LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, the County of Los Angeles requested that the Los Angeles Superior Court enjoin the reopening of the Aliso Canyon gas storage field unless and until the Department of Conservation’s Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) completes the earthquake analysis it acknowledges is critically necessary; and develops a risk assessment/emergency response plan in case of a significant earthquake damaging the field and destroying the wells.
The earthquake analysis is necessary because virtually every one of the 114 gas wells at the facility intersects with the Santa Susana fault. Recognized seismic experts are predicting a magnitude 6.3 or greater earthquake on the fault within the next 50 years. If so, the experts expect that the rupture along the fault will be at least one or two feet, likely shearing the wells and causing a multi-well leak far greater in magnitude than the 100,000 ton leak at just one well in 2015.
Southern California Gas Company’s (SoCalGas) former head of gas storage at Aliso Canyon, James Mansdorfer, cautioned DOGGR against issuing authorization to reopen: “there is a potential for catastrophic loss of life, and in light of SoCalGas[’s] refusal to openly address this risk, my ethics just will not allow me to stand by without making the public aware of what could happen” in the event of an earthquake. DOGGR ignored Mansdorfer’s warnings.
Under Senate Bill 380, passed by the Legislature following the 2015 leak, DOGGR is required to address and complete a health and safety analysis, along with a risk assessment/emergency response plan, before reopening Aliso Canyon. Nationally credited seismic experts, consulted by DOGGR, concluded in December 2016 that comprehensive seismic studies are required for an effective risk management plan for Aliso Canyon. Although DOGGR acknowledges the existence of the Santa Susana fault and its significant safety risks, it still has not completed this earthquake work, as required by law.
DOGGR says the seismic safety analysis can be done after the facility reopens. The County disagrees. It’s critical to the health and safety of thousands of people for the seismic study and risk assessment/emergency response plan to be completed before reopening, not afterwards, when it could be too late. The earthquake work could already have been completed (it will take an estimated six months) and must be done before reopening.
This work is essential to prevent disaster in the event a big quake strikes the area, as occurred nearby in the San Fernando Valley in 1971 and 1994. The potentially catastrophic result of an earthquake simultaneously shearing numerous wells far outweighs the need to reopen the facility prematurely. Indeed, gas from Aliso Canyon hasn’t been needed since the field was closed almost two years ago.
According to County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, “Today’s action reflects the Board of Supervisors’ commitment to protect the health and safety of our residents and to require the State to complete the legally-mandated studies and mitigate all risks to the maximum extent possible.”
In addition, the County requested that the facility not be reopened until DOGGR has complied with the California Environmental Protection Act (CEQA). CEQA requires an environmental impact study before a project of this magnitude is opened. DOGGR has failed and refused to address CEQA’s requirements.
The County of Los Angeles is being represented by County Counsel Mary Wickham and by Chief Assistant Counsel Larry Hafaetz and Assistant County Counsel Scott Kuhn; and by the law firm of Miller Barondess, LLP in Los Angeles, including partners Skip Miller, Amnon Siegel, Mira Hashmall and Jason H. Tokoro. A copy of the injunction papers filed with the court is attached [Case No. BS168381, Related to Case No. JCCP 4861].
