natural gas

State regulators are considering re-opening the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility without knowing what exactly caused the blowout in the first place.  That’s like taking an airplane that just crash landed and sending it aloft again without knowing if the engine’s loose.

But that’s what State Oil and Gas Supervisor Ken Harris said today in a briefing with legislative staff in Sacramento who were asking tough questions about the state’s proposal to reopen 34 of the 114 wells at Aliso—albeit at reduced pressures and with continuous monitoring.

Over near Porter Ranch, SoCal Gas’s catastrophic natural gas leak continually belches a noxious black cloud.  Besides emitting enough planet warming methane to fill the Empire State Building every day, it’s giving residents headaches, dizziness, nausea, and nosebleeds. They’re breathing methyl mercaptan that, at very high levels, can cause anemia and internal bleeding; benzene, a known carcinogen; and radon, a radioactive gas.