A San Diego attorney is calling for an open investigation of the huge methane leak that has forced thousands out of their homes in a neighborhood northwest of Los Angeles.
The Aliso Canyon underground natural gas storage facility is the second largest reservoir of its kind in the western United States. About 115 wells serve the facility.
One of the wells used to move methane in and out of the storage area blew out in October. That well continues to spew gas and Southern California Gas Co. said it may not be capped for another month.
Nearly 4,000 people have been relocated by the facility's owner and another 1,000 are asking for help getting away from the gushing well.
Southern California Gas is a subsidiary of San Diego-based Sempra Energy.
San Diego attorney Mike Aguirre is petitioning the California Public Utilities Commission to share any information regulators have uncovered in their investigation.
"Where is the U.S. Attorney's Office? Where is the District Attorney's Office? Where is the Attorney General's Office?" Aguirre asked at a Santa Monica news conference on Monday. "And why don't we have a criminal investigation under way right now?"
Consumer advocates said the potential risk to the public is too great to keep the findings of an investigation under wraps.
"They say we are going to release official information about the investigation only when (the state of California) concluded the investigation. That sounds like a kangaroo court. And it doesn't give the people of Porter Ranch the opportunity to have input on what's going to happen next," said Consumer Watchdog founder Jamie Court.
Southern California Gas did not return calls seeking comment.
