The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) has suspended all disposal well permits to inject oil and gas waste into deep strata within a portion of the Permian Basin following a series of earthquakes.

Permian Counties

The action, taken earlier in December and in effect as of Friday (Dec. 31), applies to 33 deep disposal wells within the boundaries of the Gardendale Seismic Response Area (SRA). The area includes northeastern Ector County to southwest Martin County, in the Midland sub-basin of the Permian.

Injections also were suspended as of Dec. 15 in a smaller area within the Gardendale SRA, and other limitations have been put in place in Northern Culberson and Reeves counties.

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The...