It has drawn remarkably little attention outside the West Coast, but a massive methane gas leak 25 miles northwest of Los Angeles is wreaking havoc with the community, displacing thousands of families and posing arguably the worst environmental catastrophe since the 2010 BP oil spill along the Gulf Coast. 
 
 The crisis began a little more than two months ago in the quiet community of Porter Ranch with the rupture of a huge underground containment system that holds methane-laden natural gas piped there from extractions hundreds of miles away in Texas, the Rocky Mountains and the Midwest. 
 
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 Beleaguered Southern California utility officials say there is no way to staunch the rupture for at least another few months, and meanwhile the gas has been escaping into the air at a rate of nearly 1,300 metric tons a day. The leak already has forced the evacuation of 1,700 homes in nearby neighborhoods, the closing of two schools and widespread reports of residents being sickened by the stench of the gas. 
 
 For a state beset by drought, wildfires, giant sinkholes and other natural calamities, the gas leak has emerged as the number one environmental concern of Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown, an aggressive environmentalist who is particularly concerned about combating climate change. 
 
 Aside from the immediate chaos caused by the leak, the longer-term consequences for the environment have shaken government officials, scientists and environmental groups – and could seriously set back the Obama administration’s high profile efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute directly to global warming. 
 
 Scientists and environmental experts say the Aliso Canyon leak became the biggest single source of methane emissions in all of California practically overnight when it began Oct. 23. Environmentalists say that the impact of the greenhouse gases released since then, when projected out over 20 years, is equal to the emissions from six coal-fired power plants or 7 million cars, according to a recent analysis by The Washington Post. 
 
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 Most worrisome is the fact that it may take Southern California Gas Company, which manages the underground tanks, three to four months to stop the breach while the methane gas continues to surge unabated into the atmosphere. The underground tanks hold billions of cubic feet of natural gas that is stored under high pressure to supply the utility company’s 20 million customers 
 
 By comparison, it took the BP oil company five months to seal an underground well off the coast of Louisiana following a deadly April 2010 explosion on an oil rig -- but not before an estimated 4.9 billion barrels of crude oil escaped into the Gulf of Mexico, killing untold numbers of fish and wildlife and befouling beaches and the water. 
 
 As of this week, the California leak has spewed over 73,000 metric tons of methane gas into the atmosphere, according to the Environmental Defense Fund, which, in cooperation with the nonprofit Earthworks, recently released an aerial video that uses an infrared camera to highlight the gas escape. 
 
 The Environmental Defense Fund is providing real-time updates on the situation. 
 
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 Natural gas is often hailed as a cleaner burning energy source than coal or oil because of the lower greenhouse gas emissions associated with burning it, notes the online publication Gizmodo. But as scientists warn, natural gas can prove to be as dirty as the fossil fuels it was meant to replace under certain conditions. 
 
 Indeed, methane is a potent greenhouse gas, with up to 80 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide in the first two decades of its lifespan. “The science is crystal clear: if you allow the methane to leak, you can wipe out its climate benefits,” Tim O’Connor, director of the Environmental Defense Fund’s Oil and Gas Program in California, told Gizmodo. 
 
 "SoCal Gas recognizes the impact this incident is having on the environment," company chief executive Dennis Arriola said in a letter to the governor earlier this month. "I want to assure the public that we intend to mitigate environmental impacts from the actual natural gas released from the leak and will work with state officials to develop a framework that will help us achieve this goal." 
 
 Related: California Steaming -- The High Cost of the State's Drought Fixes 
 
 So what to do? 
 
 After several failed efforts at stopping the leak, the utility company has begun drilling relief wells that would allow it to seal off the gas by pumping cement underground. 
 
 SoCal Gas has said that work to plug the well may not be complete until late March – but others worry it could take longer. Over the weekend, SoCal Gas reported that it has drilled about 3,800 feet toward the target well, and that it is beginning work to drill a second, backup relief well. 
 
 Below is a utility company diagram of how workers are trying to cap the gas leak: ||||| These crawls are part of an effort to archive pages as they are created and archive the pages that they refer to. That way, as the pages that are referenced are changed or taken from the web, a link to the version that was live when the page was written will be preserved.Then the Internet Archive hopes that references to these archived pages will be put in place of a link that would be otherwise be broken, or a companion link to allow people to see what was originally intended by a page's authors.The goal is to fix all broken links on the web . Crawls of supported "No More 404" sites. ||||| California has declared a State of Emergency for the Southern California Gas Company gas leak in Porter Ranch—the largest natural gas leak ever recorded, which has been going on since last year. What took so long? 
 
 The gas leak, which has spewed 110,000 pounds of natural gas per hour since October 2015, caused thousands of residents to relocate after complaining about sore throats and headaches for months. 
 
 While engineers still haven’t pinpointed the exact cause of the leak, aging infrastructure could be to blame. The Aliso Canyon Underground Storage Facility (where the leak took place) has lacked a crucial safety valve since 1979. 
 
 Now that Gov. Jerry Brown has (finally!) made this declaration, it means that “all state agencies will utilize state personnel, equipment, and facilities to ensure a continuous and thorough state response to this incident,” according to a statement. 
 
 By declaring an emergency, Brown is freeing up government resources to prioritize fixing the leak. It’s a positive step, but woefully overdue. 
 
 Here’s the full text of the proclamation: 
 
 PROCLAMATION OF A STATE OF EMERGENCY 
 
 WHEREAS on October 23, 2015, a natural gas leak was discovered at a well within the Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Storage Facility in Los Angeles County, and Southern California Gas Company’s attempts to stop the leak have not yet been successful; and 
 
 WHEREAS many residents in the nearby community have reported adverse physical symptoms as a result of the natural gas leak, and the continuing emissions from this leak have resulted in the relocation of thousands of people, including many schoolchildren; and 
 
 WHEREAS major amounts of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, have been emitted into the atmosphere; and 
 
 WHEREAS the Department of Conservation, Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources issued an emergency order on December 10, 2015 prohibiting injection of natural gas into the Aliso Canyon Storage Facility until further authorized; and 
 
 WHEREAS seven state agencies are mobilized to protect public health, oversee Southern California Gas Company’s actions to stop the leak, track methane emissions, ensure worker safety, safeguard energy reliability, and address any other problems stemming from the leak; and 
 
 WHEREAS the California Public Utilities Commission and the Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources—working closely with federal, state and local authorities including the California Attorney General and the Los Angeles City Attorney—have instituted investigations of this natural gas leak and have ordered an independent, third-party analysis of the cause of the leak; and 
 
 NOW, THEREFORE, given the prolonged and continuing duration of this natural gas leak and the request by residents and local officials for a declaration of emergency, I, EDMUND G. BROWN JR., Governor of the State of California, in accordance with the authority vested in me by the State Constitution and statutes, including the California Emergency Services Act, HEREBY PROCLAIM A STATE OF EMERGENCY to exist in Los Angeles County due to this natural gas leak. 
 
 IT IS HEREBY ORDERED THAT: 
 
 1. All agencies of state government shall utilize all necessary state personnel, equipment, and facilities to ensure a continuous and thorough response to this incident, as directed by the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and the State Emergency Plan. 
 
 2. The Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, in exercising its responsibility to coordinate relevant state agencies, shall provide frequent and timely updates to residents affected by the natural gas leak and the appropriate local officials, including convening community meetings. 
 
 STOPPING THE LEAK 
 
 3. The California Public Utilities Commission and the California Energy Commission shall take all actions necessary to ensure that Southern California Gas Company maximizes daily withdrawals of natural gas from the Aliso Canyon Storage Facility for use or storage elsewhere. 
 
 4. The Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources shall direct Southern California Gas Company to take any and all viable and safe actions to capture leaking gas and odorants while relief wells are being completed. 
 
 5. The Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources shall require Southern California Gas Company to identify how it will stop the gas leak if pumping materials through relief wells fails to close the leaking well, or if the existing leak worsens. 
 
 6. The Division shall take necessary steps to ensure that the proposals identified by Southern California Gas Company pursuant to Directives 4 and 5 are evaluated by the panel of subject matter experts the Division has convened from the Lawrence Berkeley, Lawrence Livermore, and Sandia National Laboratories to evaluate Southern California Gas Company’s actions. 
 
 PROTECTING PUBLIC SAFETY 
 
 7. The Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources shall continue its prohibition against Southern California Gas Company injecting any gas into the Aliso Canyon Storage Facility until a comprehensive review, utilizing independent experts, of the safety of the storage wells and the air quality of the surrounding community is completed. 
 
 8. The California Air Resources Board, in coordination with other agencies, shall expand its real-time monitoring of emissions in the community and continue providing frequent, publicly accessible updates on local air quality. 
 
 9. The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment shall convene an independent panel of scientific and medical experts to review public health concerns stemming from the gas leak and evaluate whether additional measures are needed to protect public health beyond those already put in place. 
 
 10. The California Public Utilities Commission and the California Energy Commission, in coordination with the California Independent System Operator, shall take all actions necessary to ensure the continued reliability of natural gas and electricity supplies in the coming months during the moratorium on gas injections into the Aliso Canyon Storage Facility. 
 
 ENSURING ACCOUNTABILITY 
 
 11. The California Public Utilities Commission shall ensure that Southern California Gas Company cover costs related to the natural gas leak and its response, while protecting ratepayers. 
 
 12. The California Air Resources Board, in consultation with appropriate state agencies, shall develop a program to fully mitigate the leak’s emissions of methane by March 31, 2016. This mitigation program shall be funded by the Southern California Gas Company, be limited to projects in California, and prioritize projects that reduce short-lived climate pollutants. 
 
 STRENGTHENING OVERSIGHT OF GAS STORAGE FACILITIES 
 
 13. The Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources shall promulgate emergency regulations requiring gas storage facility operators throughout the state to comply with the following new safety and reliability measures: 
 
 a. Require at least a daily inspection of gas storage well heads, using gas leak detection technology such as infrared imaging. 
 
 b. Require ongoing verification of the mechanical integrity of all gas storage wells. 
 
 c. Require ongoing measurement of annular gas pressure or annular gas flow within wells. 
 
 d. Require regular testing of all safety valves used in wells. 
 
 e. Establish minimum and maximum pressure limits for each gas storage facility in the state. 
 
 f. Require each storage facility to establish a comprehensive risk management plan that evaluates and prepares for risks at each facility, including corrosion potential of pipes and equipment. 
 
 14. The Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources, the California Public Utilities Commission, the California Air Resources Board and the California Energy Commission shall submit to the Governor’s Office a report that assesses the long-term viability of natural gas storage facilities in California. The report should address operational safety and potential health risks, methane emissions, supply reliability for gas and electricity demand in California, and the role of storage facilities and natural gas infrastructure in the State’s long-term greenhouse gas reduction strategies. This report shall be submitted within six months after the completion of the investigation of the cause of the natural gas well leak in the Aliso Canyon Storage Facility. 
 
 I FURTHER DIRECT that as soon as hereafter possible, this proclamation be filed in the Office of the Secretary of State and that widespread publicity and notice be given of this proclamation. 
 
 IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 6th day of January 2016. 
 
 __________________________ 
 
 EDMUND G. BROWN JR. 
 
 Governor of California 
 
 ATTEST: 
 
 __________________________ 
 
 ALEX PADILLA 
 
 Secretary of State ||||| These crawls are part of an effort to archive pages as they are created and archive the pages that they refer to. That way, as the pages that are referenced are changed or taken from the web, a link to the version that was live when the page was written will be preserved.Then the Internet Archive hopes that references to these archived pages will be put in place of a link that would be otherwise be broken, or a companion link to allow people to see what was originally intended by a page's authors.The goal is to fix all broken links on the web . Crawls of supported "No More 404" sites. ||||| So while the long-term effects of the leak may not amount to much, in the short term the problem has caused mayhem. Erin Brockovich, the environmental activist who successfully took Pacific Gas and Electric Company to task over groundwater contamination, has held community meetings to discuss the leak’s effects. The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered a no-fly-zone over Porter Ranch for safety reasons. The leak, buried deep in the ground at a giant gas field that stores energy for distribution around Southern California, now accounts for about 25 percent of the methane emitted in California each day. Methane is a highly potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. 
 
 In declaring the state of emergency, Mr. Brown said that he acted in response to the “prolonged and continuing” nature of the leak, which was detected Oct. 23. 
 
 Video 
 
 To those whose lives have been upended by the leak, the situation has long qualified as a disaster, and the governor’s delay has been one of many sources of frustration. 
 
 Sharon Mousavi-Dormani is among those who have moved away temporarily, with her dog and two children, after choking on the fumes for more than a month and suffering from headaches, sore throats and nosebleeds. Even the dog was getting diarrhea, she said. 
 
 With hotels in the area full over the holidays, the family members found themselves at a hotel in Pasadena, about 30 miles away, unsure where they would end up or what schools the children would attend, given that the ones in Porter Ranch have closed because of the problem. 
 
 “It’s like a fog in your brain — it feels like you’re having a stroke,” Ms. Mousavi-Dormani said of how she feels every time she returns to her home, as she did recently to help prepare for the heavy rainstorms that fell in the region last weekend as a consequence of El Niño. “Every time I go back, I get sicker and sicker.” 
 
 Many who have stayed have taken to wearing surgical masks when they garden to keep out the rotten-egg smell and the oily mist that sometimes leaves brown residue on their cars. 
 
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 In some gated communities near the gas field, half the homes now sit empty, prompting fears of burglaries. Temporary signs dot the street urging residents to report suspicious activities. 
 
 “The neighborhood was a safe place to have your kids grow up,” said Amber Visage, 27, explaining why she moved to Porter Ranch with her daughter, now 6. She has relocated to a hotel and is worried about the value of her home, along with her family’s health. 
 
 Photo 
 
 “Who would want to move here now?” she asked. 
 
 The Southern California Gas Company, a division of Sempra Energy of San Diego, has been subsidizing those residents who want to move and installing air filtration for those who choose to stay. 
 
 Officials from the company declined to say how much has been spent addressing the leak or how they plan to address the lawsuits that will probably haunt them for years. At least two law firms representing residents have filed suit against the company, as has the Los Angeles city attorney. 
 
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 Shares of Sempra have fallen 8.6 percent since the leak was discovered. Mr. Brown’s sister, Kathleen L. Brown, is a Sempra Energy board member. 
 
 Company officials insisted they were doing everything possible to plug the leak quickly, adding that leading engineers from around the country had been brought in to assist. A relief well under construction to fix the problem will have to reach more than 8,000 feet underground so engineers can inject additional liquids and then permanently cap the leaking well with cement, company officials said. 
 
 “We’re working literally 24 hours a day,” said Dennis Arriola, the president of Southern California Gas Company. “People get frustrated if they don’t understand the principles, but we’re going on schedule.” 
 
 He added that experts had “never seen anything like this.” 
 
 Unlike some other wells, the leaking well did not have an subsurface safety valve. 
 
 Though not required by state regulators, such a valve could have stopped the leak quickly, and calls for reform have followed. 
 
 In his emergency declaration, Mr. Brown said he was ordering an investigation into the cause of the leak, as well as stepping up regulations for all gas storage facilities in the state.
– California Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency Wednesday over the crazy natural gas leak that's been spewing massive amounts of methane over a Los Angeles neighborhood since October and may not be fixed for months. Some related coverage: Brown's declaration seeks to speed up the repair and improve backup plans, and requires that well operator Southern California Gas cover projects to reduce emissions elsewhere in the state. Details at the Sacramento Bee. So what happened? Engineers think a 7-inch pipe burst 500 feet below ground, and the Los Angeles Times reports that the leaking well lacked a working safety valve. The story has a graphic explaining what's happening below ground to try to plug the leak. More than 2,000 households in the Porter Ranch neighborhood have relocated to hotels, motels, and relatives' homes, and residents are worried about illnesses and property values, reports the Wall Street Journal. "You can't see it, so there's denial," says a woman whose 2-year-old daughter was hospitalized for respiratory issues. People are getting sick (headaches, dizziness, nosebleed, nausea) not from the gas itself but from chemicals added to it to help detect leaks, reports the New York Times. Health officials say the long-term effects are small. Gizmodo calls this the biggest natural gas leak on record and has one question for Brown: "What took so long?" This "could seriously set back the Obama administration’s high profile efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute directly to global warming," explains the Fiscal Times.