Oklahoma court rules earthquake victim can sue oil companies

Reuters ^ | 6-30-15 | Yeganeh Torbati

[markomalley]

An Oklahoma woman who was injured when an earthquake rocked her home in 2011 can sue oil companies for damages, the state's highest court ruled on Tuesday, opening the door to other potential lawsuits against the state's energy companies.

Oklahoma has experienced a dramatic spike in earthquakes in the last five years, and researchers have blamed the oil and gas industry's practice of injecting massive volumes of saltwater left over from oil and gas drilling.

The state saw nearly 600 quakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater in 2014, compared to just one or two per year prior to 2009, according to the Oklahoma Geological Survey.

Oil production in Oklahoma has doubled in the last seven years, in part because drillers can dispose of vast amounts of saltwater found in oil and gas formations relatively cheaply by injecting it back into the ground.

That practice is separate from hydraulic fracturing or "fracking," which has been linked to some smaller quakes but is not believed to be causing Oklahoma's tremors.

[markomalley]

Where is that, "Not this sh&t again" graphic?

[Road Warrior ‘04]

WTF is going on in Oklahoma?

[BitWielder1]

I'd like to see them prove it.

[rarestia]

[MrB]

Wow... 10 commandments yesterday, worshiping the creation today.

OK, the state where not one county voted for Obama, either time, and their courts (who know better than everyone else), rules against their values.

[Amagi]

Another Oklahoma SC desision pulled from their ass, after Oklahoma Supreme Court orders removal of Ten Commandments monument.
Clearly they are building their dumbass bona fides for a possible SCOTUS nomination.

[KittenClaws]

All-righty then, Oklahoma. Maybe the oil industry should just move their operations and their JOBS - out of Oklahoma.

Morons.

[Cboldt]

Are you serious? Junk science can “prove” anything in court. The law is all about outcome and following the right ritual form. If “proof” fits the outcome, great, if not, well, there are many ways to skin the cat.

[BwanaNdege]

Maybe the oil industry should just move their operations and their JOBS - out of Oklahoma.

Perhaps the Oil Industry would prefer to keep their operations & jobs WHERE the oil is located?

[veracious]

How many _pieceful_ religion dollars and/or threatening communications did it take to get this ruling? It is called lawfare. Your enemies don’t want you using your own oil. USG being overrun by enemies foreign and domestic, using tons of cash, politics, environmentalism, equalism...

[rlmorel]

They don’t have to prove it. They only need a jury of libs or brains-full-of-mush citizens to deliver the desired verdict.

[SunkenCiv]

[MaxMax]

Somebody posted maps comparing earthquake areas to fracking areas in (OK)and neither were
even remotely close enough to be related. but if they can reach that far to invent
the cause, then the State containing San Andreas would be just as good to sue.

[KittenClaws]

Perhaps the Oil Industry would prefer to keep their operations & jobs WHERE the oil is located?
____________________________

Oklahoma, while biting the hand that feeds it 35 Billion a year, should remember there are other States with plenty of oil.