In today’s editions of the Los Angeles Media Group publications, Sen. Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills) writes of the lessons learned from the Paris climate summit as they apply to her backyard, with the ongoing natural gas leak from the massive storage reservoir near Porter Ranch.

“The big take-away from the Paris agreement is that it sends a strong market signal to investors and energy producers that the world is transitioning from coal and other fossil fuels to renewable energy and energy efficiency,” Pavley writes.
“The agreement provides the first real sense of possibility that the most catastrophic effects of a warming climate can be averted.

“But as we returned home, there was also a sober recognition that there is much work ahead.

“For me, that sense was acute, as an uncontrolled leak from a natural gas storage facility near my home continued unabated. Since returning from the climate summit, I have spent every day working with state agencies and the Brown administration to ensure that everything is being done to stop the leak as quickly as possible so that life can return to normal for the families in Porter Ranch whose lives have been turned upside down by the noxious fumes.

“In addition, I am closely monitoring investigations into why the well casing cracked, so that we can ensure that this will never happen again.

“Those are the immediate priorities.

“But going forward the state must also consider the repercussions of releases of natural gas into the atmosphere. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas whose atmospheric effects are more immediate than carbon dioxide emissions.”

For further information, contact Timm Herdt or Liz Fenton in the senator’s Capitol office, 916-651-4027.