Three years ago, a blowout at the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility forced thousands of nearby families to evacuate their homes and leaked over 100,000 tons of methane and other harmful pollutants into the atmosphere. The facility’s operator, Southern California Gas, wasn’t prepared for the scope or scale of the disaster that unfolded over four months.… Keep reading →
More than a year and a half after the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility caused more than 100,000 tons of methane to leak into the atmosphere – amounting to be our nation’s largest-ever gas leak, California regulators continue to labor away at improving the rules that could prevent another gas storage disaster. That leak… Keep reading →
Today, the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission and the Ground Water Protection Council published a new report entitled “Underground Gas Storage Regulatory Considerations: A Guide for State and Federal Regulatory Agencies.” Like the title says, the report helps regulators make decisions that will ultimately make gas storage facilities across the country safer and more… Keep reading →
In recent months we’ve posted a number of times about how increased U.S. use of natural gas is lowering carbon dioxide emissions by the electricity-generation sector while also making our air cleaner by helping reduce criteria pollutants. Looking ahead, using abundant natural gas offers states a path to continue reducing emissions in a way that’s… Keep reading →
A task force has released its report on the safety of underground natural gas storage, following the Aliso Canyon leak in California.
After passing the State Assembly Appropriations committee on Wednesday, a little known bill – SB 1441 – is headed for the assembly floor, which is slated to deliver big benefits for consumers and the environment. Not only will the bill create a strong market driver for utilities to operate tighter infrastructure and save California consumers tens… Keep reading →
On June 20 and 21, temperatures across the Southwest hit record triple digits. It was a scorching way to start the summer. For Southern Californians, early arrival of extreme heat tested the region’s already compromised electricity system: Residents braced for rolling blackouts as the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility (one of the primary sources of… Keep reading →
Last month, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the SAFE PIPES Act, reauthorizing the Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). Tucked inside the bipartisan bill are important new measures intended to advance the ways in which regulators facilitate the repair and replacement of old, increasingly leaky pipeline systems. The bill also creates a multi-agency task… Keep reading →
On January 15, 2016, the California Department of Conservation (DOC) issued a notice of intent to propose emergency natural gas storage regulations in response to Governor Brown’s emergency proclamation to address the ongoing natural gas leak at the Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Storage Facility in Los Angeles County. The leak, detected in October 2015, is… Keep reading →
One of the country’s largest leaks ever of natural gas, which is primarily made up of the potent greenhouse gas methane, has been going on in California’s Aliso Canyon for over a month. The volume that’s been leaking has been staggering—and the impacts to local residents severe enough to warrant relocating hundreds of families. Major… Keep reading →
