Demand Greater Measures to End the World's Largest Natural Gas Leak
- by: Lauren Eckert
- recipient: Governor Jerry Brown, Senator Dianne Feinstein, Senator Barbara Boxer, Ventura, CA
For two months, a massive methane leak has been wrecking havoc for Southern California residents, making people sick, displacing families from their homes, and releasing the global warming pollution equivalent of driving 7 million cars a day.
In light of the growing fragility of our climate and the urgency that characterized the recent COP21 Climate Conference in Paris, the catastrophe of such an event cannot be overstated. In less than two months, Sempra Energy Company's methane leak has spewed estimates of 1/4 of the State's annual emissions. Methane gas showcases approximately 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide in its first 20 years in the atmosphere. The effects of the SoCal Gas Company's leak are, in the words of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, an "environmental disaster."
Sempra has been working for two months to repair the leak, but they estimate it will take up to three more months to shut it down. In a time of climate uncertainty and international agreement that emissions must be drastically cut, we must demand that this event be a turning point: The oil and gas infrastructural failures that caused this disaster must be fixed, and our leaders must implement goals keep fossil fuels in the ground.
Despite its quiet invisibility, Southern California's methane gas leak is arguably America's greatest environmental disaster since BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010. It should have been treated as such from the onset.
Sign the petition to urge both state and federal powers to intercede for a rapid end to this catastrophic leak, and appropriate action towards reparation and prevention of future leaks by Sempra's South California Gas Company.
To those who represent and govern the great state of California,
By signing this accountability petition, meant for Governor Jerry Brown, Senator Dianne Feinstein, Senator Barbara Boxer, international citizens are supporting a demand for State and Federal intervention and increased national awareness of the unfolding environmental disaster that is the Southern California Gas Company's methane leak.
Additionally, we are supporting an in-depth analysis of the infrastructural issues that preceded SoCal Gas Company's recent leaks and asserting that appropriate reparations be made to those most impacted by the leak.
Specifically, this petition calls for Sempra Energy to immediately focus all attention on the leak in the Aliso Canyon field, and shut down operations whilst infrastructure remains faulty. Despite the complexities and difficulties which characterize stopping the leak, rapid and reparitive action is necessitated immediately. Further, the State must learn from this disaster by taking concrete steps to leave fossil fuels in the ground:
- The Government of Caifornia must force Sempra Energy to listen to the concerns of their neighbors of the Aliso Canyon field and shut the field down now to eliminate further local and atmospheric damage
- Representatives of California need to make concrete goals to lead the nation in clean energy and aim for a shift to 100% clean cars and 100% electric transportation systems imminently.
- The Government of California must actively work to create homes and buildings with net zero energy through increased efficiency measures and investment in solar energy.
- The Government of California must seek to demand that Sempra (and energy companies) clean up their old and potentially faulty infrastructure and provide reparations to those locally and nationally impacted by leaks.
Thank you greatly for your support, in the face of an invisibile disaster and continued inaction, let us be heard.
Respectfully,
Concerned Citizens
But as methane continues to spew into the lungs of Porter Ranch residents and our fragile atmosphere, our work is far from done. Despite infrastructural complications, we must continue to pressure leaders and Sempra to provide a well-financed and rapid end to this catastrophic leak.
Sign, share, and make yourself heard. Thank you.
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