This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Aliso Canyon methane leak — the largest natural gas leak in U.S. history that pumped more than 100,000 tonnes of the potent greenhouse gas methane into the atmosphere. Many have compared the resulting environmental damage to the catastrophic 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
The leak occurred at an underground gas storage facility northwest of Los Angeles and went on for over 100 days before eventually being plugged. By that time, thousands of residents were displaced from their homes and reported experiencing severe nose bleeds, headaches and other health impacts. Studies on the longer term health impacts of the disaster are still ongoing, but a recent study indicated that pregnant women living near the facility were significantly more likely to have babies with low birth weight. Meanwhile the climate impact of the gas emitted during the leak is similar to that of a large European country’s annual greenhouse gas emissions. Read More
