LOS ANGELES (KNX) — Southern California Gas Co., which owns and operates the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility near the Porter Ranch neighborhood of the San Fernando Valley, has reached a settlement agreement with an environmental watchdog group.
Under the agreement, SoCalGas must monitor benzene levels around the site and alert neighboring communities in the event of a gas leak like that detected in 2015, which exposed residents to a variety of carcinogenic chemicals. It was the largest natural gas leak in U.S. history.
“This signed agreement is a major step in making the polluter responsible for fence line benzene monitoring, and ensuring residents’ right to know if and when they are being exposed to benzene, Kaya Allan Sugerman, director of the Illegal Toxic Threats Program at the Center for Environmental Health, said in a statement on Tuesday.
Since the 2015 leak, residents have complained of suffering continued side effects of benzene exposure, including nosebleeds, chronic headaches and dizziness, among other symptoms. SoCalGas executives have nevertheless insisted that benzene levels around the facility remain within a normal range.
As part of the settlement, SoCalGas has not admitted to any wrongdoing.
The settlement between the Oakland-based Center for Environmental Health and SoCalGas arose out of a lawsuit filed by the latter in 2016, accusing the utility of violating Proposition 65 — a state law requiring companies to warn the public of exposure to carcinogenic chemicals.
The settlement included a $1.55 million payment from SoCalGas to the Center, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, and an individual plaintiff. It dictates that SoCalGas have a system to monitor benzene levels at two locations in Aliso Canyon within 180 days. Thirty days after the system is up and running, neighbors who sign up for text or email alerts will be notified if methane levels exceed 25 parts per million for 30 minutes or more.
Former Gov. Jerry Brown ordered the California Public Utilities Commission in 2017 to shut down the facility within 10 years. Newsom has asked the commission to speed up the process. State Sen. Henry Stern recently announced a plan to close the facility down by 2023.
Still, commission members voted in November to expand the facility’s capacity. The reasoning was to ensure sufficient energy supply ahead of colder winter months. Commissioners said plans to shut the facility down in the future remained in place.
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