Despite vehement opposition from many nearby residents, the California Public Utilities Commission Thursday approved an increase in allowable storage capacity at the Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Storage facility near Porter Ranch, site of the largest gas leak in U.S. history.
On a 5-0 vote, the CPUC agreed to allow up to 68.6 billion cubic feet of natural gas to be stored at the facility. The previous cap was 41.1 billion cubic feet.
In a statement, SoCalGas Co. spokesman Chris Gilbride said,"SoCalGas supports the ongoing California Public Utilities Commission's review of the conditions that drove up natural gas commodity prices in the Western United States this past winter. The CPUC's proposal to increase local natural gas storage levels ahead of winter is a prudent step to advance our shared goal of maintaining energy reliability at just and reasonable rates.
According to the CPUC, the settlement agreement requires SoCalGas to pay $71 million in to the Aliso Canyon Recovery Account, which was created by the state Legislature to address issues arising from the leak, including air quality concerns and public health. In September 2016, SoCalGas pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor count of failing to immediately report the gas leak. Three other misdemeanor charges - - one count of discharging air contaminants and two more counts of failing to report the release of hazardous materials -- were dismissed as part of the deal.
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