The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) recently launched an oil and natural gas operator-led response plan in West Texas that targets seismicity from produced water injection wells in the Permian Basin.

The Northern Culberson-Reeves Seismic Response Area (SRA) plan is designed to reduce the intensity and frequency of injection-induced earthquakes. The goal is to eliminate 3.5-plus magnitude earthquakes by the end of 2023.

A series of earthquakes prompted the RRC in December to suspend disposal injections in the Gardendale SRA in the Permian’s Midland sub-basin. 

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“Industry asked RRC to allow them to come up with a plan to address the...