02/28/2024
Last weekend, two notable earthquakes were recorded ~20 miles north-northwest of Carlsbad, New Mexico (M4.0 on Friday, February 23rd and M3.9 on Saturday, February 24th). Based on the New Mexico Oil Conservation Division’s Seismicity Response Protocol, these events are expected to trigger new injection restrictions and monitoring/reporting requirements around the earthquake epicenters. Most notably is cessation of water injection within 3 miles of the seismic events, a 50% reduction in injection rate between 3 and 6 miles from the events, and a 25% rate reduction between 6 and 10 miles. While not yet officially released, B3 expects the boundaries noted to roughly conform with those of the “Notional Updated Restriction Area” shape shown in the map image below.
To learn more about regulatory response to Permian Basin seismic activity, we invite you to download the Permian Basin Seismic Response Area and Operator-Led Response Plan Summary: https://hubs.li/Q02mxTcH0