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Almost six years after the worst methane leak in U.S. history forced more than 8,000 Porter Ranch families to flee their homes, Southern California Gas Co. agreed to pay a settlement of up to 1.8 billion dollars.
In an announcement Monday, the gas company and its parent company, Sempra Energy, deny any wrongdoing. The settlement comes after years of lawsuits involving more than 35,000 victims.
The October 2015 leak lasted four months and caused the largest known release of methane in U.S. history. More than 100,000 tons of gas, a pollutant more potent than carbon dioxide, were spat into the air.
The leak also released small amounts of benzene, a carcinogenic chemical, and other toxic pollutants.
About 8,000 families living nearby complained of symptoms, including headaches, nosebleeds and nausea, and fled their homes.
“Our goal has always been to achieve justice for the men, women and children who have been abandoned by SoCalGas at every turn of this disaster,” said a statement from Brian Panish, senior lawyer for the victims of the leak. “This settlement, and the numerous discovery penalties imposed by the court, hold Sempra and SoCalGas responsible for the Aliso Canyon eruption and their repeated misconduct throughout this litigation.”
In a statement, SoCalGas said the agreements should resolve “the bulk of all material civil disputes” against the company, which would record an after-tax charge of about $ 1.1 billion this month.
The settlement fee would not be passed on to customers, the utility said.
The first settlement agreement requires obtaining an approximate 97% stake in the approximately 36,000 plaintiffs and approval by the court of how the settlement money will be distributed, among other conditions, the public service.
“These agreements are an important step that will help the community and our business put this difficult chapter behind us,” said Scott Drury, CEO of SoCalGas.
“In the years since the leak, SoCalGas has worked alongside regulators, technical experts and our neighbors to improve the safety of all of our underground storage facilities and our engagement with the community. As a result, our storage facilities operate according to what regulators and experts have called some of the toughest safety standards in the country. “
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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