California Resources Corporation, for the Elk Hills Gas Plant Settlement
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California Resources Corporation, for Elk Hills Gas Plant, Settles For $10,302
In April 2026, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) reached a settlement with California Resources Corporation (CRC), for the Elk Hills Gas Plant, with its principal location in Tupman, California, for the company’s violation of the CARB’s Oil and Gas Methane Regulation (COGR), as codified in the California Code of Regulations, title 17, section 95665 et seq.
Under the COGR, no facility shall exceed the number of allowable leaks specified in Table 2 per section 95669(o)(1)(A), and no component shall exceed a leak threshold of 50,000 ppmv per section 95669(o)(1)(B). Upon inspection of the Elk Hills Gas Plant, CARB staff detected a leak greater than 50,000 ppmv at the component of vessel 121 located at their GTU-2 facility. CARB documented the violation as it related to the COGR.
To settle the case, CRC agreed to the penalty of $5,151 per each section of the Regulation that was violated, for a total penalty amount of $10,302. The amount will be deposited into CARB’s Air Pollution Control Fund, which provides funding for projects and research to improve California’s air quality.
To come into compliance, CRC repaired the leak at Elk Hills Gas Plant, and fully cooperated with CARB to resolve the matter.