For nearly four months, the Aliso Canyon methane leak just north of Los Angeles spewed several thousand metric tons of potent greenhouse gases into the air before it was finally sealed in February. The disaster displaced residents, forced schools to close, and incited widespread distrust in the local government's regulation of the oil and gas industry. Few people realize that Los Angeles was actually built on oil. The Aliso Canyon natural gas facility is just one of thousands of oil and gas drilling and storage sites located in and around the city, which is also home to the country's largest urban oil field. Thousands of wells dot the cityscape, and many operate in highly populated, low-income neighborhoods. VICE News visited Los Angeles, California to investigate how carcinogenic fumes from urban oil drilling are affecting local communities.
For $5 a month, you'll gain access to over 50 patron-exclusive documentaries while keeping us ad-free and financially independent. We need 350 more Patrons to grow our team in 2024.
Subscribe here
Our 6000+ video library is 99% free, ad-free, and entirely community-funded thanks to our patrons!