SoCalGas Fixes LA Gas Leak

Over the past 16 weeks in Los Angeles, 66,000-97,000 pounds of methane have been released into the Porter Ranch neighborhood every hour. It wasn't until Friday, February 12th, 2016 that the gas leak was filled up with cement. As of now, residents of 2,200 homes have been temporarily relocated, and the Southern California Gas Company has paid for the temporary living conditions of these people.

Residents of Porter Ranch are allowed to return home eight days after investigators and authorities rule the area safe. California Senator Barbara Boxer supports the California Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources to do this type of investigatory work; however, because residents have raised concerns, she is also calling for an independent group to test each neighborhood.

As of now, the total amount of damages from this incident is $250 million, but the number may be higher since the $250 million only includes the cost of relocating residents and filling the well, not the lawsuits of those affected and actions to reduce the effects of the released methane.

What kinds of punishment should Southern California Gas Company receive? How can we counteract the effects of the millions of pounds of methane that were released into the atmosphere? Should there be tighter regulations on natural gas wells since the SS-25 (name of the leaking well) wasn't mandated to have a valve?

Sources:
http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/12/us/southern-california-porter-ranch-gas-leak/index.html
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-dramatic-video-gas-leak-porter-ranch-20160212-story.html

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/feb/11/socalgas-fixes-natural-gas-methane-leak-los-angeles-porter-ranch