Aliso Canyon Health Research Study Update March

Aliso Canyon Health Study Community Advisory Group and Community Members,

Hope you’re having a wonderful day. Below, please find updates on the Aliso Canyon Disaster Health Research Study (ACDHRS). If you have any questions, please submit them to alisostudy@ph.lacounty.gov.

Stay Informed

Keeping the public informed on the progress of the Health Study is important to us. This week Public Health provided updates at several Neighborhood Council general board meetings. If you have questions, stay informed by emailing us directly at alisostudy@ph.lacounty.gov. If you have any additional feedback, concerns, or ideas that you would like to share, please consider submitting them to our ongoing Community Feedback Log.

2021 Meeting Schedule

Public Health will host the first quarterly Community Advisory Group (CAG) meeting of 2021 on Monday, March 22 at 4 p.m. Links to previous meeting minutes are posted in the ACDHRS CAG webpage.

Mark your calendars for the following quarterly CAG meetings in 2021:

 

Enhanced Air Monitoring and Environmental Reporting

As part of the Consent Decree, a number of ‘Supplemental Environmental Projects’ (SEPs) will be implemented – including the Aliso Canyon Disaster Health Research Study. Another SEP is a community Air Monitoring Fund. Three million dollars was earmarked for this Air Monitoring Fund that will pay for a real-time air monitoring network and a symptom and incident reporting system in communities surrounding the Aliso Canyon gas storage facility and in Environmental Justice Communities.

Representatives from the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), California Air Resource Board (CARB), and South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), and/or one or more academics experienced in establishing community-based air monitoring programs, are consulting with residents of Porter Ranch and neighboring communities to identify monitoring locations and chemical constituents to monitor.

The Aliso Fund Committee (AFC) was established by the settlement and is comprised of one member each from L.A. City Attorney’s Office, L.A. County Counsel’s Office, and the Attorney General’s Office. Based on conversations with residents of Porter Ranch and neighboring communities, the Aliso Fund Committee will determine the best air monitoring solution for the impacted communities with the available funds. For more information, refer to pages 4-6 of Appendix D of the full settlement, and to the Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Blowout Litigation Settlement website. This website also provides progress updates on the Air Monitoring SEP, including presentation slides from past community meetings as well as updates on other SEP’s.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) is hosting a community meeting to provide an update on air monitoring activities in Porter Ranch and surrounding areas. The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 9, 2021, at 6:00 p.m. This is the third community meeting hosted by South Coast AQMD regarding the air monitoring Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP).

Goals and Priorities

The Health Study Goals and Priorities public comment period is around the corner. The Goals & Priorities identifies key areas of importance for the Study, reflecting the input received from the community about the questions they would like answered as part of the Study. The Scientific Oversight Committee and Public Health are seeking community feedback on the Goals & Priorities document and it will be available for public comment for 4 weeks beginning mid-March.

Please take a moment to let us know what goals and priorities are important to YOU. Public Health encourages all members of communities surrounding the Aliso Canyon gas storage facility to provide their feedback via a public comment form that will be accessible on the ACDHRS website. Public Health will engage in additional efforts to promote the Health Study goals and priorities public comment period including Neighborhood Council announcements, newsletter announcements, and email reminders. We value your feedback.

Cristina Vega
Community Engagement Specialist
Aliso Canyon Disaster Health Research Study
Email: CVega@ph.lacounty.gov
Cell: (805) 761-1229