Mercaptan leak on westside

There was a mercaptan leak in Rancho Park on 11/29. Mercaptan is a toxic chemical used to odorize methane (natural gas) as in its natural form methane is odorless. Adding an odorant is a safety measure so it can alert the public to a leak. SoCalGas claims mercaptan is non-toxic, but there are many studies that indicate otherwise. 

After that leak, an emergency motion was introduced and passed on 12/05 to have the petroleum administrator and SoCalGas report on where mercaptan is stored throughout the city and how much of it is stored. The leak that sickened people within a 4-mile radius on 11/29 was only one to two gallons. So, if we have barrels of that chemical stored throughout the city, we need to know. The report back will be at the beginning of February
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It looks like the leak had been ongoing on a smaller scale, but SoCalGas failed to notify any authority. There may be legal action taken by SCAQMD against SoCalGas based on this incident. 

Mercaptan can have devastating effects on public health just ask the people of Eight Mile, Alabama. Its a by product of our fossil fuel economy and it's elimination will be another benefit when we SHUT IT ALL DOWN!!!!