California panel to vote on increasing storage at site of worst US methane leak despite risks

A proposal to vastly increase natural gas storage at the site of the nation’s largest-known methane leak is prompting opposition from California lawmakers. Utilities say it could be crucial to providing affordable winter supplies. The California Public Utilities Commission plans to vote Thursday on whether to allow utilities to store nearly 70 billion cubic feet of gas at the Aliso Canyon field near Los Angeles. Last winter, natural gas prices spiked. There have been calls to shut down the Aliso Canyon since a months-long leak in 2015 released more than 120,000 tons of methane. The leak was blamed for sickening thousands of residents.