Sorry for the messy post. I can copy but not clean up articles.
Still, this is another Terrorist Act that is flying under our Nation's
radar.
Carl Jarvis
EARTHWORKS / CC 2.0 BY
Since October, people across the nation have been monitoring a massive
leak at SoCal Gas’ natural gas storage facility in the San Fernando
Valley. This
is the largest underground methane storage facility in the western
United States, and the leak is one of the largest environmental
disasters ever in Southern
California. At a recent public hearing on the gas leak, frustration at
the manmade environmental disaster threatened to boil over.
Earthjustice is working
with groups who want the storage facility shut down because the laws
and regulations are not in place to allow this old and deteriorated
facility to operate
safely.
Porter Ranch
Porter Ranch town center
PHOTO
BY KENT KANOUSE /
CC BY-NC 2.0
Lawsuits
have been filed, California’s elected leaders
have vowed
to take action and Governor Brown has even
declared
a State of Emergency. The leak, called the Aliso Canyon leak or the
Porter Ranch leak, is a local nightmare that has led to
health impacts,
such as headaches and nausea, and a dramatic reduction in quality of
life for local residents.
The effects of this leak are immense. Thousands of people have been
displaced and
two schools have been relocated.
But that’s not all. The implications for climate change are also
severe, especially given California’s desire to be a climate leader.
One University of
California, Davis scientist estimated that the nearly 100,000 pounds
of greenhouse gases spewed into the atmosphere every hour from the
methane leak is
equivalent to “
the weight of a U.S. Navy super carrier every month
.” The EPA has stated that, “
Pound for pound, the comparative impact of [methane] on climate change
is more than 25 times greater than CO2 over a 100-year period
.”
