Listen Live
Donate
 on air
Schedule

KCRW

Read & Explore

  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Food
  • Culture
  • Events

Listen

  • Live Radio
  • Music
  • Podcasts
  • Full Schedule

Information

  • About
  • Careers
  • Help / FAQ
  • Newsletters
  • Contact

Support

  • Become a Member
  • Become a VIP
  • Ways to Give
  • Shop
  • Member Perks

Become a Member

Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

DonateGive Monthly

Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
Cookie Policy
|FCC Public Files

Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Press Play with Madeleine Brand

The Aliso Canyon gas leak one year later

One year ago, an aging natural gas well owned by the Southern California Gas Company sprung a massive leak, kicking off what would eventually become the largest leak of natural gas in U.S. history.

    • Share
    By Madeleine Brand • Oct 24, 2016 • 1 min read

    One year ago, an aging natural gas well owned by the Southern California Gas Company sprung a massive leak, kicking off what would eventually become the largest leak of natural gas in U.S. history. In the four months it took to plug the gas leak in Aliso Canyon, near Porter Ranch in the San Fernando Valley, around 100,000 metric tons of methane were released into the atmosphere. That’s the equivalent of about a million cars being driven for a year, and enough to single-handedly torpedo the state’s greenhouse gas reduction goals. Thousands of people evacuated, and the leak has since put the spotlight on hundreds of other storage facilities.

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Madeleine Brand

      Host, 'Press Play'

    • KCRW placeholder

      KCRW Staff

      KCRW Staff

    • KCRW placeholder

      Sarah Sweeney

      Vice President of Talk Programming, KCRW

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Anna Scott

      Former KCRW Housing and Homelessness Reporter

    • KCRW placeholder

      Jolie Myers

      Managing Producer, 'Press Play'

    • KCRW placeholder

      Alice Walton

      Los Angeles Times

    • KCRW placeholder

      Rebekka Hosken

      Porter Ranch Resident

    • KCRW placeholder

      Tim O' Conner

      Director of Environmental Defense Fund

      News
    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand