Sixth Anniversary of The Aliso Canyon Gas Blowout – The Federal Response

Porter Ranch, California -- On October 23, 2015, the Southern California Gas Company well SS25 exploded at the Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Storage Facility, causing the greatest emission of natural gas and associated toxic compounds in the history of the United States. Congressman Sherman lives about as close as anyone to the site of this disaster.

"We need to shut down the Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Storage Facility," said Congressman Sherman. "We should not have one of the largest natural gas storage facilities located just a few feet outside the city limits of America's second largest city. Outrageously, for six years the Southern California Gas Company has refused to even begin to put together a plan to provide reliable gas service to Southern California without using this notorious facility, the site of the largest natural gas blowout in this history of the United States. It is long past time for the California Public Utilities Commission to demand that the Southern California Gas Company create a plan to provide reliable natural gas service without storing gas at Aliso Canyon."

The well emitted more than 100,000 tons of natural gas and toxic organic compounds, caused the evacuation of 7,000 families for a period of months and led recently to a legal settlement of $1.8 billion dollars.

In January of 2016, President Obama personally committed to Congressman Sherman to publish natural gas storage safety regulations. And later that year, the Obama administration issued regulations. Revised regulations were issued in 2020.

Congressman Sherman co-sponsored the Protecting Our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety Open Brand Pipes Act, requiring the federal government to issue improved natural gas storage safety regulations in light of recommendations from the Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Task Force. Yesterday, Congressman Sherman was assured by Tristian Brown, the Acting Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) with such improved regulations would be published early next year.

Earlier this year, PHMSA announced a grant of $3.2 million to California to conduct inspections to make sure that regulations are strictly adhered to.

Sherman concluded: "We look forward to phasing out fossil fuels. In the meantime, we need reliable national gas service that does not depend upon a huge storage facility notorious for an enormous leak and located inappropriately in an urban area."