Porter Ranch leak, spewing methane since October, shows ‘gaping vulnerabilities’ in oversight
by Deirdre Fulton, staff writer
The giant methane plumes were made visible by a specialized infrared camera operated by an Earthworks ITC-certified thermographer. (Screenshot)
The toxic methane cloud that has been “billowing” for months over an underground natural gas reservoir near the affluent community of Porter Ranch just north of Los Angeles illustrates “gaping vulnerabilities” in oversight and enforcement of greenhouse gas pollution rules, a California newspaper editorial board declared this week.
A pipe leak has been releasing an estimated tens of thousands of kilograms of methane into the air every hour since mid-October, leading environmentalists like Erin Brockovich to declare it “a catastrophe the scale of which has not been seen since the 2010 BP oil spill.”
…(read more).
Global Climate Change
Environment Ethics
Environment Justice
Transition Studies 