Claire Bernish
\ntheantimedia.org<\/p>\n
(<\/b>ANTIMEDIA<\/b><\/a>)<\/b> Porter Ranch, CA \u2014<\/i>Methane gas continues spewing, unchecked, into the air over southern California from a fractured well to an underground storage site \u2014 at such an alarming rate that low-flying planes have necessarily been diverted by the FAA, lest internal combustion engines meet highly volatile gas and, well,\u00a0blow the entire area to hell. \u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n This is, indeed, the biggest environmental catastrophe since the BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010; and for now, there is no way to stop it.<\/b><\/p>\n This methane disaster is worse than can be sufficiently described in words, because while it\u2019s estimated well over 100,000 pounds of methane spew into the atmosphere every hour, the leak can\u2019t be halted<\/i>, at least until spring. Even then, that stoppage depends entirely on the efficacy of a proposed fix \u2014 which remains a dubiously open question.<\/p>\n According to<\/a> the California Air Resources Board, methane \u2014 a greenhouse gas 72 times more impactful in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide \u2014 has been escaping from the Aliso Canyon site with force<\/b>equivalent<\/b><\/a> \u201cto a volcanic eruption\u201d<\/i><\/b>for about two months now. So far, the total leaked gas measures somewhere around 100,000 tons \u2014 adding \u201capproximately one-quarter to the regular statewide methane emissions\u201d<\/i> during that same time frame.<\/p>\n \u201cThe relative magnitude of emissions from the leak compared to other sources of methane in the State underscores the urgency of stopping the gas leak. This comes on top of any problems caused by odor and any potential impacts from exposure,\u201d<\/i><\/b> states the initial report<\/a> on the Aliso leak by air quality officials.<\/p>\n \u201c<\/i>The enormity of the Aliso Canyon gas leak cannot be overstated. Gas is escaping through a ruptured pipe more than 8,000 feet underground, and it shows no signs of stopping.<\/i><\/b> As the pressure from the weight on top of the pipe causes the gas to diffuse, it only continues to dissipate across a wider and wider area,\u201d<\/i> explained<\/a> Erin Brockovich, who spent time in nearby Porter Ranch investigating the leak.<\/p>\n Officials and experts are concerned, and they can\u2019t recall another leak of this magnitude in decades \u2014 if ever<\/b>. \u201cI asked this question of our staff of 30 years,\u201d<\/i> said<\/a> Steve Bohlen, who recently left his position as state supervisor of oil and gas. \u201cThis is unique in the last three or four decades. This is an unusual event, period.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n Though methane, itself, has no odor, the addition of odorants methyl mercaptan and tetrahydrothiophene \u2014 a safety measure to alert people by smell to the presence of natural gas \u2014 has made the enormous methane\u00a0seepage<\/a> impossible to ignore. Thousands of households have evacuated the area, despite little help, much less information, from the gas company about when they might be able to return. As reported by<\/a> the Los Angeles Times<\/i>, SoCalGas spokesperson Michael Mizrahi claimed the company had paid to relocate and house 2,092 households \u2014 but that effort is severely lacking, says Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer.<\/p>\n Yesterday, the city attorney\u2019s office sought<\/a> a restraining order to mandate SoCalGas relocate residents in the affected area within 48 hours of their request; and it is also seeking a \u201cspecial master\u201d to oversee the entire relocation operation, which is currently being handled by the gas company. Not only does the present relocation lack speed and coordination, but a housing crunch has resulted in surrounding areas \u2014 in some cases landlords, who prefer year-long leases to shorter terms, have driven rent as high as $8,500 per month. Hotels are operating at capacity, and in \u201csome of those hotel rooms there are not enough beds for the people who are being moved,\u201d<\/i> explained<\/a> chief deputy to the city attorney, James P. Clark.<\/p>\n