Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Southern California Gas Co. To Pay For Study Into Health Consequences Of Leak As Part Of $120M Settlement
The Associated Press: Huge Los Angeles Gas Leak Leads To $120 Million Settlement
A Southern California utility reached a nearly $120 million settlement over a massive blowout at a natural gas storage field that became the nation's largest known release of climate-changing methane and forced thousands to flee their Los Angeles homes almost three years ago, officials announced Wednesday. The settlement between Southern California Gas Co. and state and local governments aims to mitigate the greenhouse gases that spewed uncontrollably for nearly four months. The October 2015 blowout at an Aliso Canyon well sickened residents of the San Fernando Valley and led to evacuations of 8,000 homes. (8/8)
Los Angeles Times: SoCal Gas Agrees To $119.5-Million Settlement For Aliso Canyon Methane Leak — Biggest In U.S. History
The deal between Southern California Gas Co. and city, county and state officials and prosecutors will fund a long-sought health study and numerous environmental measures intended to offset the damage caused by the leak. But it leaves unresolved questions about the root cause of the leak, the fate of the storage facility outside Los Angeles’ Porter Ranch neighborhood, the state’s reliance on planet-warming natural gas and residents’ medical claims against the company. The tentative agreement will resolve agencies’ lawsuits against the utility for violating the state’s health and safety laws by failing to promptly control the leak and alert authorities. (Barboza, 8/8)
The Wall Street Journal: Southern California Gas Agrees To Settlement For 2015 Methane Leak
The Aliso Canyon underground site is the fifth-largest such gas-storage facility in the U.S. and is essential to the region’s power industry. It gushed methane—one of the most potent heat-trapping gases responsible for climate change—for 15 weeks, leading California to declare a state of emergency while locals reported headaches, nosebleeds, rashes and other woes. It eventually led to a federal review that called for a sweeping safety overhaul of more than 400 underground natural-gas storage fields. (Puko, 8/8)
