WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Oklahoma has recently been hit with numerous earthquakes, many of which have been attributed to the fracking practice’s injection of wastewater into the earth.
However, the US state of Oklahoma will not sufficiently stop environmental damages through its effort to regulate fracking, advocacy group Food & Water Watch Deputy Communications Director Seth Gladstone told Sputnik on Tuesday.
“No amount of fracking wastewater can be safely disposed of underground – not even a little bit,” Gladstone said. “Waste from the fracking process is highly toxic and often radioactive.”
Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, involves injecting a mixture of toxic chemicals into the ground at high pressure. The method has been heavily criticized for the associated environmental risks and its potential to trigger tremors.
“Earthquakes are just one of many serious health and safety risks tied to underground fracking waste disposal,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, advocacy group Stop the Frack Attack national coordinator Robby Diesu said that oil and gas companies in the United States must be mandated to comply with state fracking laws regulating the industry.
"Oil and gas companies must respect [US] state laws with regards to all regulations," Diesu said.
Diesu argued the US oil and gas industry must take full responsibility for its actions as earthquakes, spills, and other environmental damages should not be made part of their operating costs.
"The impacts from the process are becoming clearer and clearer," he added.
Pedestal Oil Company and Devon Energy Production Company, two oil companies operating in Oklahoma, suspended operations in the state after Monday’s announcement concerning fracking, according to media reports.
