literally being shaken to its core by oil and gas companies. The link between the state’s dramatic rise in earthquake activity and the industry’s fracking operations has been established by countless experts, including the Oklahoma Geological Survey, the U.S. Geological Survey and other scientists who have assembled compelling and conclusive evidence linking the injection of waste product used in fracking to an alarming increase in seismic activity. The large volume of production waste from fracking and oil production operations that is injected into the ground raises the likelihood of a devastating quake that could kill large numbers of people and cause massive environmental devastation.

Since late 2009, the rate of magnitude-3 or larger earthquakes in north-central Oklahoma has been nearly 300 times higher than in previous decades. In fact, on November 2nd of this year, Oklahoma experienced a 4.4-magnitude earthquake– one of the strongest in recent memory. Overlaying the locations of oil wells onto the places where earthquakes above magnitude 3.5 have been felt shows that earthquakes are occurring in the vicinity of these wells or along fault lines that are close to the wells. Already, at least 16 houses have been destroyed, a university had an historic spire collapse onto one of its own buildings, and a woman was injured while watching TV in her home when her fireplace fell on top of her during an earthquake.

Join Public Justice in calling on Oklahoma’s oil and gas companies to take immediate steps to curb their impact on the state’s people and environment.

Stopping this ever-strengthening earthquake crisis is critical to the health and well-being of all Oklahomans.