Aliso Canyon Facility Will Expand, Commission Unanimously Decides

NORTHRIDGE-CHATSWORTH, CA — Over the objection of residents and activists, the California Public Utilities Commission has agreed to increase the amount of natural gas that can be stored at the Aliso Canyon storage facility near Porter Ranch, raising the limit to roughly 60% of overall capacity.

The CPUC considered two proposals Thursday regarding the SoCalGas Aliso Canyon storage facility, the site of the worst natural gas leak in the nation, and whether its capacity will be increased.

The commission rejected an alternative proposal that would have allowed the facility to operate at 100% capacity. The increase was recommended in an effort to ensure adequate regional energy supply during the upcoming winter.

"With projections for higher than normal natural gas prices nationwide and repair work on an interstate pipeline limiting natural gas supplies to our region, SoCalGas storage facilities, including Aliso Canyon, will play a key and essential role in delivering reliable energy and keeping energy prices stable for Southern Californians this winter," Christine Detz, spokeswoman for Southern California Gas Co., which operates the facility, said in a statement after the vote.

Around 50 people opposed to the facility's storage capacity expansion called the agency, but to no avail, according to the Los Angeles Daily News.

Residents and activists decried the decision to increase the facility's capacity, contending the region already has more than adequate natural gas in storage.

"Allowing any increase in storage capacity at SoCalGas' Aliso Canyon facility is not only dangerous, it is needless," Alexandra Nagy, California director of Food & Water Watch, said in a statement. "SoCal Gas and its shareholders are the only ones who profit from this disastrous glut of natural gas in the backyard of their ratepayers. Governor [Gavin] Newsom has instituted setbacks to protect frontline communities from oil and gas drilling. But where is the protection for communities in the shadow of gas infrastructure like Aliso Canyon? Governor Newsom has made it clear that Aliso Canyon should be shut down. Now he must follow his mandate with action and ensure the CPUC closes this facility once and for all."

Many notable politicians have stepped in and even spoken out against the decision to expand the gas facility's storage capacity, including Representative Brad Sherman, who represents much of the San Fernando Valley and said the commission should be focused on permanently closing the facility.

"You should deny the application to increase pressure and storage at the Aliso Canyon facility. Instead, you should order Southern California Gas to submit expeditiously a plan to shut-down the facility while maintaining reliable service to consumers and businesses," Sherman said in a letter to the commission.

The two proposals up for consideration were one that would increase the storage limit to 100% of its allowable capacity at 68.6 billion cubic feet and one that would set the limit at 60% at 41.6 billion cubic feet. Indicated Shippers, a group of oil companies, including California Resources Corporation, Chevron, Phillips 66 and Tesoro, made the requests to increase storage limits at the Aliso Canyon facility.

The proposals were both part of a long-term plan to close the facility, according to the LA Daily News. CPUC Commissioner Martha Cuzman Aceves said the move to increase capacity does not mean the gas facility won't close or be significantly reduced as planned. The move is just to get the area through the winter, LA Daily News reported.

In 2019, Gov. Gavin Newsom directed the CPUC to expedite the closure of Aliso Canyon. The L.A. City Council and the L.A. County Board of Supervisors have also voted to shutting down the Aliso Canyon facility immediately.

Independent investigations indicate that increasing storage limits will not materially improve energy reliability this winter, and countered data used by the gas industry and the CPUC.

Background

The 2015 leak at the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility, operated by SoCal Gas, was the biggest methane leak in U.S. history, according to the Los Angeles Times. Some 100,000 tons of methane, a greenhouse gas, leaked into the atmosphere over the course of 118 days before SoCal Gas fixed the leak.

SoCal Gas announced it will pay up to $1.8 billion to settle the claims of more than 35,000 residents who said they were affected by the leak. Many say this settlement is not nearly enough, according to KCRW.

The settlement has renewed Porter Ranch residents' call to shut the facility down and has reinvigorated frustration over the leak.

The Los Angeles public health department is conducting a health research study alongside an independent research project conducted by a nonprofit called Environmental Health Research.

City News Service and Emily Rahhal contributed to this story.

Read More:

• SoCal Gas To Pay $1.8 Billion To Aliso Canyon Gas Leak Victims
• Nonprofit Will Address Gaps In County's Aliso Gas Leak Response
• Porter Ranch Residents Renew Call For Closure Of Gas Facility