LA City Council Calls On Newsom To Shut Down Playa Del Rey Natural Gas Site
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – The Los Angeles City Council Wednesday asked California Gov. Gavin Newsom to shut down the Playa del Rey underground natural gas storage site due to the risks it could pose in the event of a natural disaster.
The council unanimously approved a resolution Wednesday asking Newsom to look into the "feasibility" of closing the Southern California Gas Company site, which is located at 8141 Gulana Ave.
The resolution noted that a 2018 report by the California Council on Science and Technology found that the facility posed a higher risk to health and safety than other such facilities in California.
"The report noted that a large population nearby, the proximity to the region's largest airport, and a high risk of tsunami and wildfire all make the Playa del Rey gas storage facility particularly dangerous to the health and safety of people in Los Angeles," the resolution, which was put forward by Councilman Mike Bonin, read.
The site is close to LAX and has a large population living nearby, and in the event of a gas leak, could become an environmental disaster, the CCST study found.
The motion also noted an effort to avoid something similar to the 2015 Aliso Canyon methane gas leak, which forced thousands of Porter Ranch residents to flee their homes in what became known as the largest methane leak in U.S. history.
"The facility poses a risk to the environment, nearby neighborhoods, and the regional economy," Bonin tweeted Wednesday. "We must move aggressively to get off fossil fuels, and we must create a just transition to a clean energy economy. We call on Gov Newsom to acknowledge the risks of this facility, and move quickly to shut it down."
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