Prosecutors charge utility with crimes for leak

“It is important that Southern California Gas Co.be held responsible for its criminal actions”, Lacey said in a written statement.

There is concern among constituents that the unusually large increases in the billed amount are either improperly linked to the ongoing natural gas leak at the Aliso Canyon storage facility or due to a flaw in new “Advanced Meters” which electronically transmit gas usage data to SoCal Gas.

Attorney General Kamala Harris said Tuesday the company violated several state laws and failed to report the leak to the necessary agencies for three days after its discovery in October.

The charges could result in a maximum fine of $25,000 a day for each day the leak went unreported, and $1,000 a day for each day the well has polluted the air. “The gas company made a number of mistakes, but they are able to claim they were within the regulations because the (state’s) regulations are weak, and the federal government’s were non-existent”. Porter Ranch residents Alisandra Espinoza, Gina Batista, Robert Concheron, Gabriel Khanlian, Jennifer Grooms and Maria Milanes share how the leak is affecting them. “This bill spiking comes at a time when SoCal is experiencing a major disaster at its Aliso Canyon facility”, Englander said.

The Attorney General seeks relief in the form of injunction, civil penalties, and restitution. The natural gas leak has caused a public health and statewide environmental emergency, which has sickened residents of Porter Ranch and compelled them to relocate.

“The impact of this unprecedented gas leak is devastating to families in our state, our environment, and our efforts to combat global warming”, Harris said in a statement.

The lawsuit contends that the leak at the Aliso Canyon storage facility has spewed 80,000 metric tons of methane into the atmosphere, threatening the state’s effort to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.

In developing the Natural Gas Leak Prevention Act, Rep. Knight says he was careful to gather all the information possible to ensure that it would be effective and could move through the legislative process successfully.

“However, PHMSA has yet to use its existing regulatory authority regarding natural gas storage”, he said, adding that the legislation he plans to introduce, the Natural Gas Storage Safety Act, would direct the PHMSA to implement safety standards for natural gas storage facilities. People in Porter Ranch have reportedly been suffering headaches, nausea and nosebleeds.

Earlier Tuesday, California Attorney General Kamala Harris announced that her office had joined a civil lawsuit filed by the county and city of Los Angeles against the utility. Southern California Gas is owned by Sempra Energy, a San Diego-based corporation whose board of directors includes Kathleen Brown, the sister of Gov. Jerry Brown.