Padilla, Feinstein Statement Supporting Closure of Aliso Canyon
Senators urge CPUC to outline a formal plan to close facility while ensuring uninterrupted utility services
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Dianne Feinstein (both D-Calif.) today released the following statement on the 2015 Aliso Canyon gas leak:
“More than six years after the well failure at Aliso Canyon endangered the health of more than 7,000 families, it is increasingly clear that we must close this facility in order to protect the safety of Californians. It is critical that the California Public Utility Commission outline concrete steps to close this facility while ensuring the reliability of our power grid as we continue the transition to cleaner electricity, heating and cooling. We must permanently close Aliso Canyon to ensure that it is no longer a threat to public safety.
“The 2015 blowout at Aliso Canyon resulted in the largest natural gas leak in U.S. history, releasing hundreds of thousands of tons of methane and other toxic chemicals into the air and severely impacting the health and welfare of thousands of residents in the northern Los Angeles community of Porter Ranch and surrounding areas.
“After the leak, then-Governor Brown directed the Public Utilities Commission to undertake an orderly phase out of the Aliso Canyon facility by 2027, and Governor Newsom reaffirmed that decision in 2019. We look forward to working in a strong federal-state partnership to achieve these goals.”
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