State utility regulators are embroiled in a debate over new kinds of natural gas that opponents contend would worsen air pollution, trip up power plants and make gas stoves, water heaters and other equipment more prone to fires.
The dispute concerns foreign liquefied natural gas, which could begin flowing into local pipelines within two years. The gas from other continents is chemically different and burns hotter than most U.S. natural gas.
And that worries an unusual collection of critics, including environmentalists, air quality regulators, appliance specialists and Southern California Edison. Critics point to a rash of pipeline leaks and a house explosion in Maryland last year, which the local utility blamed on the ill effects of gas from overseas.
"Everything we have here in California is geared toward North American natural gas," said Rory Cox, California program director for Pacific Environment, a group opposed to the importation of liquefied natural gas.
The hotter foreign gas, he added, "can lead to the erosion of pipeline seals, damage the internal workings of power plants and can affect people's home appliances" by damaging them or causing gas leaks.
Sempra Energy and other companies that plan to supply imported natural gas to California dispute that. San Diego-based Sempra says the new gas won't cause problems, and it is pushing the state Public Utilities Commission to clear the way for the "hot gas" by loosening existing gas quality specifications. The commission could vote as early as today.
The commission's decision would affect consumers and industrial users of natural gas statewide and would have implications for companies planning to build liquefied natural gas import terminals along the Pacific Coast.
Arguments over the issue have taken place out of the limelight and involved only limited input on behalf of consumers. But it's the state's homeowners and business owners with water heaters and other gas-fired equipment that would suffer the consequences if the commission enacts gas rules that cause problems in years to come, critics say.
"Like many things in the regulatory arena, it's hard for the average consumer to keep track of, much less understand the ramifications of it," said Loretta Lynch, a former California utility commissioner.
On the hot-gas issue, she said, "the consumers are outmanned and outgunned ... but they'll be paying the bill at the end of the day."
