Many researchers and environmentalists have been convinced for a while that oil and gas activities are responsible for the majority of Texas’s recent earthquakes, with several studies showing an apparent relationship between fracking practices and the wave of quakes rippling through the Lone Star State. Just last month, the Environmental Protection Agency said there was a strong possibility earthquakes in North Texas were the result of oilfield wastewater disposal wells. But oil and gas companies have consistently rejected these claims, as has the Texas Railroad Commission, which is tasked with regulating the industry.

— Texas Monthly