Crews in central Oklahoma were out early Sunday morning assessing for damage from the largest quake to hit the state since record-keeping began. The 5.6-magnitude quake struck 4 miles east of Sparks in Lincoln County at 11:53 p.m. ET Saturday. The quake came after at least three earthquakes, a 4.7, 3.4, and a 2.7, shook much of the same area early Saturday.
Some reports place the quakes on the proposed route while others place the 5.6 quake within in 15 to 20 miles from the route. Reports of stadiums shaking 50 miles away should put the distance versus damage scenario in perspective.
The State Department, Cardno Entrix, and TransCanada have all provided incorrect fault zone data which led to their incorrect fault zone conclusion in the Environmental Impact Statement. This recent earthquake along the proposed route should provide another wake up call that demonstrates the overall inadequate and dangerous assessment provided to us by the State Department.
On 6-4-11, I submitted a comment to the State Department on their Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement with respect to this concern. Below is that comment:
In the SDEIS Maximum Spill Volumes assessment, the DOS used data provided by Keystone and did not provide adequate independent data. This failure to provide adequate independent data has resulted in an incorrect conclusion. The SDEIS says that “a complete structural failure could be caused by a strike-slip fault movement across the proposed pipeline.” The SDEIS goes on to say; “however, the proposed pipeline corridor does not cross any known active faults.”
The report, which was not included as reference material in the SDEIS, “Effects of Keystone XL Pipeline Leak into Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer,” shows that the proposed project does in fact cross an active fault zone. Water resources and environmental engineer Lawrence G. Dunbar, P.E. found that the USGS report that was cited for the DOS conclusion is not a reliable source for determining whether there are active faults along the proposed pipeline route. The USGS report even states that “it is very likely that the inventory presented in this report is incomplete.” Mr. Dunbar goes on to say that the “USGS report was not intended to be a complete compilation of active faults in Central and Eastern U.S., rather it was intended to be an initial start to a compilation of potential areas for significant earthquakes, a source of reference material for seismicity. As such, it should not have been used to conclude that the faults in southwestern Rusk County are not active and therefore would not pose any risk to the proposed pipeline.”
The information, documentation, and several other reports cited by Mr. Dunbar about fault activity in the Mount Enterprise Fault Zone raises serious questions about the potential for an increased risk of failure of the proposed pipeline that is to be routed through this fault zone area in the immediate vicinity of the outcrop area of the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer. This is a prime example of how the DOS’s preliminary determination that there are no significant new circumstances or information concerning the proposed project or its potential impacts not already considered in the draft EIS, is not only an inaccurate statement but demonstrates the lack of a thorough review by the DOS.
The State Department is ignoring legitimate concerns and real data. The DOS conclusions cannot be taken seriously when key information has not been included as part of the overall equation. Fundamental principles of formulating a sum result cannot have missing variables unless the sum result has been predetermined. This earthquake is another prime example.
The magnitude 5.6 earthquake was Oklahoma’s strongest on record, said Jessica Turner, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey. Centered near Sparks, 44 miles northeast of Oklahoma City, it could be felt throughout the state and in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, northern Texas and some parts of Illinois and Wisconsin. It followed a magnitude 4.7 quake early Saturday that was felt from Texas to Missouri.
Turner said an active spate of earthquakes started in the region in February 2010 and the latest activity appears to be part of that trend. But experts are still puzzling out why the latest quakes have been concentrated in such a small geographic area around Sparks, she said.
It was followed by 10 aftershocks by midmorning Sunday. The aftershocks included two that were magnitude 4.0, one about 4 a.m. Sunday and one about 9 a.m., USGS said. The smallest aftershock it recorded was magnitude 2.7. USGS seismologist Paul Earle in Golden, Colo., said the aftershocks will likely continue for several days and could continue for months.
Hundreds of North Texans reported feeling the ground move or their homes shaking moments after a 5.6 magnitude earthquake shook central Oklahoma Saturday night, including my family whose property would be split in half by the proposed pipeline.
Once a rare occurrence in parts of Texas, earthquakes of low magnitude are becoming more frequent over the last few years. In fact, earthquakes can now be added to the list of possible disasters in Texas like tornados, hurricanes, hailstorms, floods, droughts and wildfires.
The State Department needs to go back to the drawing board, make use of independent and up to date data, and provide the public with a real opportunity to weigh in. This is just another example in the long list of egregious errors that disproves the State Departments conclusion.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/06/us/oklahoma-earthquake/?hpt=us_c2
http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/133311763.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/8242731/another_earthquake_in_texas_third_in.html?cat=37
David Daniel
Founder
STOP – Stop Tarsands Oil Pipelines
575 County Road 4591
Winnsboro, TX. 75494
903-563-3935
