Welcome to the Safety Ombudsman website. The purpose of this website is to provide a public portal for communicating safety-related complaints or concerns associated with the Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Storage Facility to the Safety Ombudsman. Complaints or concerns relating to the Aliso Canyon facility may be made either anonymously or in a non-anonymous manner. This website is not affiliated in any way with SoCalGas. Below and throughout this website are links to other useful information, including technical resources and reports related to underground gas storage facilities, state and federal regulations, annual reports generated by the Safety Ombudsman, and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).
The Safety Ombudsman is an impartial third-party subsurface gas storage industry expert charged with monitoring the safety of the Aliso Canyon facility. Impartiality ensures that safety-related complaints or concerns are addressed in a straightforward manner, honestly and objectively.
The Safety Ombudsman is completely independent of SoCalGas. The independence of the Safety Ombudsman is intended to help ensure openness and transparency so nearby residents, businesses, and the public at large can have confidence in the process of resolving safety-related complaints/concerns, report generation, and recommendations for improvements related to safety and prevention of leaks at the Aliso Canyon facility.
Key elements of the Safety Ombudsman’s role include:
- Participation in quarterly meetings with the Aliso Canyon Well and Storage Operations Safety Committee (WSOC);
- Access to all non-privileged materials, information, records and work product necessary to accomplish the tasks required of the Safety Ombudsman;
- Reviewing audit or other reports relating to the Aliso Canyon facility prepared by the California Public Utilities Commission and/or the Department of Conservation’s Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR);
- Reviewing and evaluating all incidents reported to the public and State and local agencies related to the Aliso Canyon fence-line methane emissions monitoring program;
- Reviewing and advising on the WSOC’s efforts, findings and recommendations for safety improvements;
- Serving as a non-exclusive repository for safety-related concerns reported by the pubic with respect to the facility;
- Serving as a point of contact to receive safety complaints or concerns relating to the facility from anyone who wishes to remain anonymous, and providing such reports of safety concerns to SoCalGas;
- Maintaining the confidentiality of the person making any confidentially-made safety complaints or concerns related to the facility;
- Generating annual reports which detail the work of the Safety Ombudsman, WSOC, and recommendations, if any, for safety improvements and prevention of leaks at the facility;
- Providing the annual reports to the Attorney General, the City Attorney, County Counsel, CPUC, and DOGGR. These annual reports will also be made public via the Aliso Canyon Website and the local community shall be provided with an opportunity to comment;
- Scheduling at least one public meeting each year wherein the Ombudsman shall explain and respond to questions regarding the annual reports; and
- Investigating and responding to safety concerns or complaints related to the facility.