California Governor declares state of emergency due to natural gas leak
California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency today in Aliso Canyon, CA due to a massive leak of natural gas in the area.
.@JerryBrownGov issues Aliso Canyon gas leak emergency proc, details CA's ongoing efforts & directs further action https://t.co/Pq42A6otCP
— Gov. Brown Press Ofc (@GovPressOffice) January 6, 2016
The gas leak began about two months ago in the small town of Porter Ranch, CA, which lies about 25 miles northwest of Los Angeles. Workers have encountered problems stopping the underground link and say it may take a couple more months to fully fix the leak.
Environmental disaster
The leak is being termed a huge environmental disaster by many experts, as methane is escaping into the atmosphere at an unprecedented rate.
Methane is an extremely potent greenhouse gas, as it can have up to 80 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide. Because of this, the potential environmental impact of the league is huge — both in the short term and the long term.
This massive Los Angeles county gas leak is spewing 110,000 pounds of methane an hour https://t.co/dfk3Gw6JAI pic.twitter.com/VVcv8JeUaI
— Business Insider (@businessinsider) December 30, 2015
Residents forced to leave
Thousands of residents have been forced to evacuate due to the league, with reports up to 2,000 families being relocated already. School closures have also been a part of the immediate response to the disastrous leak.
With Governor Brown declaring a state of emergency, workers may have the option to attempt using alternative methods to stop the leak in order to come up with a solution more quickly.
