City officials oppose gas moratorium

The Santa Clarita City Council approved on consent a resolution to oppose a proposed moratorium on new commercial and industrial natural gas hookups in both unincorporated and incorporated parts of Los Angeles County via a letter to the California Public Utilities Commission.

The resolution was first requested by Mayor Pro Tem Marsha McLean. The moratorium was initially going to be voted on this week and go into effect until March 31, but a vote on the moratorium was delayed until a Feb. 8 hearing in San Francisco.

The resolution said the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation estimated 5,160 fewer total jobs would be created in the county along with $879.5 million lost in future economic output and $323.9 million lost in future labor earnings.

Council agenda documents also referred to the moratorium’s potential impact to two healthcare projects: the opening of a new Northeast Valley Health Corp. clinic in Newhall and the opening of a new $151 million patient tower at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital.

The CPUC said the moratorium would affect new commercial and industrial connections in areas of Los Angeles County that would rely on natural gas from Aliso Canyon, the site of the 2015 natural gas leak and is primarily meant to preserve public health and safety.