The California Public Utilities Commission voted unanimously on Thursday to increase the capacity of Aliso Canyon subterranean natural gas storage field.
The field was the site of a 2015 leak that released about 100,000 tons of methane and other chemicals into the air. Residents became ill from exposure, and many were forced to temporarily evacuate their homes, leading to hundreds of lawsuits filed against Southern California Gas Company and its parent company, Sempra Energy.
Claims filed by nearly 36,000 plaintiffs were settled months for $1.8 billion.
Officials said Thursday the approved expansion is part of the state’s plan to eventually close the facility down for good. The move did not “diminish our ability to take steps and all of the steps that we need to take to decommission,” said CPUC Commissioner Martha Guzman Aceves, who added that expanding storage capacity will help locals get through the 2021 winter.
The agency aims to shut down Aliso Canyon between 2027 and 2035.
Still, area residents and environmental activists have urged lawmakers to backtrack.
During Thursday’s CPUC meeting, residents who live in the vicinity of Aliso Canyon said they can still smell gas. One of those locals is Jane Fowler, 62, who has lived in a nearby neighborhood for nearly 15 years, and has suffered significant health issues she believes are a result of the 2015 leak.
"My kidney is failing because it can't remove the toxins," she told KNX 1070. She said other neighbors in the vicinity of the field have been diagnosed with cancer, blood disorders, and other serious ailments in connection with the leak. Fowler also believes toxins in the environment resulted in the premature death of her dog.
"The community has expressed that they have health issues, they're very aware," she says of Southern California Gas. "Really, they don't need to add gas. We've gone six years without more gas."
Fowler says Thursday's news has brought the community significant stress and anxiety on top of chronic health problems.
"I've been smelling gas for the last few months," she said. "Then your skin starts to itch, you get a bloody nose, and you think, is it happening again?"
The gas leak has also impacted Fowler's ability to enjoy her property. "I can't open my windows," she said. "I put a patio in, can't use it. I don't garden anymore."
Guzman insists CPUC decommission of the facility remains the ultimate goal, even if it doesn't happen as quickly as locals would like.
"We continue to move forward on planning how to reduce or eliminate the use of Aliso Canyon, and to ultimately reduce our reliance entirely on such natural gas infrastructure as we transition to a clean energy economy," she said Thursday.
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