After a massive methane gas leak, Governor of California, Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency on Wednesday, January sixth, 2016. The methane leak had taken place near the Porter Ranch that neighbors the North West part of California. The governor cited the reason that the government was not protecting the safety and health of the public by letting the gas flow to the atmosphere for more than eleven weeks, and he wanted the California Gas Company to be accounted for all the violations and costs.
According to an official coming from the California Air Resources Board, the leak at Aliso Canyon as per January was the single biggest cause of all the climatic changes in California. Methane is a greenhouse that is more potent compared to Carbon dioxide. The leak was determined to be equal to the emissions coming from seven million vehicles that are driven daily. One of the greatest issues is that the leak was to continue for more weeks because the government had not taken any control measure.
The leakage affected the locals because thousands of residents living near the valley were forced to move away because the blowout had introduced more than sixty-two million cubic feet of methane into the atmosphere daily. According to the South Coast District Air Quality Management, benzene was more than four times concentrated than it is in urban Los Angeles (McKenna).
The gas was believed to be originating from the damage of a seven-inch diameter pipe that was over five hundred foot below the earth surface. Once the gas leaked from the tube, it filled the cavity of the eleven and three quarter inch pipe that acted as a casing. Scientists had a belief that the gas had to move down under the outer casing and then seep via the surrounding rock, and then to the surface.
Fixing the methane leak was hard because the standards have changed and engineers do not have to shut down the existing wells before drilling others. It is necessary for the well to be sealed to solve the issue of leakage with ease. As per the past occurrences in the gas and oil industry, such an event was due to happen. A peer review by the U.S underground natural gas storage concluded that the risks of a gas leak were high since there was a weak regulatory oversight. In addition, the negligence is visible by comparing the Aliso Canyon blowout to the Deepwater Horizon that happened in 2010, and was not sealed for months.
As per the peer article, the American regulatory agencies lack adequate mechanisms to get enough integrity analysis for ensuring underground gas storage are safe. The problem is because the board conducts reviews and gives permits to companies who may lack staff with relevant technical expertise and background to face hazards and develop solutions (McKenna). In 2014, there was a leak detection done, and it showed Aliso was safe, only for people to see the reverse effects.
As a conclusion, it is necessary for the government and other gas and oil companies to ensure all safety measures are taken into consideration so that the leakages may be minimized and the rate of pollution be controlled. With good cooperation among the people and relevant agencies, the gas leaks will be monitored and in the case of any spill, it will be simple to solve and do rectification.
Work Cited
McKenna, Phil. "California Declares State Of Emergency As Leak Becomes Methane Equivalent Of Deepwater Horizon". Insideclimatenews.org. N.p., 2016. Web. 14 Apr. 2016.
