We have a number of areas of inquiry related to the human (social) environment. 

Network

Amy Javernick-Will and her team have conducted exploratory interviews with community members in Oklahoma and Colorado and are currently conducting a household survey in four case-study sites. They have mined data from Twitter and Facebook and are analyzing the community knowledge-sharing networks surrounding induced seismicity. They plan to disseminate findings through the social networks, and track how this information is accepted, adopted, and shared by community members. 

The Ritchie team has completed Phase One of their research plan, which entailed qualitative data collection in Colorado and Oklahoma. All interviews have been transcribed, coded, and analyzed. A report on key themes from this qualitative inquiry has been completed and is currently under review. Once this report is finalized, the team will discuss a publication strategy. Phase two of their research plan, quantitative telephone survey data collection, is also underway. The geographical parameters for the sample population have been finalized, and the survey instrument will be refined.

Law Atlas

Kathryn Mutz and her regulatory team has documented federal and state law and policy for minimizing induced seismicity associated with wastewater disposal for oil and gas development and for mitigating the influence of injection-induced events on communities and the environment.  The team has created a publicly accessible, searchable database of federal (Environmental Protection Agency) regulations and regulations from seven states: Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Texas. The database catalogues regulations on the jurisdictions' regulatory authority over Class II injection wells as well as rules on well sitting and permitting, well construction and operation, public notification, financial assurances, and liability.  A summary report for the project uses this database and additional research on state policy and proposed rules to identify key regulatory provisions for states and others dealing with induced seismicity. The BMP Project’s LawAtlas database of IS laws and regulations is hosted by the Policy Surveillance Program administered by the Center for Public Health Law Research at Temple University Beasley School of Law at: http://lawatlas.org/datasets/IS-oil-gas-wastewater.