{"id":12060,"date":"2016-01-14T10:52:55","date_gmt":"2016-01-14T16:52:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/?p=12060"},"modified":"2016-04-25T12:42:31","modified_gmt":"2016-04-25T17:42:31","slug":"the-california-gas-disaster-what-comes-next-and-where-else-could-it-happen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2016\/01\/14\/the-california-gas-disaster-what-comes-next-and-where-else-could-it-happen\/","title":{"rendered":"The California Gas Disaster: What Comes Next and Where Else Could it Happen?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"storage_2013\"<\/a>The ongoing leak at the Aliso Canyon natural gas facility owned by Southern California Gas has driven more than 2,000 families from their homes in the Porter Ranch area of Los Angeles and prompted Gov. Brown to declare a state of emergency. It\u2019s dumped an estimated 83 thousand metric tons of methane into the atmosphere so far (see our leak counter here<\/a>), with no clear end in sight.<\/p>\n

But what are the next steps from here? What are the wider implications of this continuing disaster; and where else could something like this happen? What do we do to prevent another Aliso, and how will Southern California make up for the environmental damages once the leak stops?<\/p>\n

The troubling fact is that Aliso Canyon is just the tip of a very big iceberg, reflecting both the industry\u2019s widespread methane problem, and the potential local risks of over 400 other storage facilities nationwide. It spotlights a longstanding, largely invisible problem, promising to shift political dynamics around solutions. And the penalty phase, when it comes, will hopefully codify important principles that will also have a big effect on industry behavior.<\/p>\n