Scientists are now more certain than ever that oil and gas drilling is causing hundreds of earthquakes across the US, with the evidence coming in from one study after another.
So far, the quakes have been mostly small and have done little damage beyond cracking plaster and toppling bricks, but seismologists warn that the shaking can dramatically increase the chances of bigger, more dangerous quakes.
Until now, the oil and gas industry has generally argued that any such link requires further study.
But the rapidly-mounting evidence could bring heavier regulation down on drillers and make it more difficult for them to get projects approved.
A series of government and academic studies over the past few years - including at least two reports released last week alone - has added to the body of evidence implicating the US drilling boom over the past decade or so.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
Last Thursday, the US Geological Survey released the first comprehensive maps pinpointing more than a dozen areas in the central and eastern US that have been jolted by quakes that the researchers said were triggered by drilling.
The potential for man-made quakes "is an important and legitimate concern that must be taken very seriously by regulators and industry," said Jason Bordoff, founding director of the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University.
He says companies and states can reduce the risk by taking steps such as monitoring operations more closely, imposing tighter standards and recycling wastewater from drilling instead of injecting it underground.
