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Damage Report: LA Methane Leak Is One of the Worst Disasters In US History (inhabitat.com)

Posted by timothy on from the you-won't-feel-a-thing dept.

MikeChino writes: A week after the ruptured natural gas well in Aliso Canyon was finally declared sealed, we have a full account of the damage — and it doesn't look good. In total, 97,100 metric tons of methane were released into the atmosphere over the course of 112 days — the equivalent greenhouse gas emissions of over half a million cars.

6 of 240 comments (clear)

  1. It used to happen all the time by dbIII · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It used to happen all the time but we are worrying more about uncapped wells now. So while a bit of a disaster, avoidable and not a good thing to happen at all I don't think it deserves the hype.

  2. Is that a lot? by hawguy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    the equivalent greenhouse gas emissions of over half a million cars.

    Is half a million cars a lot in a nation that has over 230 million cars on the road? LA County alone has over 7 million cars and trucks registered.

    Having more cars than licensed drivers in the USA sounds like more of an environmental disaster... and worse yet, China already has more drivers than the entire population of the USA, and the numbers are still climbing.

  3. Bullshit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Worst disasters in US history? Bull Shit.

    How many died? How much property damage?

    This doesn't even rank in the top thousand by any objective measure.

    Every last bit of that methane was due to be burned. It was at the last step before retail use. You only get to count the extra from being unburned and if this was really such a fucking disaster it could have been flared.

  4. Big deal by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Coal Oil Point off of Santa Barbara, a NATURAL methane/oil seep, leaks 40 tons per day. Been doing it for hundreds of years. And will continue doing so. And that's just one natural seep in California - there are hundreds of them off-shore.

    --
    Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
  5. Nobody died, right? by tsotha · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This is not only not the worst disaster in US history, it's not ever in the top 25.

  6. Re:Equivalent to 500000 cars over what time period by Rujiel · · Score: 4, Insightful

    That "enviro-left" you speak of has been gradually vindicated every year on the mattee of climare change, so i'm not seeing much credibility loss. But leave it to a shill to claim that seeking responsibility as to what we put into the atmosphere just makes you a "tripping hippie"