DOE halts plan to raze buildings at Rocketdyne site

Stung by a federal judge’s ruling that its cleanup was inadequate, the Department of Energy announced Thursday that it was temporarily halting plans to raze several buildings at its former nuclear and rocket engine testing facility near Simi Valley while it evaluates the cleanup.

State and federal politicians had complained that the DOE was continuing the work at Boeing’s Rocketdyne Field Laboratory, despite U.S. District Judge Samuel Conti’s ruling this month that the agency continues to violate federal law in its removal of radioactive and chemical contamination.

Department officials agreed to a 45-day halt so it could reassess its work.

“The politicians were very concerned; we had letters from them, the state Department of Toxic Substances Control and the court ruling,” said Bill Taylor, an Energy Department spokesman. “So we’re taking this time to consult with stakeholders, politicians and regulatory officials to evaluate what’s the best course after this.”

In his May 2 ruling, Conti said DOE violated the National Environmental Policy Act by not preparing a thorough environmental impact statement before beginning.

Conti also barred the energy agency from transferring ownership of the Santa Susana property until it conducts a more thorough environmental review at the hilltop lab where U.S. agencies conducted nuclear research over four decades until the late 1980s.

Daniel Hirsch, president of the anti-nuclear group Committee to Bridge the Gap, said DOE was set to approve plans to tear down two building complexes it had earlier said were indispensable to the cleanup.

“We were within hours of it being too late. DOE was about to authorize the demolition permit,” Hirsch said. “They still want to accelerate the cleanup ... to complete the job before Bush leaves office, so a new administration cannot order a more effective cleanup.”

One set of buildings that had been slated to be torn down had housed a nuclear reactor. The other facility was the Radioactive Material Handling Facility.

“So, if you tear it down, you can’t do any further cleanup,” Hirsch said. “Where do you package, process and treat the [remaining] waste?”

Boeing spokeswoman Blythe Jameson said the company, which sold the remainder of its Rocketdyne assets two years ago to United Technologies Corp.’s Pratt & Whitney unit for about $700 million, will work with regulators to ensure a proper cleanup. Boeing still owns the 2,800-acre hilltop property that includes the DOE.

greg.griggs@latimes.com