By Jason Fordney
Southern California Gas Co.’s Aliso Canyon gas storage facility resumed injections Monday, despite Los Angeles County officials’ request that a state appeals court prevent the reopening.
“SoCalGas must begin injections to comply with the [state’s] directive to maintain sufficient natural gas inventories at Aliso Canyon to support the reliability of the region’s natural gas and electricity systems,” the company said in a statement sent to Porter Ranch residents, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Following a series of back-and-forth court rulings over the weekend, the county filed a petition with the 2nd District Court of Appeal for a stay preventing gas withdrawals until more analysis is done. A judge on Saturday ruled that operations can resume.
The volley of court actions occurred after the California Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) issued an order July 19 allowing SoCalGas to resume injections into the facility. The county does not object to withdrawals on an emergency basis, which is currently allowed.
The county wants the court to forestall any withdrawals until it can determine whether DOGGR complied with the law in clearing the facility to resume operations. SoCalGas refused the county’s request.
“Before the prohibition on injections can be lifted, SoCalGas must show — and DOGGR must determine — that all necessary steps to ensure the safety of the facility have been completed,” the county said in its original filing in Los Angeles County Superior Court last week. Conditions have not been met regarding a risk-of-failure review and emergency response plan, the county contended.
Withdrawals were halted at the facility following the massive methane release there, detected in October 2015 and finally plugged in February 2016. DOGGR and other state agencies recently issued findings that it is safe to resume withdrawals. (See California Officials: Aliso Canyon Safe to Open.)
The court filing says county officials met with DOGGR and SoCalGas on July 20, when the company refused to refrain from withdrawals and to disclose when they would resume. SoCalGas did not immediately return a request for comment.
Residents near Aliso Canyon still report health problems they say are related to the leak, including headaches, nosebleeds and nausea. A few dozen residents recently protested resuming gas withdrawals in roadside gatherings reported on local news stations.
California Energy Commission Chairman Robert Weisenmiller and Gov. Jerry Brown have asked for the state to explore permanent closure, and the California Public Utilities Commission has a proceeding underway that is analyzing whether the facility is needed for system reliability. (See Study to Weigh Aliso Canyon Shutdown.)
On July 19, SoCalGas issued a statement that it has completed the state’s required safety reviews and has implemented a host of safety measures and procedures. The company argues that loss of the facility will create reliability problems in times of severe weather and peak electricity usage.
The county also argues that there is a risk of gas leaks caused by seismic activity in the area, which is prone to earthquakes. “DOGGR and SoCalGas have acknowledged the well-known and very serious risk of a catastrophic earthquake shearing multiple wells at Aliso Canyon,” county officials said.
Although the appeals court did not issue a stay, Deputy County Counsel Scott Kuhn told the Times on Monday that the courts have yet to rule on the county’s request that the state complete their analyses before continuing injections. “We hope that some court will get to the merits and when they do get to merits, they will see that further study of the seismic risk and the environmental risk is necessary before [the utility] can proceed with business as usual,” Kuhn said.