City Councilman Mitch Englander called Tuesday for the district attorney and state attorney general to consider criminal charges or civil actions against an oil and gas company that was recently cited for venting natural gas from a field in Aliso Canyon.
The venting gas was discovered coming from a field operated The Termo Co. by an infrared camera during a Jan. 23 flyover conducted by Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the South Coast Air Quality Management District, according to Englander.
The leak appeared to be coming from a field near a larger gas leak that was taking place at the time at the Aliso Canyon Storage Facility operated by Southern California Gas Co.
The state Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources, DOGGR, fined The Termo Co. $75,000 Friday for wasting gas unreasonably, the improper disposal of oil field waste and failure to maintain and monitor the production facility.
The agency’s inspectors said they believe the gas venting was done intentionally because a pipeline that had been the source of the leak was removed before a subsequent inspection.
A Termo employee told inspectors the pipeline was part of an emergency relief system that was being used because they could no longer transmit the natural gas it was producing — a byproduct of its oil drilling — into the SoCalGas storage facility.
However, inspectors said the pipeline appeared to have been connected only to the wellhead and nothing else, indicating the gas was being vented directly into the air instead of being properly handled.
Englander introduced a motion Tuesday asking that District Attorney Jackie Lacey and Attorney General Kamala Harris review the incident to see if any criminal or civil prosecution is possible. He also asked that the AQMD report on any pending actions related to the venting.
“The actions of The Termo Company appear willful and intentional,” Englander said. “I am convinced that their total lack of regard for the rules protecting the health and safety of their host community rises to the criminal level. This community deserves justice.”
Termo’s manager of corporate development, Ralph Combs, said in a statement that the company plans to fight DOGGR’s order.
“The Termo Company has completed its internal investigation of an alleged January 23rd natural gas release at our Del Aliso lease. Based on the results of our internal investigation and the absence of supporting information received from DOGGR, we intend to appeal the order,” Combs said.
Combs said DOGGR and the air quality management agency visited their facilities several times since Jan. 23, adding that their company “will continue to work openly and transparently with various state agencies to ensure the continued safe operation of our leases.”
