(AP) - A state senator plans to try to rush through a bill putting a moratorium on injections of natural gas into a leaking Aliso Canyon storage facility.
A spokesman for Democratic Sen. Fran Pavley of Agoura Hills says the Natural Resources and Water Committee and the full Senate will both take up the legislation Thursday.
Approval of the urgency bill would require support from two-thirds of senators.
Utility crews have been working since October to stop the leak from an underground storage facility.
The natural gas spewing into the air contains traces of toxic chemicals such as benzene. It has been blamed for ailments including nosebleeds, headaches and nausea in the nearby upscale suburban neighborhood of Porter Ranch.
Pavley's bill would ban new injections of gas until regulators determine it's safe.
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