California has more than 100,000 miles of often-aging natural gas transmission and distribution infrastructure. Methane, the primary component of natural gas, when vented or allowed to leak into the air is 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide at contributing to climate change over a 20-year timespan. In addition, according to data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, more than one-third of today’s human-caused global warming comes from short-lived climate pollutants that include methane. Taken together, this data shows how critically important it is to minimize natural gas leaks quickly.
Senate Bill (SB) 1371, authored by California State Senator Mark Leno, aims to cut methane pollution from California’s gas transmission and distribution system by requiring the Public Utilities Commission to get more aggressive in requiring utilities to find and fix natural gas leaks. Yesterday, SB 1371 passed a critical vote in the State Assembly and is well on its way toward final passage later this summer.
What does SB 1371 do? Put simply, SB 1371 changes the way utilities respond to natural gas leaks. Read More