Porter Ranch SoCal Gas Leak Declared State of Emergency

Thousands of people, including schoolchildren, have been evacuated from Porter Ranch to escape the rotten egg smell of the chemicals added to the gas.

California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency yesterday over a massive natural gas leak in Porter Ranch that’s been spewing an estimated 66,000 pounds of methane per hour for more than two months.

The emergency regulations would require Southern California Gas Co. and other operators of gas storage facilities to conduct daily inspections of wellheads using infrared leak-detection technology, verify the mechanical integrity of wells, measure gas flow and pressure and regularly test safety valves, among other steps.

This colossal leak, first discovered on or about October 23, 2015, is believed to have started sometime in September, when SoCal Gas injected gas underground near the residents of Porter Ranch.

Brown’s hesitance to issue an emergency order in the face of a growing public health crisis raised questions over a possible conflict of interest between the governor and SoCal Gas. Los Angeles Councilman Mitchell Englander said this is “one of the most devastating environmental disasters in the history of California”, CNBC reported.

But the state of emergency does formalize the process – and the repercussions. The company has estimated that it could take up to four months to plug the leaking well.

The Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee sent a letter to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy seeking answers from the agencies regarding the ongoing leak in Southern California. He promised that the state will ensure the gas company covers all the costs of addressing the leak, without passing the expense on to consumers.

Today there are approximately 115 storage wells providing gas to roughly 22 million customers across the Los Angeles Basin.

Under the plan, the gas company would pay for projects to reduce emissions of methane and other greenhouse gases in the state.

The California Air Resources Board has not responded to a request for their current estimate of how much methane is being released into the atmosphere. Rodger Schwecke, a SoCalGas executive, confirmed to L.A. Weekly that the company was not required by law to have one in place because the well was not “critical” – a formal definition that means it’s close to residences or roads. While applauding Brown’s action, EDF noted, “Leaks from the oil and gas industry occur every day, and Aliso Canyon is an extreme example of what can happen when companies don’t properly monitor and maintain aging oil and gas infrastructure”.