The three-member Texas Railroad Commission on Tuesday accepted the findings of the commission staff that two oil and gas wastewater disposal wells were not the likely cause of a series of earthquakes that shook parts of North Texas in late 2013 and early 2014. The decision, which the commission made in an open conference meeting Tuesday morning, clears the two injection wells, owned by Houston-based Enervest and ExxonMobil subsidiary XTO Energy, respectively, of responsibility for the minor quakes felt by residents in the small cities of Azle and Reno. About three dozen earthquakes were reported in Azle and the surrounding area. Most were considered minor, registering about 3.3 magnitude or less. TRC hearings examiner Paul Dubois reported the results of hearings held last summer to determine if the wells contributed to the unusual seismic disturbances that had alarmed residents of the area, which lies in the heart of the […]