Posted February 11, 2016

Ross Pifer, director of the Center for Agricultural and Shale Law at the Penn State University Dickinson School of Law, will present a webinar next Wednesday, February 17 at noon (EST) entitled, “Induced Seismicity in Shale Development: Overview and Current Legal Issues.”

The webinar is part of a series sponsored by the Agricultural & Food Law Consortium. Participation in the webinar is free, but limited to the first 100 people.

According to the press release, Pifer’s presentation will review the seismic events that have been potentially induced by oil and gas activities and include a review of relevant scientific literature. There were 659 earthquakes with a magnitude of 3 or greater in the central and eastern states in 2014, compared to an annual average of 21 earthquakes before 2008.

Pifer will also discuss the literature covering wastewater injection wells and high-volume hydraulic fracking. He will review strategies and regulations adopted by different states to manage induced seismicity. The discussion will also cover legal advice for landowners entering into oil and gas leases and their rights in case of induced seismicity.

The press release detailing the webinar and subject matter is available here.

Registration and technical information for the webinar is availablehere.