The gas utility has a year to either permanently plug or repair the remaining wells. The California Public Utilities Commission, which also regulates the field as a public utility, has not yet released its own decision on operations. Southern California Gas in November requested to reopen the field, contending it was now safe. The gas utility was allowed to present its case for why operations are safe without knowing the cause of the 2015 blowout or that seismic safety testing. Public Utility Commission engineers ruled that the gas company's critical safety control devices met state requirements.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 17, 2017 21:48 UTC