The science on whether there's a link between oil and gas activity and a surge in earthquakes in Texas isn't clear-cut, says the new seismologist for the agency that regulates the industry here.
In an interview with KUT, , a professor at the University of Texas El Paso, said he鈥檚 excited to influence policy in his new role at the Railroad Commission of Texas 鈥� and advise on an earthquake-monitoring system .
鈥淭hat鈥檚 one of the things that attracted me about doing this, is to use my expertise and to be able to contribute what I can to the state of Texas,鈥� he said.
The Railroad Commission is responsible for tackling the increase of earthquakes linked to fossil fuel production here. But, there鈥檚 a wrinkle: The agency also acts as cheerleader for the industry, so it between industry and Texas quakes.
In recent years, the Railroad Commission has to reduce earthquakes, which, for some, makes its public position of uncertainty all the more perplexing. It's a position that's at odds with , the , and other oil-producing states .
The policy has also
Velasco said it's well-known that injection of fluids into the earth can cause earthquakes. But when asked about Texas earthquakes and the agency's continued doubt over their cause he said the science is "uncertain."
"We鈥檙e going to ask lots of different questions and, as we move forward 鈥� especially with the advent of TexNet 鈥� I think we鈥檒l be able to address some of these things," he said. 鈥淏ut right now, it is very uncertain."
, a seismologist at UT-Austin who has published numerous studies linking Texas quakes to oil- and gas-disposal wells, has criticized the agency for its continued doubt over the link.
He said working for industry or government is different from working in an academic environment.
鈥淪omeone who works for the Railroad Commission or an oil company is representing policy for an organization rather than themselves,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd that鈥檚 going to be a different kind of job for Velasco.鈥�
But, Frohlich said, the commission will benefit from Velasco鈥檚 expertise.
鈥淪omeone like Velasco, who reads the literature, has been familiar with it for years, is going to be hugely valuable in separating the wheat from the chaff in the research realm,鈥� he said.
The number of quakes in Texas appears to have subsided lately. Frohlich said that's likely due to industry being more careful about injecting wastewater into the earth and the drop-off in the oil and gas industry after a downturn in 2014.
