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Nearly 700 Porter Ranch residents file claims against California, regulators
File: Matt Pakucko, president and co-founder of Save Porter Ranch, speaks to the media during a press conference on a gas leak in Porter Ranch after a regular Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2015.
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Maya Sugarman/KPCC
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Attorneys for nearly 700 Porter Ranch residents filed claims Friday against the state of California and local smog regulators. The residents allege they have each sustained at least $3.5 million in damages.
They claim the state and the South Coast Air Quality Management District were negligent in their oversight of Southern California Gas’s underground gas storage field.
The lawsuit names the state Department of Conservation’s Division of Oil and Gas, alleging its leaders issued permits improperly to SoCal Gas.
The claims must be reviewed by the agencies, and if they are rejected, that clears the way for the residents and their lawyers to sue. They also name SoCal Gas, alleging it failed to keep dozens of old gas wells in good repair.
Many of the same residents and agencies are already suing SoCal Gas alleging other damages from the massive gas leak.
Read the full claim form below:
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