Congressman Sherman: “Maximize Gas Withdrawal at Leak Site”
Urges Governor to Direct SoCalGas to Deplete their Well
Sherman Oaks – Congressman Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) wrote a letter to Governor Jerry Brown urging him to direct the Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) to maximize the daily withdrawal of natural gas, and not limit that extraction based on how much SoCalGas can sell.
In the letter, Congressman Sherman noted that by declaring a “state of emergency,” the Governor now has the authority to instruct the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and the California Energy Commission (CEC) to ensure that SoCalGas maximizes daily withdrawal.
“I believe that maximizing daily withdrawal from the storage facility is one of the most efficient ways to ensure that the leak is stopped as soon as possible,” said Sherman. “Southern California Gas Company continues to regard the gas in the Aliso Canyon Storage Facility as an asset. For the people of Porter Ranch the gas is not an asset, it is a toxin.”
“It is simply wrong to limit withdrawals of gas from the facility that can be sold in the ordinary course of business, or stored in other SoCalGas facilities. Failure to withdraw natural gas from Aliso Canyon as quickly as the infrastructure will allow creates unnecessary threats to public health and the environment.”
Read Congressman Sherman’s full letter to the Governor here: