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Porter Ranch Residents Outraged After SoCalGas Cleared To Resume Operations

PORTER RANCH (CBSLA.com) — Southern California Gas Company's Aliso Canyon gas storage site is going back online and residents are outraged.

It was a wild 48 hours starting Friday, when a court told the company it could resume operations. Then hours later, an appeals court placed a stay. Then late Saturday night, that same court dissolved the stay, clearing the way for the company.

In a statement yesterday, SoCal Gas stated: "We have met and in many cases, exceeded the rigorous requirements of the state's safety review."

But residents are holding out hope.

"These monsters affecting our lives. I want them to get out of here," longtime resident Patricia Larcara told CBS2/KCAL9's Greg Mills.

"I'm going to have to put my house for sale because I cannot take it any longer. My house is making me sick," Larcara said.

Another resident told Mills she knows of five people with cancer on her street alone.

"We are worried long term on what this is doing," she said.

Tomorrow, L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Bargar is petitioning the court of appeal to keep Aliso Canyon closed until they come up with three things: a root-cause analysis of the operation, seismic risk assessments and a long-term energy reliability study.

People who live near the facility hope Bargar wins the appeal.

"These people over here. These monsters who destroy my life, my job. Everything," Larcara said.

It is unclear when SoCal Gas plans to resume operations.

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