The 2015 Aliso Canyon natural gas leak outside of Los Angeles was the largest in US history in terms of its environmental impact. An estimated 97,100 tonnes of methane 7,300 tonnes of ethane were released into the atmosphere.
SoCalGas, which operates the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility, was required to mitigate the climate impacts of the leak by funding projects that reduce methane emissions by an equivalent amount.
And now, some experts think dairy cows could be the answer for such mitigation.
“This was the largest methane leak in the history of the state and CARB is determined to ensure that the environmental damage caused by this potent greenhouse gas is fully addressed and mitigated by the Southern California Gas Company,” said CARB chair Mary D. Nichols in a statement shortly after the incident.
The federal Interagency Task Force on Natural Gas Storage Safety was established in the wake of the leak. The agency issued a report intended to reduce the risk of future such incidents. The report analyzes 400-plus underground natural gas storage wells in the US and provides 44 recommendations to industry, federal, state and local regulators.
Following the Aliso Canyon leak, the facility was temporarily closed and the California legislature passed a law requiring strict new safety procedures for the state’s 14 underground gas storage facilities.
The leaking well was permanently sealed in February 2016. In an Oct. 19 statement, SoCalGas said 27 storage wells at the facility have passed all of the tests required by the California Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources. Additionally, the inner tubing of every approved well was replaced with more than 40 miles of new steel piping. The remaining wells have been either temporarily sealed or permanently plugged and taken out of service.
State and local officials reached a $119.5 million settlement with the Southern California Gas Company on Wednesday to mitigate climate impacts and address ongoing health concerns from the Aliso Canyon gas leak.
And, according to insideclimatenews.org, the settlement includes a program to pay for methane gas collection at a dozen of the state's dairy farms. The site notes:
The dairy part of the settlement would address a substantial source of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. State officials say the plan would reduce by at least 109,000 metric tons the amount of methane that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere over a 10-year period.
That's the same amount that was released over several months following the Aliso Canyon gas leak.
The settlement still needs to be approved by the Los Angeles Superior Court. If it is, the settlement would ensure that methane is collected at 12 or more dairies in the area and fed into the state’s natural gas pipeline. The gas will then be used as transportation fuel.
