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newsrel -- Aliso Canyon leak emitted 109,000 metric tons of methane

Posted: 21 Oct 2016 14:27:38
Please consider the following news release from the California
Air Resources Board:

http://www.arb.ca.gov/newsrel/newsrelease.php?id=868

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 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 21, 2016

NEWS RELEASE 16-52



CONTACT: 

Stanley Young
(916) 322-2990
stanley.young@arb.ca.gov



Aliso Canyon leak emitted 109,000 metric tons of methane

SoCalGas to be held accountable for climate impacts


Sacramento—The Aliso Canyon natural gas leak emitted 109,000
metric tons of methane into the atmosphere from late October 2015
to mid-February 2016, according to the final estimate released
today by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) staff.  This
is roughly equivalent to the annual natural gas usage of 190,000
Los Angeles homes, or the carbon dioxide emissions released from
burning over 1 billion gallons of gasoline. 

The final estimate will be used to determine the amount of
methane reductions needed to fully mitigate the climate impacts
of the natural gas leak. Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas),
which operates the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility, is
expected to mitigate those impacts by funding projects that
reduce methane emissions by an equivalent amount.

“This was the largest methane leak in the history of the state
and CARB is determined to ensure that the environmental damage
caused by this potent greenhouse gas is fully addressed and
mitigated by the Southern California Gas Company,” said CARB
Chair Mary D. Nichols.

After the leak was discovered on Oct. 23, 2015, seven state
agencies worked together to stop the leak, protect public health
and safety, ensure accountability, and strengthen long-term
oversight.  The well was permanently sealed in February 2016.
Several investigations and analyses of the well failure are
underway, including by the state Division of Oil, Gas, and
Geothermal Resources and the California Public Utilities
Commission.  These agencies will determine whether violations of
state regulations occurred, and their findings will be made
public.  In February, the state put in place a host of new
regulations to strengthen state oversight of oil and gas storage
in California, including multiple testing, inspection and
monitoring requirements for all wells in the state. 


Mitigating Climate Impacts

As part of the state’s response, CARB quantified the leak’s
methane emissions so that the climate impacts can be fully
mitigated. Its report, “Determination of Total Methane Emissions
from the Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Leak Incident,” used
information gathered from several aircraft flights coordinated by
CARB and the California Energy Commission that measured methane
levels through the gas plume during the leak, as well as readings
from the Aliso Canyon reservoir pressure gauges, to arrive at the
final estimate. 

The incident was also closely monitored by a variety of
scientific research and measurement instruments, including a
high-altitude U2 aircraft, two satellites, the state methane
monitoring network, and the Megacities Carbon Project monitoring
network in Los Angeles. CARB and the South Coast Air Quality
Management District (SCAQMD) also supplied ground monitoring from
the surrounding community. 

CARB staff estimated a range of emissions from the leak. The
final estimate of 109,000 metric tons of methane reflects the
upper end of that range to ensure full and complete mitigation. 

The final estimate also shows that the leak was responsible for
approximately 20 percent of the total statewide methane emissions
during the 16 weeks it remained uncontrolled. That is more than
double the statewide fugitive emissions from the state’s oil and
gas production during the same period, and roughly half of the
emissions from the state’s industrial dairies, the largest source
of methane emissions in California, during that period.  Methane
constitutes about 9 percent of California’s total greenhouse gas
emissions each year. 

The Aliso Canyon facility is the largest underground natural gas
storage facility on the West Coast. It is located at the northern
edge of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, and has enough
capacity to provide natural gas for roughly 2 million households
for a year. 

As ordered by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. in his Emergency
Declaration on January 6, 2016, CARB has developed a plan to
fully mitigate the fugitive emissions from Aliso Canyon.
California also filed suit against SoCalGas on February 2 seeking
both penalties and mitigation stemming from the leak. That action
is currently pending before the court.  Determination of the
final estimate is an important step in establishing the
mitigation projects SoCalGas will develop according to the
requirements set out in the plan. SoCalGas has indicated that it
is committed to mitigating the climate effects of the leak. 


Aerial Survey of Underground Storage

CARB and the California Energy Commission are also releasing data
from the state’s first ever aerial survey of underground natural
gas storage facilities. The survey is a preliminary look at
fugitive emissions from the 11 underground storage facilities
currently in use around the state. It shows significant
reductions in these emissions from the Aliso Canyon Facility, and
minor or declining emissions at most other facilities. The survey
is the result of flights over these sites by Scientific Aviation.


The final determination of Aliso Canyon emissions and the
methodology for the determination can be found here: 
https://www.arb.ca.gov/research/aliso_canyon_natural_gas_leak.htm


The statewide aerial survey results are here: 
https://www.arb.ca.gov/research/methane/natural_gas_storage_survey.htm

Information about the California Public Utilities Commission’s
investigation into the cause of the leak can be found here:
http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/aliso/ 



California is in a drought emergency.
Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.

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