Railroad Commission Arrives in West Texas After Epic 5.4 Earthquake Friday

The Texas Railroad Commission has arrived in West Texas after the record 5.4 earthquake rattled the area last Friday.

According to NBC DFW, the commission is in the area since it oversees the oil and gas industry and already directed producers to decrease injection volumes last month.

"RRC inspectors will be examining disposal activity at injection well sites near the earthquake," said the TRC in a statement, "and will take any necessary actions to protect public safety and the environment."

The earthquake did not cause any damage to oil and gas wells in the area said Justin Bunch, Midland County Emergency Management Coordinator. "The only thing we've had reported was minor cosmetic damage, cracks in sheetrock, stuff like that" to homes within the city, Bunch said Saturday.

The earthquake was followed by 4 aftershocks on Friday evening and several other earthquakes that have been happening consistently up to today.

EarthquakeTrack.com reported the strongest since Friday was a 3.2 magnitude Sunday morning only 5 miles southeast of Midland, the website has also reported eight earthquakes near Midland in the past week and 16 quakes in the past month.

The website also reported 30 earthquakes in the past week all over West Texas, and 238 earthquakes in the past month.

Sunday morning's 3.2 earthquake was at a depth of 6.8 miles says the USGS and it was exactly 5.6 miles southeast of Midland.

The Texas Railroad Commission is expected to call for a further decrease in fracking injection volumes of wastewater in the coming weeks, especially with the increase in tremors over the past month.