California methane leak finally sealed; residents see effects

PORTER RANCH, Calif. – The unprecedented methane gas leak at Aliso Canyon has led some environmental experts and commentators to compare its environmental impact to the infamous Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

“The effects to families, property, businesses, and the environment are difficult to estimate at this time,” said Bradford Gilde, an environmental trial attorney familiar with how the energy sector affects people and property. “Reports indicate that methane levels from the leak will exceed levels emitted by 45,000 cars driving our roads in an entire year. That’s significant.”

Gilde visited the neighborhood of Porter Ranch last week to find out more about the damage caused by what may be the largest release ever of methane gas into the atmosphere. “I’ve been on the ground with an air modeling expert. Thankfully, the initial findings reported suggest that long term health concerns may be nonexistent. But more study is needed, and – as far as short term, acute health effects – it doesn’t take long to feel for yourself the dry throat, the headache and the nausea that residents have reported experiencing. I felt it. The methane gas was mixed with the odorant mercaptan, which produces a rotten egg smell so that that gas leaks can be detected. Being exposed to the methane as well as this putrid smell, day in and day out, for months is an assault on the senses. When you combine the physical discomfort with the property damage, the necessary cleanup, the stress, and not knowing what will happen next, a family’s sense of well-being and security vanishes.”

The leak began last October at the Aliso Canyon underground natural gas storage facility of Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), the largest natural gas distributor in the nation and the biggest supplier to the southern California region. Methane continued to spew for 16 weeks until the leak was successfully plugged on February 11. Ultimately, more than 10,000 people who lived in nearby Porter Ranch were driven from their homes and relocated to temporary housing.

Now residents are expressing concerns about returning to the neighborhood and about what the future may hold: What if the chemicals which spewed unabated into the atmosphere for so long have settled into porous materials like carpet and upholstery? What about the exteriors of houses and vehicles that are now speckled with oil and tar? What about pets that were outside during this period? What will be the impact on lawns and other plant life? How do you accurately assess and clean up all these types of damage? And what happens if a good rain causes these chemicals to seep into the area’s groundwater and, eventually, the municipal water supply?

“Families bought homes in Porter Ranch because it was a great neighborhood, with solid property values, and a sought-after quality of life,” said Gilde. “This disastrous event has caused tremendous upheaval, uprooting people from their homes, their schools and their places of work. It’s a loss of control over everything that is foundational to a family. People just want their lives back in order.”

Gilde understands how impactful the energy sector can be on the lives of individuals and on entire communities. His landmark legal victory for a family in Texas whose health and property were affected by fracking and unconventional shale gas development was featured in the hard-hitting environmental documentary, Gasland 2, and was reported on by the The New York Times, CNN, NPR, and other national news organizations.

“There is a statute of limitations on filing a claim in these types of cases, so I advise anyone who was affected by this life-altering incident to ensure that their legal rights are protected and their personal interests are represented,” said Gilde. “Whether with my firm or another law firm, residents of Porter Ranch and the surrounding communities that have been negatively impacted by this disaster need to make sure they are working with a trial law firm that has experience fighting the oil and gas industry and who can give their individual cases the time and attention they deserve.”

Bradford Gilde founded Gilde Law Firm based on a guiding philosophy of, “We Believe, We Fight, We Win.” Licensed to practice law in Texas, California, and Pennsylvania, Gilde handles cases throughout the U.S., most prominently those that deal with the environmental and personal impact of the energy industry on people. For more information about Gilde Law Firm, call (800) 973-3106, or visit www.GildeLawFirm.com