Senator Henry Stern D-Canoga Park, who also represents parts of the Santa Clarita Valley wrote a letter in opposition to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) after news that Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility is considering expanding its location instead of downsizing.   

In the letter, Stern told the PUC the ruling to expand Aliso Canyon is  “unwise and unsafe,” according to officials with Stern’s office. 

“Your recent ruling suggests the possibility of raising — not reducing — the maximum authorized natural gas storage capacity at the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility,” Stern said in the letter to the PUC. “This is unwise and unsafe. All other alternatives and options must be fully explored to ensure natural gas storage levels are not increased. Anything else sends absolutely the wrong signal given the concerns of the communities impacted by the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility and in meeting the state’s climate goals. To increase storage levels when the actual pursuit is to seek the expedited closure of the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility is to turn one’s back on the real issue and ignore the relevancy of recent climate and energy actions meant to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.” 

The letter was written in response to a Phase 2 and Phase 3 Scoping Memo and Ruling dated July 9, 2021, with regard to the Aliso Canyon Well Failure Order Instituting Investigation I.17-02-002—maintain existing limitations on storage facility capacity.

“The California Public Utilities Commission needs to reject the proposal by SoCalGas and oil companies to increase storage limits at Aliso Canyon. The PUC must stop this egregious and unwarranted expansion of fossil fuels and prioritize public health and climate justice, not fossil fuel profits,” said Food and Water Watch California Director Alexandra Nagy. “The PUC has a clear mandate by Governor Newsom to shut down Aliso Canyon to protect health, safety and climate. Talk of expanding this dangerous gas facility is a slap in the face to all Californians suffering daily now from the climate emergency and drought, wildfires and heat waves. Instead of siding with SoCalGas, the PUC should prioritize clean energy investments in the Los Angeles Basin, an action that alleviated the need for Aliso Canyon directly after the gas blowout.”

The public has called for the closure of the facility ever since Oct. 23, 2015, when a gas leak started from well SS-25 at SoCal Gas’ Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility released more than 100,000 metric tons of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, according to officials.  

As a result, nearby public schools had to be closed during the leak to protect the children and staff, and literally thousands of people in the surrounding communities had to temporarily move during the leak to protect their and their loved ones’ health from this pollution. 

Due to the incident, many local residents, neighborhood councils, the Los Angeles City Council, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, the Los Angeles Unified School District, U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, environmental and community groups and many others, have called for the facility’s closure including Senator Stern and his predecessor, former Senator Fran Pavley.

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