LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) - An investigation of Kansas saltwater injection wells has found more than 2,000 wells that weren’t properly permitted.
The Kansas Corporation Commission in November ordered an internal investigation of more than 4,000 saltwater injection oil well permits, The Lawrence Journal-World reported.
The commission changed the public comment period in 2008 to be cited from 15 to 30 days in published public notices for proposed injection wells.
The investigation found in February that more than 1,000 permits for the more than 2,000 wells, including 60 in Douglas County, were approved with public notices stating the public comment period was only 15 days. It also found that the inaccurate notices were provided to the commission’s staff, but the errors were not detected as part of the review process.
Lawrence attorney Robert Eye is representing the Douglas County. He argues that all of the permits in question should be revoked because the commission failed to follow its own established procedures to protect the due process rights of Kansas citizens.
“The only way to remedy is to revoke all the permits issued to applicants with defective notices, and have them reapply using proper notification so that citizens can register their objections in a systematic way,” Eye said.
Saltwater injection wells have been tied to an increase in the number of earthquakes in Kansas and surrounding states. The commission imposed limits on the volume of wastewater that can be injected into them after officials at the Kansas Geological Survey said there was a likely link between those wells and a series of minor earthquakes in the area.
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Information from: Lawrence (Kan.) Journal-World, http://www.ljworld.com
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