Daniel Jacobson: Massive Methane Gas Leak in Southern California is Both a Public Health and Climate Disaster

Award-winning Investigative Journalist Robert Parry (1949-2018)

Award-winning investigative journalist and founder/editor of ConsortiumNews.com, Robert Parry has passed away. His ground-breaking work uncovering Reagan-era dirty wars in Central America and many other illegal and immoral policies conducted by successive administrations and U.S. intelligence agencies, stands as an inspiration to all in journalists working in the public interest.

Robert had been a regular guest on our Between The Lines and Counterpoint radio shows -- and many other progressive outlets across the U.S. over four decades.

His penetrating analysis of U.S. foreign policy and international conflicts will be sorely missed, and not easily replaced. His son Nat Parry writes a tribute to his father: Robert Parry’s Legacy and the Future of Consortiumnews.

Thank you for donating

If you've made a donation and wish to receive thank you gifts for your donation, be sure to send us your mailing address via our Contact form.

See our thank you gifts for your donation.

The Resistance Starts Now!

Between The Lines' coverage and resource compilation of the Resistance Movement

"The man who predicted Trump presidential win now says Trump impeachment could happen," AM Joy with Joy Reid, MSNBC, Jan. 21, 2018
"Sketchy Kazakh money finds its way into Trump dealings," The Rachel Maddow Show, MSNBC, Jan. 15, 2018
"Red flags seen in many Trump real estate deals," The Rachel Maddow Show, MSNBC, Jan. 15, 2018
"Secret Money: How Trump Made Millions Selling Condos To Unknown Buyers," BuzzFeed, Jan. 12, 2018
"The Scandals of Donald Trump: Presidential Edition," The Atlantic, May 15, 2017
"Here's what we know so far about Team Trump's ties to Russian interests," Washington Post's ongoing compilation
"What Comey Was Investigating, Explained," The Moscow Project, Center for American Progress

"Donald Trump's Financial Ties to Russian Oligarchs and Mobsters Detailed In Explosive New Documentary from the Netherlands," Dutch TV documentary, Alternet.org, May 12, 2017
Ongoing compilation of Trump's creeping authoritarianism," MotherJones.com
Full resource list ...

SPECIAL REPORT: "The Resistance - Women's March 2018 - Hartford, Connecticut" Jan. 20, 2018

Selected speeches from the Women's March in Hartford, Connecticut 2018, recorded and produced by Scott Harris

SPECIAL REPORT: "No Fracking Waste in CT!" Jan. 14, 2018

Jen Siskind Jennifer Siskind, local coordinator for Food and Water Watch, describes the campaign to stop fracking waste in Connecticut, which so far has led to fracking waste bans in 34 towns around the state. Interviewed by Richard Hill on Mic Check, WPKN Radio, Bridgeport, CT

SPECIAL REPORT: "Resistance Round Table: The Unraveling Continues..." Jan. 13, 2018

Lindsay Kanaly The panel discusses Trump's long history of racism and the Republican voter suppression juggernaut confronting Democrats leading up to the 2018 elections. Special guest: Lindsay Kanaly, a lead organizer of the Women's Marches planned for Jan. 20, 2018. Panel: Scott Harris, Ruthanne Baumgartner and Richard Hill on Resistance Roundtable, WPKN Radio, Bridgeport, CT.

SPECIAL REPORT: "Capitalism to the ash heap?" Richard Wolff, Jan. 2, 2018

Richard Wolff, Economics professor Richard Wolff declares U.S. capitalism to be beyond repair and suggests the need for a radical alternative. Interviewed by Richard Hill

SPECIAL REPORT: Maryn McKenna, author of "Big Chicken", Dec. 7, 2017

Maryn McKenna, investigative journalist and author of Big Chicken, talks about the widespread use and dangers of antibiotics in commercial poultry, beef and fruit production. Interview by Bill Duesing, Richard Hill and Guy Beardsly on WPKN's Organic Farm Stand.

SPECIAL REPORT: Nina Turner's address, Working Families Party Awards Banquet, Dec. 14, 2017

Nina Turner, president of Our Revolution, talks about the fight ahead for progressives as she receives the Working Families Organization Award for Exceptional Leadership Towards Advancing Progress. The event was held in Meriden, CT. Produced by Richard Hill.

SPECIAL REPORT: Mic Check, Dec. 12, 2017

Working Families Party of CT talks strategy and issues for 2018.
Lindsay Farrell, executive director of the Working Families Party of Connecticut, discusses the state's electoral landscape and lays out the issues and strategies that could lead to progressive victories in 2018. Interviewed by Richard Hill.

SPECIAL REPORT: Resistance Roundtable, Dec. 9, 2017

Disturbing developments in the Trump/Republican Agenda
Focus on the tax bill, destruction of our public lands, North Korea and Trump's private CIA. Panel: Scott Harris, Ruthanne Baumgartner and Richard Hill. Special guest: Jo Macallero of Rise and Resist.

SPECIAL REPORT: On Tyranny - one year later, Nov. 28, 2017

Professor Timothy Snyder, author of the highly acclaimed resistance manual On Tyranny, discusses his book and offers a fresh assessment of the state of our beleaguered republic. Timothy Snyder, history professor at Yale, is introduced by Stanley Heller, administrator of Promoting Enduring Peace, a Connecticut-based organization that sponsored this event at the United Church Parish House in New Haven on Nov. 28. A brief interview with Snyder conducted by WPKN radio producer, Richard Hill, follows his talk.

SPECIAL REPORT: Mic Check, Nov. 12, 2017

Lynne Ide, director of program and policy with the Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut, talks about the current state of health care coverage in Connecticut. Interviewed by Richard Hill, WPKN radio producer

SPECIAL REPORT: Resistance Roundtable, Nov. 11, 2017

Focus on the Republican tax plan, the just-released autopsy on the Democratic Party, and Internet censorship by Google, Facebook and Youtube. Including an interview with Hilary Grant, a lead organizer with Action Together Connecticut, who discusses the local results of the recent election, with hosts Richard Hill, Scott Harris and Ruth Baumgartner WPKN producers

SPECIAL REPORT: Rainy Day Radio, Nov. 7, 2017

Two leaders from Redneck Revolt, an anti-racist, anti-capitalist movement, talk about their work organizing with white working class people in Suffolk County, New York. Interviewed by Richard Hill, WPKN radio producer

SPECIAL REPORT: Rainy Day Radio, Nov. 7, 2017

Bruce Gagnon, coordinator for the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, describes the extent of -- and motives underlying -- the vast US network of military bases around the globe. Interviewed by Richard Hill, WPKN radio producer

SPECIAL REPORT: Resisting U.S. JeJu Island military base in South Korea, Oct. 24, 2017

Joyakol, South Korean peace activist and singer, discusses the crisis on the Korean peninsula and focuses on the resistance to the U.S. huge military base being constructed on Jeju Island. The event was sponsored by the Greater New Haven Peace Council and this audio was recorded by Richard Hill, WPKN producer.
Joyakol discusses Americans' biggest misconceptions about the conflict between North and South Korea and the U.S., Interview by Richard Hill, WPKN producer.

SPECIAL REPORT: John Allen, Out in New Haven

John Allen, founding director of the New Haven Pride Center, Connecticut, talks about his new LGBTQ television show, Out in New Haven, which presents a range of political and cultural issues to the community. Interviewed by Richard Hill on WPKN's Rainy Day Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2018.

2017 Gandhi Peace Awards

Promoting Enduring Peace presented its Gandhi Peace Award jointly to renowned consumer advocate Ralph Nader and BDS founder Omar Barghouti on April 23, 2017.

Subscribe to our Weekly Summary & receive our FREE Resist Trump window cling

(Car window cling)

Email us with your mailing address at contact@btlonline.org to receive our "Resist Trump/Resist Hate" car window cling!

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE...

who helped make our 25th anniversary with Jeremy Scahill a success!

For those who missed the event, or were there and really wanted to fully absorb its import, here it is in video

Jeremy Scahill keynote speech, part 1 from PROUDEYEMEDIA on Vimeo.

Jeremy Scahill keynote speech, part 2 from PROUDEYEMEDIA on Vimeo.

Between The Lines on Stitcher

Between The Lines Presentation at the Left Forum 2016

"How Do We Build A Mass Movement to Reverse Runaway Inequality?" with Les Leopold, author of "Runaway Inequality: An Activist's Guide to Economic Justice,"May 22, 2016, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, The City University of New York, 860 11th Ave. (Between 58th and 59th), New York City. Between The Lines' Scott Harris and Richard Hill moderated this workshop. Listen to the audio/slideshows and more from this workshop.

Listen to audio of the plenary sessions from the weekend.

JEREMY SCAHILL: Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker "Dirty Wars"

Listen to the full interview (30:33) with Jeremy Scahill, an award-winning investigative journalist with the Nation Magazine, correspondent for Democracy Now! and author of the bestselling book, "Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army," about America's outsourcing of its military. In an exclusive interview with Counterpoint's Scott Harris on Sept. 16, 2013, Scahill talks about his latest book, "Dirty Wars, The World is a Battlefield," also made into a documentary film under the same title, and was nominated Dec. 5, 2013 for an Academy Award in the Best Documentary Feature category.

Listen to Scott Harris Live on WPKN Radio

Between The Lines' Executive Producer Scott Harris hosts a live, weekly talk show, Counterpoint, from which some of Between The Lines' interviews are excerpted. Listen every Monday evening from 8 to 10 p.m. EDT at www.WPKN.org (Follows the 5-7 minute White Rose Calendar.)

Counterpoint in its entirety is archived after midnight ET Monday nights, and is available for at least a year following broadcast in WPKN Radio's Archives.

You can also listen to full unedited interview segments from Counterpoint, which are generally available some time the day following broadcast.

Subscribe to Counterpoint bulletins via our subscriptions page.

BTL Blog

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

Special Programming

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

Progressive Resources

A compilation of activist and news sites with a progressive point of view

Share this content:

|

Subscribe to BTL

Podcasts: direct or via iTunes

Subscribe to Program Summaries, Interview Transcripts or Counterpoint via email or RSS feed

If you have other questions regarding subscriptions, feeds or podcasts/mp3s go to our Audio Help page.

Between The Lines Blog

Stay connected to BTL

Learn how to support our efforts!

Tweets by @BTLRadioNews

Massive Methane Gas Leak in Southern California is Both a Public Health and Climate Disaster

Posted Dec. 30, 2015

Interview with Daniel Jacobson, legislative director with the group Environment California, conducted by Melinda Tuhus

On Oct. 23, a large plume of methane gas began leaking from a ruptured well pipe owned by Southern California Gas Company in the upscale community of Porter Ranch, 23 miles northeast of Los Angeles. The leak is fed by the second largest gas storage site in the U.S. at Aliso Canyon that serves 21 million customers. Although methane itself is invisible and odorless, chemicals are added to the gas to give it a tell-tale smell so it can be detected in the case of leaks. Viewed through an infrared camera, the gas can be seen pouring into the atmosphere. Many area residents have been suffering from nausea, headaches, vomiting and other ills since the leak began. The company is paying for hotel stays for thousands of residents while it works to fix what has become both a huge public health and climate disaster.

Half a dozen attempts to kill the well have failed, and the company is now drilling a new well to try to safely divert the gas. The methane leaked so far accounts for 25 percent of the state's total annual methane releases and is undoing much of the state's groundbreaking efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Methane is 86 times more powerful a greenhouse gas than the much more plentiful carbon dioxide in the first 20 years after release, a critical time period for the urgent efforts now underway to get climate change under control.

Between The Lines' Melinda Tuhus spoke with Daniel Jacobson, legislative director with the group Environment California, who talks about the disaster, its impact, and why it hasn't received the media attention of the last enormous fossil fuel-related disaster, the massive Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.

For more information on the health and climate impact of the massive southern California methane leak, visit Environment California at environmentcalifornia.org.

DAN JACOBSON: The photography, the graphics, the pictures coming out of Deepwater Horizon were scary and startling. Both the fireball, the deaths that were involved, but hundreds of millions of gallons of oil that was leaking into the Gulf, the animals that were getting sick and coated in oil, the oil that was washing up on the beaches – that was what was being shown all over the world. This problem is just as great, except instead of black oil oozing onto our beaches, we've got methane gas – which is more potent than CO2 – oozing into our atmosphere, and causing not only a public health nightmare, but also a global warming catastrophe. The amount of methane that's escaping in enough to fill the Empire State Building every single day, which is a startling amount, but will end up being 25 percent of the state's methane emissions for the year. This is a state that needs to become a world leader in reducing global warming pollution, and we know that pollution like methane and other short-lived climate pollutants are significantly more harmful to global warming than CO2.

BETWEEN THE LINES: Even though the national media doesn't seem to have picked up on the seriousness of this disaster, is it a big deal to people in California?

DAN JACOBSON: Oh, yeah, this is a huge story statewide and even one of our most credible newspapers in the state and probably in the country – the Los Angeles Times – has called on Gov. Brown to shut down aging facilities like this because we just can’t do both of those things – both be a climate leader and at the same time continue to allow accidents like this to happen or continue to be the third largest oil producing state in the country. Those two things are not consistent, and if we want to be a leader in solving climate change, we’re going to have to stop storing things like natural gas and stop drilling for oil.

BETWEEN THE LINES: So, this is a privately owned facility. Can the state do anything to move this process along, to stop the leak?

DAN JACOBSON: Well, it'll be difficult to get it fixed faster. I think today it was just reported that the gas company has finally figured out where the leak is coming from. That was one of the scariest things, that they didn't even know where it was. Now that they know where it is, they can begin the very long process of trying to figure out how to stop it. It's expected to take until the end of March, so people who live in the area are going to be displaced; they're going to suffer the impacts of over-exposure to methane and to some of the other gases that are put into natural gas to warn us, ironically, of the dangers of when they're there. And yeah, I think the state needs to do more. It needs to force the gas company to protect the citizens who have been impacted by this, to make sure they're not losing any property value or any value because the property values of their houses are going down; and to even more quickly than they are, phase away from natural gas and other fossil fuels and move us more quickly to clean energy.

BETWEEN THE LINES: Dan Jacobson, what are local residents saying and doing about this? I know the gas company is paying $250 a day to relocate families away from the leak, many of whom are suffering health impacts like nausea, dizziness and rashes. More than 2,600 families have asked to be relocated.

DAN JACOBSON: The local citizens are outraged. Many of them didn't even know they lived so close to a natural gas storage facility and what they're really demanding is, "We want to make sure we get relocated to places that are safe; we want to make sure our kids are safe and there are no schools that are being impacted by this; if there's any loss of value to our property because of this, they want to be compensated for it." And they're also wanting to make sure that these kinds of accidents don't happen to them in the future or to anybody else in the state of California.

People have been exposed to a lot of methane gas and to a lot of other toxic chemicals that are put into natural gas to make it easier to detect (by the odor). And we don't know what the long-term impacts of that are. I don't know that we will know immediately, and if there are tests that can be done that will give us that information. That’s why it’s so important not only to make sure we're protecting these citizens right away, today, tomorrow, next week, next month, but also moving us away from dangerous toxics like natural gas in the first place.

BETWEEN THE LINES: I read that there are a hundred other gas wells in the immediate area. I wonder what’s the likelihood of more disasters like this?

DAN JACOBSON: Well, it's hard to say how likely it is to happen again, but what we're talking about here is fossil fuels, and the thing that we know is that when you try to either dig up fossil fuels, or drill for them or frack for them, or transport them, there's going to be accidents. There always have been, and there always will be. And the storage, which is what we're talking about here, the storage of natural gas, we just can't do it safely for a long time, and that's what's happening here. We have a very old facility whose pipes are cracking and literally bursting at the seams. It's causing an environmental nightmare and a public health nightmare for the people who live around there. And the only way that we're really going to be able to solve this problem is to move away from fossil fuels and to move toward renewable energy like wind and solar.