Three groups — Save Porter Ranch, the Sierra Club and Food & Water Watch — on Saturday, January 23 released a joint statement accusing the South Coast Air Quality Management District Hearing Board (AQMD) of making a decision regarding the SoCalGas Leak that “fails to adequately protect residents” of Porter Ranch and other surrounding communities.

Over the past few months, thousands of residents have been displaced and sickened by the fumes that contain carcinogens including benzene and toluene. The gas leak has emitted methane at a rate of 50,000 kilograms per hour, equivalent to 25 percent of the state’s total emissions of this heat-trapping gas, according to the groups. The leak has forced more than 12,000 residents to relocate and 1,800 more households are waiting for relocation assistance.

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See Also: Erin Brockovich battles SoCal Gas leak | Fracking Common in L.A.'s Aliso Canyon Gas Storage Facility | New Rules Won't Protect California Water From Oil Industry's Toxic Injections Porter Ranch Area Residents Testify and Rally about SoCalGas Misconduct