oil field complained for years about noxious odors, headaches and nosebleeds, which they said were caused by nearby oil operations, before regulators acted. In lower-income and largely Latino neighborhoods of Los Angeles, refineries and oil production sites operate and release noxious odors much closer to homes and generate similar complaints. “There’s other communities with probably worse problems than us, for decades longer, that don’t get relocated,” Pakucko said. Matt Pakucko, president of the community group Save Porter Ranch, noted that people in his predominantly white and Asian neighborhood are being relocated because of odors, while people faced with environmental ills in other parts of the city - even those with poisonous lead in their backyards - are not being moved. The department did not respond to questions from The Times about how many illnesses have been documented in the area and how many people have sought medical treatment.Įven as they criticized the response to the leak, activists in Porter Ranch acknowledged the neighborhood’s wealth helped secure swifter action and tougher scrutiny from regulators and local officials. Cyrus Rangan, director of the county health department’s Bureau of Toxicology and Environmental Assessment, said at a city council hearing. The district has set up devices to monitor air quality at area schools, and later this week, school officials plan to install odor-reducing charcoal air filters into the ventilation systems of classrooms at Castlebay Lane Charter Elementary and Porter Ranch Community School, a school district spokeswoman said.Ībout 100 households have contacted the county about the potential health impacts of the gas leak, Dr. Unified School District did not have information on how many students in Porter Ranch have missed class because of the leak. Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer said he wants state regulators to go beyond the immediate cause of the leak to investigate “whether there are underlying systemic issues” at the facility “so that this problem won’t be repeated in the future.” ![]() Jerry Brown to intervene and use his executive authority to direct state agencies to “take immediate action” and work with the gas company to “find an expeditious resolution to fix the gas leak.” At Los Angeles City Hall, Councilman Mitchell Englander, whose district includes Porter Ranch, led a hearing on the ongoing leak and said it is “simply intolerable” that the leak has displaced people from their homes. On Tuesday, county supervisors voted to send a letter asking Gov. Last week, local air quality officials cited the company for public nuisance violations. The California Air Resources Board produced a report that found the leak is releasing about 50,000 kilograms of methane per hour - so much that it’s boosting California’s emissions of the potent greenhouse gas by 25%. City Council members and county supervisors, have called company executives, state regulators and health officials in for hearings, sharply criticizing the utility and demanding investigations and health studies. The company has faced widespread scrutiny in recent weeks over its failure to stop the flow of gas, the impacts on the community and its contribution to climate change. SoCal Gas said it has not determined what caused the leak. ![]() A massive yellow rig towered overhead as they prepared to drill the relief well to stop the leak from a 7-inch pipe thousands of feet below the ground. SoCal Gas Chief Executive Dennis Arriola apologized for the leak and said “it’s gone on way too long.” He said the company is working “as safely and expeditiously as possible” to stop the problem.Įarlier this week near the leaking well, workers maneuvered around red pipes stacked into crates and used cranes transporting tubes throughout a dirt lot. ![]() Patrick Pope, vice president of the Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council, called the gas company’s response “terrible” and said his heart sank when he learned the odors could linger for another four months. Residents have criticized the gas company’s response to the leak, calling it slow to act and accusing the company of not providing enough information about the leak. The company also is testing an odor-neutralizing chemical it wants to spray into the air from the storage facility in the Santa Susana Mountains - an idea met with skepticism by residents and air quality officials. The process, which could begin as soon as this week, could take up to four months to complete. After unsuccessful attempts to plug the leak by pumping fluid into the well, the gas company is moving on to its backup plan: drilling a relief well to seal off the leaking well and plug it permanently with cement.
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