The Aliso Canyon Catastrophe: A Decade of Corporate Neglect and Failed Leadership

The Facts: America’s Largest Methane Disaster

Ten years ago, the Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Storage Facility in Los Angeles County unleashed an environmental and public health catastrophe that continues to haunt communities today. Between October 2015 and February 2016, this facility - the largest gas storage site in California - released over 100,000 tons of methane into the atmosphere, exposing nearby residents to toxic fumes that caused devastating health consequences.

The immediate effects were horrifyingly apparent: pounding headaches, uncontrollable nausea, bloody noses, and the displacement of approximately 10,000 families from their homes. But the more insidious damage emerged over time - memory loss, slurred speech, impaired vision, and perhaps most tragically, UCLA researchers found that the gas leak led to full-term newborns being born significantly underweight, some weighing 5.5 pounds or less. These are not mere statistics; they represent human lives permanently altered by corporate negligence.

The facility was temporarily shut down in 2016 only to reopen in 2017, raising serious questions about whether financial considerations outweighed public safety. Southern California Gas Company’s parent company, Sempra Energy, saw revenue drop by 8.9% to $2.16 billion during the closure period. The subsequent settlement of $71 million represents just 5% of Sempra’s 2016 profits, a paltry sum compared to the scale of suffering inflicted upon communities.

The Ongoing Betrayal of Public Trust

What makes the Aliso Canyon situation particularly egregious is the demonstrated lack of necessity for this dangerous facility. During the year the facility was shut down, residents continued to receive power, proving that the storage site is not essential to community energy needs. This fact undermines the entire argument for maintaining this environmental time bomb.

California has already demonstrated remarkable capacity for transitioning to clean energy. The 2018 California Clean Energy Act proposed increasing zero-carbon energy sources by 60% over 12 years - a goal that was met in just three years. This achievement proves that with political will and proper municipal mandates, the San Fernando Valley can reduce gas usage while meeting energy demands through renewable sources.

Governor Gavin Newsom promised during his first term to close the facility, and a coalition of scientists from top universities wrote a joint letter supporting this closure. Yet in December 2024, Newsom ignored this expert advice and broken the trust placed in him by supporting state officials’ decision not only to keep the facility open but to expand it.

The Imminent Seismic Threat

The most alarming aspect of this continued operation is the facility’s location directly above the Santa Susana fault line. This storage site already failed during the 1994 Northridge earthquake, which measured 6.7 in magnitude. Geological studies indicate that the surrounding area of Aliso Canyon has a 78% chance of experiencing a major earthquake over the next 50 years.

Reopening and expanding a massive gas facility above an active fault line isn’t just irresponsible - it’s recklessly endangering human lives. The potential consequences of a major earthquake striking this facility are unimaginable, yet decision-makers continue to gamble with public safety.

A Failure of Democratic Accountability

This situation represents a profound failure of our democratic institutions to protect citizens from corporate interests. The public has protested, lawmakers have pleaded, and scientists have spoken - yet ten years later, Aliso Canyon still stands. The message being sent is clear: corporate profits matter more than human lives, more than environmental safety, more than scientific evidence.

The $71 million settlement, while providing some investment in green infrastructure for homes and schools, fails to address the fundamental injustice of maintaining a facility that has proven both dangerous and unnecessary. Members of affected communities rightly do not consider this a victory - they want the facility permanently closed, and they deserve nothing less.

The Path Forward: Principles and Solutions

As defenders of democracy, freedom, and liberty, we must recognize that true liberty includes the freedom from environmental harm and corporate negligence. The Bill of Rights implies the right to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and live in communities free from toxic threats. The continued operation of Aliso Canyon represents a violation of these fundamental rights.

The solution requires courageous leadership and unwavering commitment to public safety over corporate interests. We must:

1. Immediately close the Aliso Canyon facility permanently
2. Accelerate the transition to renewable energy sources through aggressive municipal mandates
3. Hold corporations accountable for environmental damages through meaningful financial penalties
4. Implement robust independent oversight of energy infrastructure
5. Prioritize environmental justice in all energy policy decisions

California has already proven it can achieve remarkable clean energy goals ahead of schedule. There is no technical or practical reason to maintain this dangerous facility - only financial incentives for the gas company that put profits before people.

Conclusion: A Moral Imperative

The Aliso Canyon disaster represents everything wrong with our current approach to energy policy and corporate accountability. It demonstrates how financial interests can override public safety, how political promises can be broken, and how communities can be sacrificed for profit.

Ten years is too long to wait for justice. Ten years is too long to expose communities to unnecessary danger. Ten years is too long to ignore scientific evidence and public demand.

We stand at a crossroads: continue down the path of fossil fuel dependence and corporate capture, or choose a future of clean energy, environmental justice, and responsible governance. The choice should be clear to anyone who values human dignity, democratic principles, and the basic right to breathe clean air.

It’s time to shut down Aliso Canyon permanently. It’s time to prioritize people over profits. It’s time to honor our commitment to future generations by leaving them a safer, cleaner world. The time for action is now - before another disaster strikes, before another earthquake hits, before more lives are irreparably damaged.

Our democracy depends on leaders who will protect citizens from harm, not enable corporations to endanger them. Our freedom depends on environments where children can grow up healthy rather than poisoned. Our liberty depends on systems that prioritize human wellbeing over financial gain.

The Aliso Canyon facility must close. There is no alternative acceptable to anyone who values human life, environmental safety, or democratic integrity.