An Oklahoma lawmaker and a veteran petroleum geologist are calling for a federal task force to develop an emergency action plan in response to the swarm of earthquakes that have been felt in central Oklahoma.
Sen. Jerry Ellis of Valliant and geologist Bob Jackman of Tulsa says the task force should evaluate published earth science studies on earthquakes that have rattled the region and release its findings and proposed solutions to the public.
Jackman says Oklahoma has surpassed California in the number of earthquakes this year. By Thursday morning, the Oklahoma Geological Survey had logged 33 earthquakes in Payne County just in the month of July. During the first seven months of the year, the agency logged 388 earthquakes in Payne County, of which 121 were magnitude 2.5 or greater.
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