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Giant Methane Leak in California Won't Be Capped For Months
Motherboard takes a look at the ongoing leak from a deep well in Southern California, and the engineering challenges that mean it won't be stopped for a while. From Motherboard's report:
An enormous amount of harmful methane gas is currently erupting from an energy facility in Aliso Canyon, California, at a startling rate of 110,000 pounds per hour. The gas, which carries with it the stench of rotting eggs, has led to the evacuation 1,700 homes so far. Many residents have already filed lawsuits against the company that owns the facility, the Southern California Gas Company. ... Part of the problem in stopping the leak lies in the base of the well, which sits 8,000 feet underground. Pumping fluids down into the will, usually the normal recourse, just isn't working, said [copmany spokesperson Anne] Silva. Workers have been "unable to establish a stable enough column of fluid to keep the force of gas coming up from the reservoir." The company is now constructing a relief well that will connect to the leaking well, and hopefully provide a way to reduce pressure so the leak can be plugged.
As the article notes, methane is an especially noxious gas in a figurative as well as literal sense; while it spends less time in the atmosphere than does CO2, it is more effective at trapping heat.
Oh noes, you cant burn it, that would create the even more deadly greenhouse gas CO2...
Give me a break people. This was an accident, and unlike in your theoretical world, sometimes accidents happen. In the grand scheme of the globe this release doesn't mean shit. More methane is released every day by far from biomass, ocean floor, cows farting, natural venting etc... across the planet.
The gas leaking out is costing the company big money and they are doing everything they can to seal it. If they were to follow your jackass advice, not only would they have a massive NG leak, but they would also have a giant plume of flame that could set shit on fire, melt the well head and surrounding equipment and generally be extremely dangerous. The reality is this is an unavoidable risk of living in the modern world. If you think this is so terrible, have your gas shut off (and your electricity too now that much of it is generated by NG turbines thanks to enviro regs) and live by your envirowhackjob principles for a while. Better bundle up buttercup, cause it gets cold without a heater. I will enjoy all of my modern conveniences and technologies in the warmth and comfort of my NG heated home, and say a prayer for the brave workers trying to seal the leak. I accept that the world is imperfect and while we can and should work to be better, technology and modern conveniences are a net plus, even when there are accidents.