For years, many residents of Sun Valley and Pacoima’s working-class, primarily Latino communities have been suffering from frequent headaches, nausea, and nosebleeds because doctors can’t figure out why they think they’re crazy. That’s what I was thinking.
It turns out they were being gaslit.
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power officials concealed knowledge of a long-standing methane leak at the utility’s Valley Power Plant for at least a year. Lawyers claim the information was hidden for several years.
Seven years after elevated methane levels were first detected at the plant, about 1,200 people who lived, worked or went to school near the plant have been sent to the city, according to information provided by plaintiffs’ lawyers. will share in the $59.9 million settlement agreed to.
In December 2020, a lawsuit was filed on behalf of residents against the City of Los Angeles and the Department of Water and Power. DWP claimed it failed to properly inspect and repair equipment during a 1,085-day period and failed to notify residents of the leak. When community members may have been exposed to methane or other toxic chemicals.
Although a full settlement agreement has not yet been reached, Plaintiffs’ attorney Jason Fowler informed the Times that the DWP Board and Los Angeles City Council have now agreed to a $59.9 million settlement. He said it was delivered to his law firm. November 6th.
“This is a community of hard-working families who have been ignored for years,” he said. “People were complaining of headaches and nausea, but no one knew where it was coming from. No one knew except LADWP.”
“For underserved communities, this [settlement figure] “This shows that they will no longer be underestimated,” he continued, “and it definitely brings at least the beginnings of justice to this community.”
DWP said repairs to the power plant, located between Sun Valley and Pacoima, were completed in 2020.
(Myung Jae-chun/Los Angeles Times)
Fowler said the distribution of money under the settlement agreement is still being considered and is expected to be finalized by the end of the year and approved by the court in about six to eight months.
A DWP spokeswoman said the utility had reached a settlement in principle, but said the settlement was not final and the company typically does not comment on ongoing litigation.
The spokesperson also noted that the utility completed repairs to all affected equipment at the Valley Power Plant in 2020. DWP has shared real-time monitoring of the plant’s methane levels on its online dashboard, showing no leaks since improved packing seals were installed, a spokesperson said in December 2020. said.
The Valley Power Plant, located on 150 acres in the San Fernando Valley between the communities of Sun Valley and Pacoima, burns natural gas to generate electricity for the Los Angeles metropolitan area.
According to the complaint, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory first detected gas being emitted from the station in September 2017 and alerted power companies. DWP staff previously said JPL did not warn immediately but waited until a later aerial survey revealed the leak had worsened.
DWP staff first notified the public and the commission about the methane leak at an August 2020 meeting, even though they had determined a year earlier that the leak was caused by a worn seal. A utility official said in 2020 that the plant’s compressor unit had been leaking gas “for the past several years.”
Pacoima Beautiful policy director Andres Ramirez stands in front of graffiti scrawled on a power plant in September 2020.
(Myung Jae-chun/Los Angeles Times)
General Manager Marty Adams told the DWP board in August 2020 that the utility had planned to repair the compressor later this year, but decided to go public after JPL discovered the leak as part of an aerial investigation. He said he had decided. It will get more publicity. ”
The complaint alleges that after the leak became public knowledge in 2020, the utility intentionally delayed measuring methane levels to hide the extent of the problem.
“Tests were conducted only after defendants began repairs at the station,” the complaint states. “In order to hide the true level of gas emissions and create a misleading picture, defendants intentionally avoided testing during peak emissions periods.”
In January 2021, the South Coast Air Quality Management District issued a notice of violation to the utility company regarding equipment that was identified as the source of a multi-year methane leak. In response to the violation, the utility issued a statement saying all necessary repairs have been completed and the leak has stopped.
Methane gas can have serious health effects and is 86 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
Plaintiffs in the lawsuit claim they suffer from a number of health conditions, including shortness of breath, headaches, confusion, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, seizures, poor coordination, drowsiness, vision problems, depression, anxiety, inability to sleep, allergies, seizures, and asthma. reported that they were suffering from problems. for complaints.
“This remarkable settlement will bring much-needed relief and justice to overlooked communities that have been poisoned for years,” attorney R. Rex Parris said in a statement. . “We are proud of this outcome and of holding the city accountable for this catastrophe.”
Times staff writer Sammy Ross contributed to this report.
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