On the eve of two major hearings by state regulators on the fitness of SoCalGas’ Aliso Canyon storage field above Porter Ranch, responsible for the nation’s biggest methane leak, the utility has declared the facility safe to be brought back online.
SoCalGas announced its position in an email Monday evening.
“As a result of comprehensive testing, physical changes and the establishment of tubing flow only, SoCalGas has demonstrated that the Aliso Canyon storage facility is safe to resume operations,” the company said.
The decision by the utility came in advance of public meetings today and Thursday night in Woodland Hills, during which regulators from the state Department of Conservation’s Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) and the California Public Utilities Commission will provide an update on Aliso Canyon.
The meetings will provide residents and environmental groups with information on Aliso Canyon’s well-safety review, the investigation, the CPUC’s reliability analysis and upcoming proceedings to determine the feasibility of minimizing or eliminating the use of Aliso Canyon.
Regulators will also collect public comment on the safety review, proposed pressure limits for Aliso Canyon and they will hear concerns about reopening the field.
They will start the decision-making process after the public comment expires next week.
SoCalGas will have a representative at the meetings, said company spokesman Chris Gilbride.
There is no timeline, at this point, for a final ruling, but regulators have said that it could come before Texas-based Blade Energy Partners Ltd. completes its analysis on why well SS-25, high on Oat Mountain, ruptured and spewed methane into the atmosphere for 112 days.
That position has upset Jokerbet some residents, environmental groups and lawmakers.
The leak began in late October 2015 and was not stopped until mid-February 2016. It pumped 94,067 metric tons of methane into the atmosphere, according to the California Air Resources Board.
SoCalGas maintains the field is now sound.
“We have made, and continue to make, comprehensive infrastructure, technology and safety enhancements that strengthen the facility’s infrastructure, introduce real-time pressure monitoring, and enable improved communication with the community,” the company said in its email.
DOGGR spokeswoman Teresa Schilling said that regulators will also take written comments, which have to be submitted by 5 p.m. Feb. 6. Information about submitting written comments is available at conservation.ca.gov/dog.
“We’re not committed to a decision on the facility by any date. We’ll take whatever time is needed to make a final decision on whether the field is safe to reopen for operation,” Schilling said.
The meetings are from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at the Hilton Woodland Hills, 6360 Canoga Ave.
The company said that as of last Friday all 114 wells remaining in the field have completed the first phase of required tests. Of those, 113 are in the second phase of testing and 38 wells have completed all of the required tests.
Thirty-four wells have received final DOGGR approval.
On Tuesday, Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger once again reiterated her support for Senate Bill 146, which would extend the prohibition of gas injection into the wells in Aliso Canyon until the final cause is known.
Until the public hearings have been completed and the root cause of the leak is revealed, there should be no injections, she said.
“There has been an investigation since the date of incident to identify the root cause of the gas leak,” Barger said in a board motion she introduced last week, which was approved by the supervisors. “The investigation has not yet identified the root cause.”
Daily News staff writer Susan Abram contributed to this report
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