Dozens of north Texas community members bussed to Austin on Tuesday to demand a shutdown of the fracking waste injection wells they say are behind a recent spate of earthquakes.
Their target was a meeting of the three-member Texas Railroad Commission, the state’s main regulatory body for the oil and gas industry.
Residents of Azle and surrounding areas gave complaint after complaint of how the dozens of earthquakes, clustered around Azle and Reno, have damaged their homes and endangered their communities, and said the solution is to shut down the wells.
“We’re afraid this is going to destroy our community and the future of our children here,” homeowner Max Smith told NBC outside of the meeting. “We’re making a stand. Something serious is going on here,” he added. “We haven’t gotten any assistance from the state.”
“The quakes started recently,” said Azle-area resident Phil Dawes. “I didn’t really think that much about it until I was asleep at midnight. It woke me up. I thought a 747 landed on my roof. It was that bad.”
“Is somebody going to help us?” Tracey Napier asked.
Guitar-toting Bill Hoffman rendered his version of Elvis’ All Shook Up to make his point about earthquakes hitting Azle.
The commissioners announced they were hiring a seismologist to investigate possible connections.
Also, at the meeting was Lynda Stokes, mayor of Reno, Texas.
“No disrespect, but this isn’t rocket science here. Common sense tells you the wells are playing a big role in all this,” Stokes said.
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