Protestors Defy Police, SoCalGas To Shut NatGas Facility

Protesters call for closure of SoCalGas facility at Porter Ranch gas leak site

Dakota Smith, May 16, 2016 (LA Daily News)

Activists from a coalition of groups opposing continued operation of the Los Angeles natural gas storage facility that released the worst methane leak in U.S. history shut the site down for three hours in an act of civil disobedience.

photo by Ann Bridges (click to enlarge)

The protestors called on California Governor Jerry Brown and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to close the Southern California Gas Company site’s antiquated natural gas containment wells, use other available supplies to local power plants, and turn the disaster into opportunity by moving faster in the state’s transition to New Energy.

photo by Ann Bridges (click to enlarge)

SoCalGas, in an attempt to reduce the impact of the civil disobedience, told the Los Angeles police not to make arrests. In response, the defiant activists escalated their action by expanding the area of the facility’s access they were blocking. Among the onlookers were residents of the surrounding community still displaced and sick from the fumes released in the leak.

photo by Ann Bridges (click to enlarge)

An hour later, with SoCalGas still backing away from a response, the 21 representatives of Food & Water Watch, 350.org, SoCal 350 Climate Action, South Bay 350, Long Beach 350, the Center for Biological Diversity, and the ANSWER Coalition ended the demonstration and called for state leaders to oppose SB 380, a bill that would allow SoCalGas to resume used of the facility if its 115 wells pass rigorous safety tests. click here for more

photo by Ann Bridges (click to enlarge)

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