NEED TO KNOW: Aliso Canyon in limbo despite Governor and environmental experts pushing for closure, according to new proposal.

SACRAMENTO- California Public Utilities Commission administrators (CPUC) are proposing max capacity at Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Facility against both environmental advocates and Governor Gavin Newsom’s plan to shut down the facility. The proposal is based on insufficient evidence that Aliso Canyon storage capacity is connected to price, essentially taking the SoCalGas Company at their word. This information in the proposal also comes before completing a very important federal and state investigation. As California, pushes for carbon neutrality, moving away from natural gas, this proposal would do the opposite, doubling down on gas-fired power. There are five days left for public comment to oppose the proposal before the final decision.   

Senator Henry Stern (SD27), Congressman Brad Sherman (CD32) and Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo (AD40) collectively represent the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility, where the largest methane leak in U.S. history (2015) forced thousands to flee their homes. They came out today in solidarity with impacted communities against the proposal:

“This proposal is an unwelcome surprise. SoCalGas says more use of this dangerous gas field will keep prices down, but there are still too many unanswered questions to proceed. What responsibility does the Gas Company and their parent company Sempra owe Southern California ratepayers? If more storage can bring down prices, why didn’t SoCalGas Company use their available storage during last year’s spike instead of buying gas at unprecedented high rates? Federal and state investigations are asking these and other questions in order to understand the cause of price spikes, however, this proposed decision appears premature.

The impacted communities deserve reassurance this will not undercut the Governor’s commitment to closure and the increase is, in fact, necessary. Such assurance is possible, alongside this decision, if the CPUC finalized their long delayed, but well proposed, decision to phase out Aliso responsibly.  This proposal goes in the opposite direction.”

*Senator Henry Stern will be submitting a letter in opposition to the proposal before the proposed decision goes before the commission.