Southern California Gas Company has pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to criminal charges related to a months-long natural gas leak from the company's storage well. The gas company was accused to fail to report the gas leak at its Aliso Canyon storage facility.
The company's attorneys entered the pleas in front of Judge Alan S. Rosenfield in Los Angeles County Superior Court in Santa Clarita.
The criminal charges against Southern California Gas Co. were filed earlier this month by Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey, Daily News reports. The criminal charges including three counts of failure to report leak of hazardous materials between Oct. 23 and Oct. 26, and one count of discharge of air contaminants since Oct. 23.
If convicted, Southern California Gas could be fined up to $25,000 a day for each day it failed to notify state authorities about the leak, and up to $1,000 per day for air pollution violations, The Guardian reports.
The company's spokesman Mike Mirzahi said in a news conference after the hearing that it made prompt notifications to state regulators after discovering the leak on Oct. 23 in the upscale Porter Ranch community in Los Angeles. The spokesman declined to say when the notifications were made or to what agencies.
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby said Southern California Gas reported the leak to his department on Oct. 26. Prosecutors said in a criminal complaint that the leak began on Oct. 23.
California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in the area in January. The California Air Resources Board sent up planes to the area since the leak was discovered, to measure the amount of natural gas discharging.
According to CNN, the Air Resources Board measured 97,000 pounds per hour of methane in early November. In late December, the board still measured about 66,000 pounds per hour of methane.
Residents of Porter Ranch complained nosebleeds and nausea. More than 2,200 families in the area were temporarily relocated.
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said the gas leak would not cause any long-term risk. But the officials plan to continue monitoring air quality in Porter Ranch.
The gas company announced last week that a relief well more than 8,600 feet long intercepted the leaking well. It began pumping heavy fluids to control the flow of gas, and injecting cement to the leaking well.
The Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources agency will be expected to confirm that the flow of gas has stopped once the company completes sealing the leaking well with cement.
The company will appear in court for another hearing on April 19.
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