SACRAMENTO – (INT) - The Aliso Canyon natural gas leak emitted 109,000 metric tons of methane into the atmosphere from late October 2015 to mid-February 2016, according to the final estimate.

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) staff estimated
the leak was equivalent to the annual natural gas usage of 190,000 homes, or the carbon dioxide emissions released from burning over 1 billion gallons of gasoline.

The final estimate will be used to determine the amount of
methane reductions needed to fully mitigate the climate impacts of the natural gas leak. Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas), which operates the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility, is expected to mitigate the impacts by funding projects that reduce methane emissions by an equivalent amount.

Story Date: October 27, 2016