Protesters Demand Closure of Aliso Canyon

About 100 people turned out Thursday morning at a protest to demand closure of the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility near Porter Ranch. The protesters want Gov. Gavin Newsom to close the facility because it still poses a threat to the health of nearby residents. “He can do it with an executive order,” said Matt Pakucko president and co-founder of the organization Save Porter Ranch. “The protesters say they are going to stay there until he does.” Pakucko said that about 40 of the protesters were right on the front line of the facility’s gate with about half of those tied together and to cement-filled barrels. Video posted by Save Porter Ranch at its Facebook page showed the protesters in front of the gate to the natural gas facility chanting and holding up signs, including a large one with Newsom’s face on it reading “Governor Newsom Shut Down Aliso.” The protest comes a day after the fourth anniversary of the start of the nation’s largest natural gas leak at Aliso Canyon, which is owned by Sempra Energy’s Southern California Gas Co. The leak was finally plugged in February 2016. But when the blowout stopped, the problems at Aliso Canyon didn’t, Pakucko said. “There is a continuing health crisis in this community,” he added. “A lot of people still report getting sick.” Among the groups taking part in the protest were international group Extinction Rebellion; Sunrise, a Washington, D.C. group of young people against climate change; and Food & Water Watch, also in Washington, an education and research group that unites people to address problems of food, water and climate change.