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NEWS 15th Street
@15thStreetNews
Volume XLV
April 1, 2016
@15thStreetNews
Issue 12
NEWS BRIEFS by Christian Tabak Assistant Editor
The man captured by police and held as the suspected third bomber in the Brussels terrorist bombings was released Monday after authorities found insufficient evidence to connect him with the attack. While authorities thought Faycal Cheffou was the suspect based on the testimony of a taxi cab driver, a lack of DNA evidence and a confirmed alibi has authorities searching once again. Two of the three suspects identified in the attack that killed 30 and injured 230 others are thought to have been killed in the bombing, but the third suspect is believed to have survived.
72 killed in Pakistan bombing targeting Christians A terrorist bombing killed 72 people and injured 341 at an Easter celebration in a predominantly Christian community in Lahore, Pakistan. The suspected terrorist bombing occurred outside an amusement and recreational park in the center of the city where hundreds gathered. A splinter-faction of the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack and warned of more attacks. Security forces launched several raids on the hideouts of suspected terrorists throughout three major cities, arresting suspects and seizing what Lt. Gen. Asim Bajwa described as a “huge” cache of weapons. A similar terror attack that killed 14 occurred last March and was followed up with a bombing that injured 78.
Photo courtesy of Corporation Commission
Brussels bombing suspect freed, authorities still searching for third bomber
Central and northwestern parts of Oklahoma see significantly more frequent and larger earthquakes than five years ago.
Earthquake reduction plan in place Officials create plan to reduce state earthquakes by Becca Stokes Online Editor The Oklahoma Corporation Commission Oil and Gas Conservation Division is in the process of implementing a plan in response to the recent earthquakes in several parts of Oklahoma, including Edmond, Fairview and parts of Western Oklahoma. Under the plan, operators of the wells will have 60 days to reduce the volume of wastewater disposed. This reduction is meant to lessen the risk of earthquakes that are potentially triggering the injection of wastewater into the disposal wells that are found in the Arbuckle formation. The goal is to reduce the total volume of water disposed to 40 percent of the 2014 total. This is equal to 3.4 million barrels of wastewater. “This means a reduction of more than 300,000 barrels a day from the 2015 average injection volumes,” said OCC Director Tom Baker in a media report. All disposal well volumes will be calculated on a daily basis. This is to ensure: • Volume reductions follow a schedule that involves four stages. • No well exceeds the permit’s authorized daily disposal. • The 30-day average shall not exceed the total allowed daily capacity. Gauges and flow meters were also required to be placed in wells before March 18 of this year. All disposal wells within the area of inter-
est, regardless of size, are required to record daily volume and pressure levels and report it back to the OCC. As of March 7 of this year, the area of interest range expand. This means operations in areas that have not seen major earthquake activity will also have restrictions put in place as a preemptive measure. The area of interest is defined as about 122-square miles surrounding the center of a point with high seismic activity. “This allows us to see if disposal volume reduction is able to reduce the number of earthquakes in the region,” Professor of Geology Eric Johnson said. “If this plan does slow down earthquakes, that points toward a possible link between disposal volumes and earthquake frequency, which would suggest that implementing this plan on a broader scale could be beneficial.” The OCC adopted a “traffic light” system for well operators. This system directs staff to review permits for any possible faults. The “yellow light” is a temporary system in place for wells that do not meet automatic “red light” criteria. This places the well under more strict supervision. In the case of determined seismic activity, the “red light” criteria is met and the well is shut down. The plan will be phased in over the next two months. More changes could be made as research progresses.