In the latest push to close the site of the biggest methane gas blowout in U.S. history, today, over 100 scientists sent a letter to Governor Newsom, calling on him to order the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to close the Aliso Canyon gas storage facility by 2027 or earlier.

“As scientists who have expertise and concern about our climate, health, and communities, we implore you to finally require its closure by 2027 or earlier,” says the letter. “The facility is not needed and poses a continued threat to public health, safety and the climate.”

The letter’s lead author is Mark Jacobson, PhD, Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Stanford University along with initial signers Sandra Steingraber, PhD, Senior Scientist, Science and Environmental Health Network; Robert W. Howarth, PhD, The Atkinson Professor of Ecology, Cornell University; Adam Aron, PhD, Professor, University of California San Diego; and Mark Delucchi, PhD, Research Scientist, University of California Berkeley.

 Governor Newsom has been promising since 2018 to shut down the facility, which is owned by Sempra subsidiary Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), but despite these promises, Aliso Canyon remains operational. Under Newsom and his CPUC, use of Aliso Canyon has even expanded.

“Governor Brown committed to shutting Aliso down by 2027 and we were heartened by your pledge to speed that process up,” the letter continues. “Rather than move to shut it down however, your Public Utilities Commissioners have voted in the past to expand its use.”

Earlier this month, the CPUC alarmed scientists and public health and environmental experts when it released its proposed decision to keep Aliso Canyon open with no closure date. The CPUC is expected to vote on the proposal December 19. 

“All efforts today should focus on a transition to clean, renewable energy, which means resources should not be wasted on fossil energy storage that is no longer needed and is a risk to health and climate,” says Jacobson. “In the past year, California has met almost half its grid and non-grid electricity demand with just solar, wind, hydroelectric, and geothermal electricity and, at its current pace of growth, will approach 100% by 2030 if not soon after. Fossil gas use in the state is declining rapidly, and there is certainly no need for the large amount of gas stored at Aliso Canyon, the site of one of the largest fossil gas blowouts in U.S. history. The facility should be closed immediately.”

The scientists’ letter outlines devastating harms to public health that have already occurred and the risks of keeping the Aliso Canyon facility open. In the years since the blowout, residents have reported a litany of health impacts from nosebleeds and dizziness to respiratory problems, low birth weights and premature births and cancer. Further, every single well at Aliso Canyon bisects the Santa Susana Fault Line line and is in a high risk fire zone. The blowout also had serious impacts on the climate. The amount of methane released during the blowout was catastrophic – with the one release accounting for a quarter of all methane emissions from the Los Angeles basin for a year. 

Finally, the letter explains that Aliso Canyon is not needed for California’s energy future, citing the fact that the facility was closed for two years after the blowout without any supply shortages. Instead of keeping Aliso Canyon open, the scientists argue that the state must accelerate truly renewable solutions, like battery storage, offshore wind, and enhanced geothermal. 

“Governor Newsom needs to listen to the scientific community and direct his CPUC to reject its preliminary decision and instead close Aliso Canyon,” said Nicole Ghio, California Director of Food & Water Watch. “Residents have been living with the dangerous health effects of this polluting facility for almost a decade since the blowout. Enough is enough. We don’t need SoCalGas’s Aliso Canyon and it must be shut down.”

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