Drilling and hydraulic fracturing, all done within an aggressive regulatory framework, does not pose a high risk for seismic activity, or any inherent risk for any structural damage. Hydraulic fracturing typically occurs between 5,000-8,500 feet below ground – or more than a mile below the surface. In fact, excerpts from the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Research Council have studied this issue deeply and determined that hydraulic fracturing does not cause earthquakes.

An April 2012 E&E News story reports this:

Here are the facts: “Fracking” does not cause big earthquakes. The underground injection of industrial wastewater can, and sometimes does. Bill Ellsworth is frustrated at how difficult it is getting people to understand this. … He told his fellow seismologists, who are researchers from universities and government agencies, that they have an obligation to set the record straight on fracking, deep wastewater injection and earthquakes. “As scientists we have an obligation to try to give people the benefit of scientific understanding,” Ellsworth said. “The public has legitimate concerns for which it needs good information.”

Likewise, the National Research Council’s research – available here (Reuters also reports) – determines the following:

  • Of all the energy-related injection and extraction activities conducted in the United States, only a very small fraction have induced seismicity at levels noticeable to the public. (only 1 in over 35,000 hydraulic fracturing wells)
  • Conventional oil and gas development extracts oil, gas, and water from pore spaces in rocks in subsurface reservoirs. Incidences of felt induced seismicity from conventional oil and gas development appear to be very rare.
  • Shale formations may contain oil, gas, and/or liquids. Shales have very low permeability that prevent these fluids from easily flowing into a well bore, and so wells may be drilled horizontally and hydraulically fractured to allow hydrocarbons to flow up the well bore. Hydraulic fracturing to date has been confirmed as the cause for small, felt seismic events at one location in the world.
  • Four federal agencies—the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service and the U.S. Geological Survey—and several different state agencies have regulatory oversight, research roles and responsibilities relating to different parts of the underground injection activities associated with energy technologies