Porter Ranch residents demand wells be shut down

Frustrated Porter Ranch residents held a rally Saturday and met with air quality regulators to demand they shut down the wells in Aliso Canyon. This comes after a massive gas leak left Porter Ranch residents sick and forced thousands to move.

On Saturday, residents demanded changes be made to the wells.

"That's a dinosaur up there. We're in 21st century. That was built in the 1950's. It should be shut down," says Porter Ranch resident Sharon Dormany.

A SoCal Gas spokesperson says shutting down the wells isn't an option right now. He says it would mean the gas company wouldn't have a stable supply of gas to provide Southern California.

Residents don't buy that answer.

"They'll be able to keep the power going, it just won't be as easy, and it won't be as profitable," says the president and co-founder of Save Porter Ranch, Matt Pakucko.

The discussion did include air regulators ordering the gas company to collect and treat the gas coming out of the well as long as it can be done safely.

That would involve placing a pipe where gas is coming out, taking the liquid out and putting the rest into a ceramic vessel and burning it.

Reports about a potential explosion possibly resulting from that have left some very nervous though.

Officials ran out of time Saturday to make a decision on what to do with the well,

The meeting will now be continued Wednesday in Diamond Bar, where the air quality regulators are based. Many are upset it will be there, because it's further from Porter Ranch and residents believe fewer people will be able to make it.

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