California ex rel. South Coast Air Quality Management District v. Southern California Gas Co.

Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), the owner of the Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Storage Facility that experienced a natural gas leak beginning in October 2015, reached a settlement with the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) to resolve claims by SCAQMD related to the leak. SoCalGas agreed to pay the SCAQMD $8.5 million, including $1 million to fully fund a health study, $5.650 million for annual emissions fees, $1.6 million for air quality monitoring costs incurred by SCAQMD, and $250,000 for legal fees and costs. One million dollars of the emissions fees were to fund a project in conjunction with a company that produces fuel from biosolids or, if an agreement could not be reached with that company, to fund another clear air technology project.

On January 26, 2016, the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) commenced a public nuisance action against Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), the owner and operator of the Aliso Canyon Storage Facility, a natural gas storage facility at which a leak was discovered in October 2015. The complaint alleged that odors and adverse health effects had forced people living in the communities near the facility to leave their homes, and that the leak had also contributed to global warming and increased the risks of harm from global warming by emitting billions of cubic feet of methane into the atmosphere. The lawsuit asserted statutory public nuisance claims, claims of statutory violations that caused actual injury, and claims of negligent and knowing emission of air contaminants in violation of statutes. The complaint sought civil penalties.