Shut Aliso Canyon: Advocates And Sen. Henry Stern Rally For Closure

NORTHRIDGE, CA — Locals on Wednesday gathered with California Senator Henry Stern (D-Los Angeles) to advocate for the closure of Aliso Canyon storage facility in Porter Ranch, the site of the biggest methane leak in U.S. history.

Demonstrators can be seen in videos outside the Southern California Gas Company office in Chatsworth chanting "shut it down" and holding signs that read "decommission Aliso Canyon now," "SoCal Gas makes me sick" and "our health matters." Stern took the mic to discuss legislation he introduced in February to the California Senate calling for an end all natural gas operations at the facility by 2027.

The 2015 leak at the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility, operated by SoCal Gas, was the biggest methane leak in U.S. history, according to the Los Angeles Times. Some 100,000 tons of methane, a greenhouse gas, leaked into the atmosphere over the course of 118 days before SoCal Gas fixed the leak.

Despite constant cries from activists and politicians to shut the facility down, the California Public Utilities Commission in Nov. 2021 agreed to increase the amount of natural gas that can be stored at the Aliso Canyon storage facility near Porter Ranch, raising the limit to roughly 60% of overall capacity.

"We started this fight back in 2015 and it was a shame that the Public Utilities Commission decided to reopen this field last winter," Stern said at the rally, referring to the November expansion of the facility.

Politicians and activists alike have long called for the facility's closure. In 2016, the Public Utilities Commission was asked to determine the feasibility of eliminating Aliso Canyon as a natural gas storage facility. In 2019, Gov. Gavin Newsom asked the commission to expedite the closure of the facility.

Politicians like U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-California) and Alex Padilla (D-California) and other local officials have also publicly asked for the facility's closure, according to Stern's legislation. The ultimate closure of the facility will also expedite the city's plan to rely primarily on clean energy resources, according to Stern's legislation.

Organizers also encouraged residents to express support for Stern's legislation, Senate Bill 1486, to their elected officials or write a letter to the editor to local news organizations.