With minor earthquakes occurring regularly near gas and oil drilling sites across several states in the US, the door may be opening for lawsuits against North American gas producers — although the timing and extent of any litigation is up for debate. Producers will be desperate to avoid a repeat of the legal nightmare facing Royal Dutch Shell and Exxon Mobil in the Netherlands, where a court ruled last month that the two giants must compensate homeowners for loss of property value from earthquakes caused by production at Groningen, Europe's biggest gas field (WGI Sep.9' 15). The lawyer representing the almost 100,000 homeowners said compensation could amount to ?5 billion ($5.6 billion), although Shell and Exxon have said they will appeal.
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