Imperfect Paradise: Why the site of the largest methane leak in US history still hasn’t been shut down

Norco 80

LAist Studios

True Crime

4.2 • 887 Ratings

🗓️ 31 October 2025

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Regulations on gas storage facilities have been tightened since the detection of the Aliso Canyon leak, which started in 2015 and lasted nearly four months. But residents remain worried about long term health effects following the leak. LAist Climate and Environment Reporter Erin Stone discusses the 10-year anniversary of the disaster and what’s standing in the way of the facility being closed for good.

This LAist podcast is supported by Amazon Autos. Buying a car used to be a whole day affair. Now, at Amazon Autos, you can shop for a new, used, or certified pre-owned car whenever, wherever. You can browse hundreds of vehicles from top local dealers, all in one place. Amazon.com/autos

Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise

Visit www.preppi.com/LAist to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency!

Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hey, it's Jacob Margolis. I'd like you to stop what you're doing and ask yourself, where is my
0:05.0	emergency kit? If you don't have a good answer, then I highly recommend visiting preppy.com
0:10.2	slash LAist for a free emergency kit with any purchase over $100. That's preppy, P-R-E-P-P-I-com
0:19.5	slash LAist. This is Larry Mantle. 20-25 marks the 40th anniversary of Air Talk on L-A-S-E-N-A-S-89.3. We've discussed the biggest topics of the day for decades. Thank you for joining me for the biggest conversation in Southern California for 40 years. You're listening to Inperfect Paradise.
0:39.0	I'm Nereida Moreno, filling in for host Antonia Seri Hido.
0:43.9	Imagine the smell of rotten eggs lingering in the air, not for a moment, but for weeks.
0:50.2	Mysterious nosebleeds, rashes, coughing, and pets dying unexpectedly.
0:55.6	That was the reality of the largest known gas leak in U.S. history, all unfolding at the Aliso Canyon storage facility in Los Angeles 10 years ago.
1:05.4	Natural gas from a leak in one of the facilities, more than 100 underground wells spewed into the air for nearly four months,
1:12.5	forcing thousands of people to evacuate their homes. And early on, the calls to close Aliso Canyon began.
1:20.0	Shut it down. Shut it down. A small army of parents, kids, and other residents from Porter Ranch hit the streets tonight, taking aim at SoCal Gas.
1:31.6	SoCal Gas is got to go.
1:34.0	It was a brutal wake-up call about the dangers of storing large amounts of natural gas near neighborhoods,
1:39.9	the potential effects on residents' health and consequences to the environment.
1:44.5	Ten years later, big questions remain.
1:47.4	Why is Aliso Canyon still open?
1:49.5	What's changed in the year since and what hasn't?
1:53.5	L.A.'s climate and environment reporter Aaron Stone has been looking into all of this,
1:58.1	and she joins us now.
1:59.9	Erin, can you explain where this natural gas
2:02.9	storage facility is and what the surrounding communities that were affected by the leak are like?
2:08.3	So this facility is in the foothills of the Santa Susanna Mountains above the San Fernando
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from LAist Studios, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of LAist Studios and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.