YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - A lawmaker says the state's response to the latest earthquake activity in northeast Ohio is inadequate.
Officials said over the weekend that they believe there's a connection between earthquakes to the injection of gas drilling wastewater into the ground near a fault line.
On Friday, the brine disposal was halted at one well. Then, after a 4.0 magnitude quake shook the Youngstown area Saturday afternoon, the state stopped operations at four other injection wells within a 5-mile radius.
Democratic state Rep. Robert Hagan, of Youngstown, wants a moratorium on injection wells because "there is danger all over."
The state has 176 injection wells. There have been no seismic events attributed to other wells.
Hagan wants to shut them all down until there are more answers.
"I'm probably 10 to 12 years short of my seismology degree. I think anyone can see clearly there's a direct correlation. They started injecting chemicals, sand and water and we started having earthquakes...I'm scared. I think people are fearful," Hagan said.
A spokesman for Republican Gov. John Kasich says the administration didn't want to overreact to Saturday's quake with "guns blazing."
The Associated Press