Massive Methane Leak-Ecological Disaster In California

Aerial footage filmed Dec. 17, 2015, shows potent, climate-damaging methane gases escaping from a massive natural gas leak at a storage facility in California’s Aliso Canyon, with the San Fernando valley pictured in the background. The giant methane plumes were made visible by a specialized infrared camera operated by an Earthworks ITC-certified thermographer.

The Aliso Canyon leak has increased the state's methane emissions by 21 percent. As of now, 2.3 percent of the state's entire carbon footprint is coming from one hole in the ground above Porter Ranch.

http://www.laweekly.com/news/what-went-wrong-at-porter-ranch-6405804
newtboysays...

Self *promote because HOLY CRAP!!! This hasn't even made the news here in N California, and it certainly should have.

Methane is 25 times more damaging to the atmosphere than CO2 over a 100 year period, even though it's quite short lived compared to CO2. I don't think that is taken into account when claiming 2.3% of the carbon footprint, they're just measuring the carbon by the ton. If you want to measure the damage over the next 100 years, you need to multiply tonnage of CO2 by 1, and tonnage of CH4 by 25.
CH4 makes up about 10% of greenhouse emissions in the US, making it FAR more damaging than all the CO2 we produce. An extra 21% CH4 (2.1% of all greenhouse emissions) should cause the same damage as adding something like >50% more CO2...which everyone agrees would be disastrous.
Why is this not front page, leading story news? Cover up, or just terrible and irresponsible reporting all around?

EDIT: Thanks to @eric3579 for the heads up on this story.

siftbotsays...

Self promoting this video and sending it back into the queue for one more try; last queued Monday, December 28th, 2015 11:38am PST - promote requested by original submitter newtboy.

enochsays...

just saw this today on my feed and that the federal government has issued a no fly zone.which will be in place for months!

estimations on the total cost and impact are surpassing BP horizon's failure in the gulf of mexico.

NASA has applied to break the no-fly in order to fly drones and collect as much data as they can.this is a fucking ecological disaster of epic proportions.

christ on a stick.....

eric3579says...

It amazes me they are able to keep this disaster quiet. Nothing for two months. How does that happen?

Updates on the story.

"The company's plan to drill a relief well is now underway, reports the Daily News, and they're drilling a second, backup relief well too, in case the first one doesn't do the trick. The main relief well won't be complete until March, though; the backup well will only begin to be drilled in January, with completion taking between three and four months."
More complete info in the story.
http://la.curbed.com/archives/2015/12/porter_ranch_aliso_canyon_gas_leak_aerial_video_size.php

How they located the leak and other things
http://www.dailynews.com/environment-and-nature/20151227/porter-ranch-gas-well-leak-located-as-more-families-aim-to-move

siftbotsays...

Promoting this video and sending it back into the queue for one more try; last queued Monday, December 28th, 2015 12:59pm PST - promote requested by eric3579.

Boosting this quality contribution up in the Hot Listing - declared quality by eric3579.

rich_magnetsays...

They're able to keep it quiet because methane is invisible. Or it was, until now. Good on the EDF for capturing and releasing this footage.

eric3579said:

It amazes me they are able to keep this disaster quiet. Nothing for two months. How does that happen?

eric3579says...

Although the smell, due to the additives, which were noticed way back (oct-nov) by the communities near by. http://ktla.com/2015/10/30/concerned-porter-ranch-residents-protest-after-gas-facility-leak-causes-odor/

The company has been relocating families since it seems.

Another video that shows the leak about three weeks ago
https://youtu.be/IAKiqy82GIQ

Rachel Maddow on MSNBC did a story about a month ago.
https://youtu.be/OaY6-8MRwBE

rich_magnetsaid:

They're able to keep it quiet because methane is invisible. Or it was, until now. Good on the EDF for capturing and releasing this footage.

bobknight33says...

BS A natural gas leak.

ITS NATURAL...............................made by mother fucking earth. It happens to be stored by man and now its leaking out into the air. Like a fucking earthquake couldn't do this ?

Paybacksays...

Seldom get a 7" diameter clear hole directly down into the gas pocket. Because of gravity and subsidence, an earthquake tends to fill holes, not create them.

bobknight33said:

BS A natural gas leak.

ITS NATURAL...............................made by mother fucking earth. It happens to be stored by man and now its leaking out into the air. Like a fucking earthquake couldn't do this ?

Paybacksays...

Methane being so much worse than CO2, maybe someone should light a match and help minimize the problem...

Works with farts...

newtboysays...

It's sounding like this is a 'storage facility' where natural gas, methane, and other gasses are pumped to 'storage tanks' over 8000 ft below ground (and I'm fairly certain the term 'storage tank' means 'a gas pocket we sucked dry 45 years ago', not an actual tank. This means this is not the only 'tank' at the facility, and blowing one up isn't a good idea, blowing them ALL up would be pretty disastrous, and probably release far more gas than the current disaster.

Paybacksaid:

Methane being so much worse than CO2, maybe someone should light a match and help minimize the problem...

Works with farts...

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