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Judge May Order SoCal Gas Co. To Continue Paying For Temporary Housing Plan

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A court hearing will be held Wednesday to decide whether Southern California Gas Co. should be required to continue paying for temporary housing for displaced Porter-Ranch area residents.

Last month, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ordered for the temporary housing program to end, but a state appeals court overturned the decision ordering SoCal Gas Co. to continue funding the program until at least today.

The utility company's attorneys argued there was no evidence of any lingering health threat from the roughly four-month natural gas leak at the Aliso Canyon storage facility, and the housing program was costing them roughly $1.8 million per day to pay for 2,600 residents.

Los Angeles County attorneys countered that more thorough testing is needed to ensure residents will be safe when they return home.

Some residents who have already moved back have reported short-term health issues, including various symptoms such as nausea, stomach aches and respiratory irritation.

The gas leak was first reported on Oct. 23, 2015, by county officials. On Feb. 18, authorities formally announced that the leak had been sealed.

The court hearing will be held at 2:00 p.m.

(©2016 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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