California Gas Company Agrees to Fine in Huge Methane Leak

The Southern California Gas Company has agreed to pay US$4 million to settle criminal charges in connection with a massive gas leak last year.

While the utility still faces a slew of civil lawsuits, the settlement ends a prosecution brought by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, which accused the company of failing to properly notify authorities when the leak – the largest of its kind – occurred.

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The gargantuan rupture forced about 8,000 residents to flee their homes for months, and affected all homes, schools, playgrounds and public parks.

The gas company has pled guilty to one misdemeanor count of failing to immediately notify California Office of Emergency Services and Los Angeles County Fire Department for the leak that occurred in the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage field.

The company has already shelled out more than US$700 million to pay civil lawsuits, and still face scores more from residents who have complained of health problems and declining property values.

The California attorney general seeks a lawsuit from the company, as well as Los Angeles County who are suing to force the company to install safety valves on its wells. In addition, South Coast Air Quality Management District is also seeking a fine from the company.

The settlement with L.A. prosecutors includes the installation of safety measures that go beyond requirements from state and local laws, including eight infrared methane leak detection systems along the border of the Aliso Canyon gas field, as well as real-time pressure monitors at each storage well.

Utility officials have said the settlement is “another important step in our efforts to put the leak behind us and to win back the trust of the community.”

But others disagree.

Residents have pointed out that the settlement doesn't include any preventative measures, and instead only focus on identifying a leak once it’s begun. Tellingly, the night before the settlement was announced, officials said they found a leak in an above-ground pipe used to withdraw gas from the gas field.

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“There is no change in the way the wells are configured in the field and the way they tap into the storage of gas,” said Issam Najm, president of the Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council, as reported by the LA Times. “Therefore, to that end, we don't see that there’s any substantive change in the safety of the system.”

Alexandra Nagy, with the environmental group Food and Water Watch, said more pointedly: “This fine is barely a slap on the wrist for SoCal Gas, whose parent company made US$10 billion in revenue last year.”

Some residents living near Aliso Canyon want the gas field to be shut down entirely. .

“SoCal Gas themselves demonstrated why this unneeded facility must be permanently shut down and their guilt will be further proven as civil litigation proceeds,” said Matt Pakucko, president of Save Porter Ranch, in the LA Times. “And we are concerned about what happens with the leak-detection system after three years. Residents of the area will still need to breathe in three years."

Still, gas company officials have repeatedly touted that Aliso Canyon is a vital element of Southern California’s energy infrastructure.

"Aliso Canyon is critical to the reliability of natural gas and electricity services in Southern California. We are diligently working with state officials to complete a comprehensive safety review of the facility,” according to a statement from the utility.