Energy

Aliso Canyon was the biggest methane well blowout in U.S. history, and we still don't know why it happened. The California Public Utilities Commission just reopened the facility without the necessary environmental and safety reviews, so we have no way of knowing if it will happen again. 

No sooner had the PUC and oil regulators greenlighted resumed natural gas injections at Aliso Canyon last week, than Los Angeles County sued to block it.

LA County is suing Southern California Gas for failing to conduct required safety and environmental studies on its natural gas storage facillity and to turn over public documents before it is reopened. As well the County should.

While in Beijing last month, Gov. Jerry Brown publicly promoted the fight against climate change. Just as important was the quiet attendance of AES, a major builder of fossil-fuel power plants in California.

Was the governor making plans to cut greenhouse-gas emissions, or was he making deals to build more climate-warming natural gas plants? Unfortunately, California’s transparency laws don’t ensure the disclosure of such backroom conversations.