Methane Gas Leak Devastates Millions in Los Angeles and Around the World
by ARIANA MARISOL
One of the worst environmental disasters of the decade is happening near Los Angeles in California.
Methane-rich natural gas has been leaking into the air at an estimated rate of nearly 1,300 metric tons per day over the past two months. This has become known as the climate version of the BP oil spill. Containment of this leak is not predicted to happen anytime soon.
Politicians and environmentalists in California are particularly worried about the toll this leak will have on the environment. Especially after Gov. Jerry Brown promised to slash greenhouse gas emissions in California.
This massive underground leak was reported by the Southern California Gas Co. on October 23rd. According to the Environmental Defense Fund, 72,000 metric tons of methane have been emitted into the air.
Methane is in a category of greenhouse gases known as short-lived climate pollutants. These types of gases remain in the atmosphere for a much shorter period of time than longer-lived climate pollutants, such as carbon dioxide. Yet, when measured in terms of how they heat the atmosphere, their impacts can be a thousand times greater than that of carbon dioxide.
The ARB said in November that the leak may have added as much as a quarter of California’s methane emissions. Even if the methane leak is reduced to 30,000 kilograms of methane per hour, it is still equal to the amount of greenhouse gases produced by six coal-fired power plants. The emissions from Porter Ranch are essentially the same as sticking seven million more cars onto the road.
Thousand of residents of the nearby Porter Ranch community have been voluntarily relocated after complaints of nausea and other illnesses.
Natural gas is often revered as a cleaner alternative energy to oil or coal because of the lower greenhouse gas emissions associated with burning it. There are still huge, disastrous risks to using natural gas. This leak is currently wiping out any benefits ‘natural’ gas would have yielded.
The most important thing to do right now is figure out how to get this hole plugged. After several failed attempts to stop the flow of gas using conventional methods, SoCalGas has started to drill a secondary ‘relief well’. This will intersect the leaky well and hopefully plug it. This well will be intercepted at 8,500 feet and heavy fluids will be pumped along with drilling mud, into the bottom of the leaking well to stop the flow of gas.
This is a devastating leak. One that shows the true nature of the energy our country is relying on. Both oil, and gas are unsustainable forms of energy and it is time to look towards a cleaner future that uses solar and wind for energy.
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from: http://www.realfarmacy.com/methane-gas-leak-devastates-millions-in-los-angeles-and-around-the-world/