The Obama administration is announcing a series of recommendations for ensuring the safety of the nation's more than 400 underground natural gas storage wells.
The report comes as a result of the natural gas leak in Porter Ranch, a Los Angeles neighborhood, one year ago. It says the leak at the Aliso Canyon plant was the largest methane release from a natural gas storage facility in U.S. history. Some 8,000 families were displaced after complaining of headaches, nosebleeds and nausea. The facility operator, Southern California Gas Co., was unable to seal the well until February 2016, four months after the leak was detected.
The report by a White House interagency task force includes 44 recommendations related to the integrity of gas storage wells, preparation for possible natural gas leaks, and better coordination between the gas and electric industries, which are increasingly interdependent.
"No community should have to go through something like the Aliso Canyon leak again. The recommendations in this report outline the steps we can take to prevent such an incident in the future. Now, it is up to industry to implement these recommendations in a timely fashion," said Energy Secretary Ernest J. Moniz.
One of the main recommendations is that natural gas operators should phase out "single-point-of-failure well designs" and introduce backup systems or "double-barrier protection" that can contain gas even in the event of a leak.