Bill > SB380

This bill, titled the Natural Gas Storage: Moratorium Act, imposes a temporary halt on injecting natural gas into the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility in Los Angeles County until a comprehensive safety review of its wells is completed and approved by state officials, including the State Oil and Gas Supervisor and the Executive Director of the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), ensuring well integrity, addressing identified risks, and satisfying public safety requirements. The bill mandates that the State Oil and Gas Supervisor, with input from independent experts, establish criteria for this safety review, which will include specific tests and inspections, with the methodology made public online, and requires the facility operator to provide data supporting proposed pressure limits, which will also be subject to public hearings and supervisor approval before any injections can resume. Furthermore, the bill directs the PUC to initiate a proceeding by July 1, 2017, to assess the feasibility of reducing or eliminating the facility's use while maintaining energy reliability, and to determine the necessary amount of stored gas for safety, reliability, and fair pricing, with a report on these matters to be published and open for public comment within 30 days of the bill's enactment. All these provisions are set to expire on January 1, 2021, and the bill declares an urgency to address ongoing harm from a previous gas leak at the facility.