The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Tuesday endorsed state legislation to extend the prohibition of gas injection into the Alisa Canyon storage facility until the cause of a massive methane leak is identified.
The leak in late 2015 and early 2016 emitted 109,000 metric tons of methane and displaced at least 7,000 Porter Ranch area residents for months.
The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously in support of Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s motion in support of the bill by Sene. Henry Stern, D-Canoga Park.
“To address the serious concerns of residents living near the Aliso Canyon facility, this bill ensures that every effort is made to find and address the root cause of the leak last year which forced thousands from their homes, caused serious health concerns and disrupted countless lives,” Barger said.
Los Angeles City Councilman Mitchell Englander also submitted a motion Tuesday asking his colleagues to endorse the legislation.
Stern’s bill would extend the prohibition of gas injection into the facility until officials have determined the cause of the leak and publicly released the findings.
SB 146 would also change the deadline for the state Public Utilities Commission to open proceedings about the possibility of minimizing or eliminating the use of Aliso Canyon from July 1 to Dec. 31.
“It is unacceptable that as we approach the one-year anniversary of the closure of the Aliso Canyon Leak, we still don’t know the root cause of the largest leak in U.S. history,” Englander said.
“With over 15,000 residents relocated, two schools closed and dozens of businesses affected, it is simply irresponsible to reopen without a completed investigation,” he said. “If you grounded a plane because of engine problems, you would never allow that plane to fly unless you were certain of the cause of the failure and able to prevent it.”
State regulators earlier this month issued a series of proposed regulations under which Southern California Gas Co. would be able to resume injecting natural gas into the Aliso Canyon facility, but at reduced amounts and lower pressure levels than the company requested.
A final decision on whether the injections can resume will not be made until after a pair of public hearings are held next month, allowing residents to comment on the proposed safety procedures and operating restrictions.
Barger asked public health officials about the status of a long-term health study of the effects of the gas leak that SoCalGas had agreed to fund.
Cynthia Harding, interim director for public health, said she didn’t believe the utility had yet honored its commitment to pay for such a study.
“In the history of this country, there has never been a (natural gas) disaster of this magnitude,” Harding added. “It is really important that we understand the impacts of a disaster of this size.”
Barger replied, “Money talks and I think the Gas Company … (needs) to stand up and do what is right for the community.”
