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California gas leak is emitting 4.5 million cars’ worth of pollution every day

An ongoing natural gas leak at a storage facility in Aliso Canyon, California, has poured so much methane gas into the atmosphere since the leak began on Oct. 23, 2015, that it now comprises 2% of the entire country’s annual methane emissions, according to figures from the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). This figure is expected to rise, given that the leak is not likely to be stopped until at least March, according to Southern California Gas (SoCal Gas), which owns the Los Angeles-area facility where the leak is occurring.

The leak has prompted California Governor Jerry Brown to declare a state of emergency for the Porter Ranch neighborhood, which is about 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. The leak has forced more than 2,000 people to leave the neighborhood due to public health concerns, with many people reporting symptoms consistent with exposure to additives found in natural gas. These chemicals are designed to alert people of the presence of natural gas, which otherwise would be odorless, and presents an explosion risk. The symptoms of such exposure include dizziness, headaches, nosebleeds and nausea Read more…