OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Wastewater disposal wells that have been linked to an uptick in earthquakes in Oklahoma could be ordered shut down without notice or hearing under a bill signed into law by Gov. Mary Fallin.
The bill was one of 16 measures signed Monday by Fallin.
The bill grants the Oklahoma Corporation Commission the authority many believed it already had - the right to take "whatever action is necessary" to promptly respond to an emergency.
Nearly all wastewater disposal well operators have complied with agency directives to reduce volume or close wells, but at least one company initially refused to comply.
The number of earthquakes with a magnitude 3.0 or greater has risen in Oklahoma from a few dozen in 2012 to more than 900 last year.
(Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
New Power for the Corporation Commission on Earthquakes
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