Edmond, Oklahoma residents have filed a lawsuit against some pretty big oil and gas drilling companies.
The homeowners said their homes sustained damage from the earthquakes, including cracked and broken interior and exterior walls, bricks and fascia, as well as movement of their foundations.
"The use of disposal wells by defendants created conditions which, among other things, are the proximate cause of unnatural and unprecedented earthquakes that continue unabated, increasing in both frequency and magnitude within Oklahoma County and elsewhere in the state of Oklahoma, which have damaged plaintiffs and others and threaten to do so in the future," the lawsuit said.
Yes, it’s the wastewater disposal that’s the problem. It’s not the actual drilling. However, one doesn’t exist without the other and part of the this legal filing is an attempt to get an injunction against 16 saltwater disposal wells, operated by these companies. This won’t be the first lawsuit against these big companies shaking up Oklahoma (yes, I said it). It won’t be the last time wells get shut down because of earthquake activity. But if these residents can get something going, in court, against these behemoths, it can open the doors for real financial consequences and the phrase real financial consequences is one big behemoth companies tend to pay attention to.