Final Project Presentation: Case Study on the 2015 Aliso Canyon Gas Leak

ENVS 301| Dr. Dmochowski | Fall 2021

ABSTRACT:

Natural gas is a critical source of energy in the United States. However, it is 85-95% methane by composition, which happens to be an extremely potent greenhouse gas that is 28-34 times more potent than carbon dioxide (CO2) over a 100-year period (Tullos et al., 2019). While natural gas is generally safe, it isn’t immune to accidents. This case study will examine the worst natural gas leak to ever occur in U.S. history, the 2015 Aliso Canyon gas leak, and the sequence of events that led up to not just the sealing of the leak, but also settlements and laws that followed as a result of the incident. In September of 2021, the SoCalGas company was found liable for damages caused by the 100,000 tons of released methane, and was ordered to pay nearly $2 billion in settlements. State bills and federal bipartisan laws were put into effect to establish stricter safety standards and prevent future gas leaks like Aliso Canyon from happening again. It will be important to study not just the final outcomes of this incident, but rather the process and how different stakeholders responded to this emergency in order to determine the best stakeholder management practices and emergency preparedness needed to prevent another disaster like this from happening in the future.