Another earthquake in Cushing is raising concern for residents.
Oklahoma Corporation Commission spokesperson, Matt Skinner, says Cushing has seen increased activity since August. As a result, the commission implemented a plan to close two wells and reduce injection volumes on four others.
While Thursday's quake didn't do any damage, it did cause some to lose power. Also, a quake last week caused some damage to Debbie Cooper's home. Her son, Jerrod, took this photo.
Skinner said the Director of the Oil and Gas Division at the Corporation Commission made a visit to Cushing on Thursday, before the quake. The director met with operators at the tank farm in Cushing. The tank farm stores millions of gallons of oil that is sold internationally. The operators assured the Commission that they examine every tank after any seismic event. They also have safety measures in place so the tanks shutoff when there is an earthquake and a system in place to prevent the oil from leaking.
Schools are also taking precautions too. Four-year-old students at Cushing Pre-K practice earthquake drills frequently.
"They don't panic as much as the adults. They just see it as the ground moving. They tend to take it in stride," said Anne Taylor, a teacher at the school.
In order to add new injection wells the state must approve those. Commissioners were supposed to look at adding five injection wells to the Cushing area at their meeting at Tuesday, but ended up not taking up the item at this time.
