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'A millennium鈥檚 worth of earthquakes': What are states going to do?

Oklahoma experienced 585 quakes in 2014. In 2015 there were 842, according to data from the National Earthquake Information Center.

A spike in seismic activity over seven years, a flurry of reports, and then last week, more earthquakes.

Last Wednesday night, in an area where drilling for oil and gas occurs, a community in northwestern Oklahoma was hit with two quakes that registered聽4.7 and 4.8 on the Richter scale, and 22 more tremors were logged throughout the area over a 13-hour period.

The panhandle state experienced 585 quakes in 2014. In 2015 there were 842, according to data from the National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC), a government agency in Colorado.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 almost a of earthquakes in two years,鈥� said George Choy, a seismologist with NEIC, in an interview with the Guardian. 鈥淲hen you see that you suspect something is going on.鈥�

That "something" appears to be a link between earthquakes and聽, according to a report released by the US Geological Survey (USGS) last spring.

According to the agency, the practice of disposing of toxic wastewater from the drilling process deep underground destabilizes fault lines in the bedrock, adding to problems caused by the high-pressure injection of water, sand, and chemicals, or hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, The Guardian reports.

Choy, of NEIC, tells The Guardian that the amount of wastewater being produced in Oklahoma, which he estimates at 200 million barrels a month, puts the state at risk.

鈥淲ater is finding its way to the underground faults and there is always that possibility of a big earthquake. We are certainly concerned,鈥� he said.聽

Last fall, a team of industry experts,聽seismologists,聽and academics drew similar conclusions to USGS. The StatesFirst initiative report said that hydraulic fracturing and fracking wastewater disposal is related to earthquakes occurring in nearby drilling areas, but stopped shy of recommending policy or system changes.

But the聽team cautioned that聽鈥渁 one-size-fits-all approach would not be an effective tool for state regulators.鈥�

With state legislators heading into session for 2016, Oklahoma and Colorado regulators are handling the issue differently 鈥� but some are questioning if the actions are bold or swift enough for either state.聽

In Oklahoma, where are tethered to the energy industry, Gov. Mary Fallin and the State Legislature have deferred to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, which oversees the oil and gas industries, to broker a way forward.

Cory Williams, a Democratic state representative who has urged political action, said it was unlikely that the Legislature would act.

鈥淎bsent a catastrophic loss of life or property, there will be zero reaction from the Oklahoma House or Senate,鈥� he said in an interview with The New York Times. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 want to touch it. It鈥檚 .鈥�

In Colorado, where oil and gas industries pumped聽聽into the state鈥檚 economy in 2014, the state assembly will begin its 2016 session by considering whether or not to hold energy companies liable for earthquakes caused by drilling.聽

Democratic state Rep. Joe Salazar聽said residents were worried about a fracking group鈥檚 plans to put 20 oil and gas wells in his district. The made him want to hold drillers responsible for any earthquakes they may cause that create property damage or physical injury, Colorado Public Radio reports.

State Sen. Ray Scott, who opposes the bill, said liability would be difficult to prove. He cited Colorado's already "strict" environmental guidelines, and warned against going after an industry that provides such a large share of revenue to the state.

鈥淗ow much longer do you want to stand on the throat of the oil and gas industry to limit that amount of money that鈥檚 being generated by the state of Colorado?鈥� Sen. Scott said.聽