The Los Angeles Metropolis Council’s Guidelines, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee voted on Wednesday, March 17, to advance a decision calling for the closure of the Playa del Rey pure fuel storage facility.
The decision was launched by councilmembers Paul Koretz and Mike Bonin, whose district consists of the Playa del Rey website.
Situated at 8141 Gulana Ave., the ability is owned by Southern California Fuel Co. and sits a number of miles away from Los Angeles Worldwide Airport, Loyola Marymount College, residential neighborhoods and high-tech enterprise campuses in Playa Vista.
A 2018 examine from the California Council on Science and Know-how confirmed the location “stands out as a facility with comparatively greater threat to well being and security than the opposite services in California.”
Whereas it has a comparatively small fuel storage capability, the ability is offering round 1% of the full pure fuel storage throughout California, and but “has a protracted historical past of loss-of-containment incidents and is positioned close to a big inhabitants heart in a really excessive wildfire hazard zone,” in keeping with the examine. A excessive threat of tsunami and wildfire makes the ability harmful to the well being and security of residents within the space, the examine mentioned.
However SoCalGas mentioned in a letter despatched to the committee that “every of our wells has undergone complete checks and we use industry-leading expertise and practices in our operations, together with new metal inside tubing in each lively nicely, distant, real-time stress monitoring system for all wells and every day patrols and real-time steady methane screens at each storage injection/withdrawal nicely to watch for leaks.”
The location serves a number of services similar to UCLA, Scattergood Electrical Producing Facility, LAX, Hyperion Water Remedy Facility, and the Port of LA.
“With out our storage fields, many noncore prospects within the Los Angeles Basin, together with electrical turbines and significant services, would have been curtailed,” in keeping with the letter.
Nonetheless, the decision mentioned residents of communities adjoining to the location have “expressed issues in regards to the operations of the fuel facility and its impacts.” State companies have “didn’t justify continued operations of the Playa del Rey fuel facility within the face of the appreciable and documented dangers to the neighboring neighborhood and to an airport,” in keeping with the decision.
The catastrophic 2015 fuel leak at Aliso Canyon — which launched greater than 100,000 metric tons of methane into the air and compelled 1000’s of residents to evacuate their houses — began about 30 miles from Playa del Rey. Nonetheless, it alarmed many residents and neighborhood leaders there, making them wonder if an analogous fuel leak might occur close to their houses.
Throughout Wednesday’s assembly, dozens of residents of each communities urged councilmembers to go the decision.
Alexandra Nagy, California director for Meals & Water Watch, mentioned it’s “commendable that Councilmember Mike Bonin did his homework and investigated the issues with the Playa del Rey storage facility and listened to his constituents who’re calling for the closure of the Playa del Rey storage facility.”
She added, “that’s the kind of management that Aliso Canyon surrounding neighborhood wants from Councilmember John Lee and they don’t seem to be getting it.”
In 2019, Lee introduced a resolution, calling state companies to “speed up a everlasting closure plan for the Aliso Canyon.”
A consultant for Lee’s workplace mentioned his decision has not been scheduled but however is predicted to be heard quickly.
