The gas company pleaded no contest to one misdemeanor count of failing to immediately notify the California Office of Emergency Services and Los Angeles County Fire Department of the leak that began on or around October 23, 2015, in the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage field.
Advertisement
Monday’s leak was discovered at 4:50 p.m. CDT, and the SoCalGas spokesperson said the utility notified relevant state agencies as it took steps to make permanent repairs of the pipe.
Under state law, SoCalGas can not inject gas into Aliso Canyon until the California Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) approves the company’s testing of the 114 wells at the facility to make sure they are safe to operate.
As part of the settlement, the utility will also pay a $75,000 fine, $232,500 in state penalties and $246,672 to reimburse the fire department response to the leak.
With this conviction, she said, the company is on notice and could face a more serious criminal penalty in the future if the same unlawful conduct occurs.
At a cost of $1.2 million to $1.5 million, the gas company will install eight infrared methane leak detection systems along the southern border of the Aliso Canyon gas field.
The leak, discovered on October 23, 2015, at the utility’s Aliso Canyon site near Porter Ranch, ultimately was capped, but not until after it spewed 100,000 metric tons of methane into the air, making many local residents sick. The total cost for these positions will be approximately $2.25 million for the next three years. 13 that the settlement requires Southern California Gas Co.to adopt expensive safety measures at its Aliso Canyon facility that go beyond federal and state requirements. Also, the utility will be reuqred to retain an outside company to test and certify that the monitoring system and real-time pressure monitors to be placed at each gas well are working properly.
The agreement requires the company to revise and adopt new reporting policies for actual and threatened releases of hazardous materials to the appropriate agencies.
Three other misdemeanor counts will be dismissed when the utility is sentenced on November 29. If the settlement terms are met, three remaining charges will be dismissed, the Signal reported.
Deputy District Attorneys Wright, Yael Massry, and Christopher Curtis in the Environmental Crimes – Occupational Safety and Health Administration Section – prosecuted the case. Many of them are represented by the group Save Porter Ranch.
Advertisement
Residents have complained of headaches, nosebleeds and nausea, which are short-term symptoms associated with an odor-causing additive in the natural gas. I want it shut down.
