Aliso Canyon Temporary Stay Dissolved By Appeals Court

PORTER RANCH (CBSLA.com) — The Court of Appeals dissolved its temporary stay on injunctions Saturday evening, paving the way for the Aliso Canyon gas storage facility to reopen.

SoCalGas on Saturday filed a dispute to the Friday appellate court ruling that halted plans to reopen the Aliso Canyon gas storage facility.

The utility filed documents with the 2nd District Court of Appeals arguing against the stay that had put a temporary halt to restarting operations in the hills above Porter Ranch.

SoCalGas argued in the filing that Los Angeles County cannot override state regulators who agree with the utility that the methane wells are safe and vital to the region and that operations can restart.

"Today's decision by the Court of Appeals is the right one. State regulators carefully considered all of the issues raised by both the County and members of the community in their comprehensive safety review," said Chris Gilbride, SoCalGas spokesperson. "Aliso Canyon is safe to operate. This is not just our conclusion, but the conclusion of the only State regulators with lawful jurisdiction and expertise to oversee the safety of our operations."

"This decision by the Court of Appeal to dissolve the temporary stay to block reinjection at the Aliso Canyon facility is an unfortunate setback for the community of Porter Ranch and the northwest San Fernando Valley," said LA County 5th District Supervisor Kathryn Barger. "The County will file a full writ petition with the Court of Appeal on Monday, requesting an immediate stay to allow the Court to consider the merits of the petition. I strongly believe that without a root-cause analysis, seismic risk assessments, and a long-term energy reliability study, this facility – which jeopardized the health and safety of local families for months – should not be allowed to reopen."

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