When residents of Porter Ranch in southern California complained of nausea, headaches, and nosebleeds, authorities did not have to look too far.
A natural gas storage facility nearby and operated by Southern California Gas company was found to be leaking methane gas since October of last year. According to estimates, nearly 48,000 pounds of methane have been released each hour into the atmosphere!
California Governor Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency in the area, and efforts are underway to identify how to cap the leak. Meanwhile, some residents have evacuated the area. Two schools have closed down and the students relocated to other schools further away.
What Is Natural Gas?
Natural gas is just another name for the gaseous forms of hydrocarbons, a family that includes petroleum (liquid) and coal (solid). They formed from the remains of dead plants and animals that were buried millions of years ago.
Most of the fossil fuels we use today began as life in a period of our Earth's history known as the Carboniferous period -- from 360 to 286 million years ago. The land at that time was mostly swampy with trees, ferns, and other leafy plants. The oceans were rich in tiny algae and microscopic creatures. As these plants and animals died, they sank to the bottom and were buried under layers of sediment.
The heat and pressure under the Earth's surface converted these remains into coal, oil, and gas. In general, oil and natural gas were formed from the remains of marine plants and organisms, whereas coal was formed from the remains of plant material on land.
Uses And Risks
Natural gas consists mostly of methane - a colorless, odorless gas that is lighter than air. When it is used for cooking and heating in homes, an odorant is added so that people can smell an accidental leak.
Natural gas power plants generate electricity. Compressed Natural Gas (CNG in short) is used in transportation such as buses, and it also finds use in many commercial and industrial applications. In fact, one-third of all energy consumption in the US comes from natural gas.
Sometimes, however, the excess natural gas is pumped back into the ground and stored in underground reservoirs (usually in abandoned oil fields) for later use. The Aliso Canyon Gas Storage Field is one such facility in southern California. Unfortunately, methane is a greenhouse gas and its impact on global warming can be much worse than carbon dioxide. Methane that enters the atmosphere takes 12 years to break down.
The company that owns the storage field is planning to dig another well in parallel to divert the gas and seal the leaking well. But this could take time. Given the amount of gas spewing out each day, this is certainly not good news for our environment.
