How we arrived at a
Pollution Score:
To take into account the size of each facility, we divided its greenhouse gas emissions by its storage capacity (measured in millions of cubic feet).How we arrived at a
Pollution Score:
To take into account the size of each facility, we divided its greenhouse gas emissions by its storage capacity (measured in millions of cubic feet).
Sources: U.S. EPA Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program and Greenhouse Gas Equivalency Calculator; U.S. EIA Natural Gas Annual Respondent Query SystemPAUL PENZELLA/LANGGraphics reporting: Mike Reicher/LANG; Ingrid Lobert/
inewsource
SMALLER RESERVOIRS, BIG POLLUTERS
Hattiesburg Gas Storage Co. Hill – Lake Gas StorageSouthern Star – WeldaNational Fuel Gas Supply Corp. – IndependenceWorsham – Steed Gas StorageSoCalGas – Honor RanchoSoCalGas – Aliso CanyonMSTXKSNYTXCACA123451319
Even before its catastrophic leak was discovered in October, Southern California Gas Co.’s Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility was one of the largest polluters in the industry. In 2014, it ranked third among the nation’s 418 natural gas underground storage facilities for pollution. Below, polluters are ranked by the number of metric tons of greenhouse gases emitted into the environment and how that compares with the number of cars driven in a year. Greenhouse gas emissions trap heat in the earth’s atmosphere, contributing to global warming.
Note:
The 2014 greenhouse gas emissions shown here represent the three gases (CO2, CH4, N2O) combined. Methane emissions were adjusted at 84 times the potency of carbon dioxide over 20 years.
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TOP FIVE POLLUTING UNDERGROUNDNATURAL GAS STORAGE FACILITIES
Aliso Canyon is the fifth-largest underground storage facility in the nation. When pollution is compared with reservoir size, Aliso Canyon drops to number 19 for pollution. But the largest reservoirs don’t always pollute the most; bigger facilities in Texas and West Virginia emit substantially less greenhouse gas.
RANKFACILITYSTATE
POLLUTION SCORE
111.4
44.5
13.8
6.2
5.5
2.82.4
Hill – LakeGas Storage
(TEXAS)
401,950
metric tons
Hattiesburg Gas Storage Co.
(MISSISSIPPI)
234,034
metric tons
SoCalGas – Aliso Canyon
(CALIFORNIA)
206,268
metric tons
Peoples GasLight & Coke Co.
(ILLINOIS)
171,035
metric tons
Gulf South Pipeline –Bistineau
(LOUISIANA)
164,402
metric tons
1
84,621
cars driven for 1 year
49,270
cars driven for 1 year
43,425
cars driven for 1 year
36,007
cars driven for 1 year
34,611
cars driven for 1 year
2 3 4 5
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