It’s important to know the full story
Between COVID-19, chronic homelessness issue plaguing the region and several recalls, it’s a wonder that other issues get any “ink” or airtime. But, as Southern California enters into the hottest part of summer, everpresent drought, wildfires and rolling blackouts will certainly vie for the media’s attention.
That’s why the late July vote by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to oppose an increase in storage at Aliso Canyon garnered scant attention — and what coverage it did garner wasn’t the full story.
As homeowners and businesses throughout the Los Angeles region know, renewables alone won’t keep the lights on and rolling blackouts, aside from being inconvenient, are incredibly costly.
It’s understandable that some elected officials would oppose efforts to increase natural gas storage capacity. Parts of the San Fernando Valley will never forget the 2015 Aliso Canyon natural gas leak. Thankfully, Aliso Canyon and other natural gas storage facilities have been re-designed since the leak.
Pulling back and looking at the issue from a broader perspective, the reality is that millions of Southern California businesses, hospitals and homes rely on natural gas, especially from this SoCalGas storage field, to keep the power flowing. To date, no one has proposed a viable alternative to Aliso Canyon.
The Board of Supervisor motion points out that “despite numerous reports and statements that the loss of Aliso Canyon as a natural gas storage facility would impact supplies to the region, no natural gas storage has materialized, even during colder seasons.”
Aliso Canyon plays a vital role in the resiliency of California’s energy system. Since 2016, five independent assessments of SoCalGas’ gas storage system all concluded that gas storage, especially Aliso Canyon, is essential to the region’s energy reliability. SoCalGas has publicly commented on this issue, saying, “We saw firsthand in February when Aliso Canyon and our other storage fields not only helped keep the lights on here in California when gas supplies from Texas were limited, but also protected customers from price spikes experienced in other states.”
SoCalGas added that, “Supplies from Aliso Canyon have become increasingly important during the summer months... If not for Aliso Canyon, the rolling blackouts experienced in the L.A. region last summer would likely have been much worse.”
The Board of Supervisors’ motion makes the point that no natural gas shortage has materialized. Accurate. The reason these shortages haven’t occurred is because Aliso Canyon has been there when we needed it. Since July 2019, Aliso Canyon has been used to provide system support for 150 days.
Here’s where ideologically rigid environmental activists’ step into the fray. In spite of the fact that renewables alone can’t keep the lights on, especially when it’s hot and demand is highest, they state, “It’s time for the CPUC to step up, speak out and stop this expansion of the gas storage facility at Aliso Canyon.”
What’s not said is that Southern California Edison and the CPUC’s ratepayer advocate, The Utility Reform Network, supported the request to increase Aliso Canyon’s storage capacity.
We live in a world where it’s easy to paint a misleading picture on simple issues. Energy reliability and affordability, now inextricably mired in debates about climate change and carbon neutrality, are complex. So, the ability for misinformation and half-truths increases exponentially, particularly from those with different agendas.
Requests to the CPUC to increase Aliso Canyon’s storage capacity make sense. The data show that it has already helped keep the lights on and affordable during the coldest parts of winter…and we need it now as we enter the scotching summer. Don’t be fooled by simple “solutions” to complex problems.