The Southern California Gas Co. has agreed to pay $8.5 million — including $1 million for an independent health study — to settle a lawsuit filed by the South Coast Air Quality Management District last year over the nation’s worst natural gas leak at the utility’s Aliso Canyon storage facility, air regulators announced Wednesday.
“We are pleased to immediately kick off the process for an independent health study,” said Wayne Nastri, SCAQMD’s executive officer, in a written statement. “This study will build upon existing health information and help inform the community about potential health impacts from the gas leak.”
• RELATED STORY: Aliso Canyon 1 year later: Health study stuck in limbo amid cancer fears
The settlement specifies that $1 million will be designated for a health study sponsored by SCAQMD; that $5.65 million will pay for emission fees related to the leak; $1.6 million will reimburse SCAQMD for air monitoring costs and $250,000 for its legal fees, the air quality agency said in a statement.
SoCalGas, in a statement, confirmed that it will fund the health study related to the natural gas leak that spewed more than 100,000 metric tons of methane into the atmosphere of nearly four months, sickened many residents and prompted the relocation of more than 8,300 households and two schools in the northwest San Fernando Valley.
“Consistent with the commitment we made last year, SoCalGas has agreed to fund AQMD’s health study,” SoCalGas said.
“We are pleased to have worked with AQMD to settle this and other matters.”
More to come.
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