Planners Await Air-Quality Board Decision on Burning : SOS to Halt Work at Plants 12 Days

Space Ordnance Systems agreed Wednesday to suspend most operations at its two Santa Clarita Valley explosives plants for 12 days at the request of the county Regional Planning Commission.

The suspension was agreed upon as the commission put off its decision on whether to revoke zoning permits of Space Ordnance Systems at the plants, accused of illegally storing and dumping hazardous wastes, at least until the panel’s next meeting on April 29.

Commissioners at their meeting Wednesday said they needed the additional time to see what the South Coast Air Quality Management District board will do when it meets next Thursday to consider permitting SOS to burn the wastes in the desert outside Lancaster.

Criticism Not Delayed

But their decision did not delay criticism of residents near the plants, who charged the commission lacked the nerve to close the plants altogether.

The firm, which had offered to shut down for 180 days while it finds a way to dispose of at least 1,800 barrels of explosives wastes, readily agreed to the 12-day suspension of work at its Mint Canyon plant and some parts of its Sand Canyon plant.

Commissioner Delta Murphy, who told concerned local residents in February that she would vote for revocation of the zoning permits unless SOS had begun disposing of the barrels by April 10, defended the commission’s action.

She and three other commissioners at the meeting Wednesday said they want to see what the South Coast Air Quality Management District board does next Thursday, when the board once again will consider whether SOS can burn the 50 tons of chemical wastes in an open pit in a remote desert area outside of Lancaster.

Proposal Rejected

The air-quality board on April 10 rejected that proposal, saying that the U.S. Department of Defense, which contracts with SOS to buy explosives, should be responsible for disposing of the firm’s wastes.

Commissioners said that, if the air-quality board rejects the proposal again and no other solution is found quickly, they may still vote to revoke the permits. Twice since January the commission has threatened to shut the plants if the wastes were not properly disposed of.

“It looks like we’re extending things, but what we’re really trying to do is get some answers,” Murphy told SOS attorney Dave Breier.

Concern for Credibility

Murphy rejected the 180-day suspension suggested by SOS, saying she feared it would be tantamount to an extension of the company’s operating permit.

“If we give you an extension, you will spin your wheels and we will lose our credibility,” she said.

Breier, who had asked the commission to delay deciding on the zoning permit revocation until after the next air-quality board hearing, said the company had not decided whether the 12-day suspension will necessitate the layoff of 120 workers who manufacture flares and other items that produce toxic wastes.

Response to Wednesday’s action varied sharply, with Breier applauding the commission for “finally listening to our side” and several Santa Clarita Valley residents accusing the commission of lacking the nerve to shut the plants.

“We are so tired of hearing the promises the county makes about cracking down, and then doing absolutely nothing,” said Pat Allen, a resident in Mint Canyon. “Nothing has changed in an entire year since the county raided the place.”

Waste Production Continues

SOS has been under orders for nearly a year to dispose of wastes that were discovered being stored at its Mint Canyon and Sand Canyon plants without required permits. Despite those orders, the company has continued to produce the wastes, which are a byproduct of its manufacture of explosive flares for the military.

Moreover, SOS is still illegally storing the at least 1,800 barrels, which one state health official Wednesday said are filled with “reactive, dangerous chemicals and many unknowns that we have not been able to identify.”

Regional Planning Commission member George Lefcoe, who earlier had argued that SOS could not be expected to pay for cleanup if it were not generating revenues, conceded Wednesday, “It was a mistake on our part not to stop your production of more wastes much earlier.”

Proposal for Storage

If the air-quality board again rejects the open burn permit next Thursday, state health officials at Wednesday’s meeting said, they will back a proposal to store the barrels at an interim site in a remote area until a safe disposal method is found.

Several residents who attended the hearing Wednesday accused the board of “moving backwards” in the controversy and complained that they had made the hourlong journey to downtown Los Angeles to testify but were denied a chance to speak.

Commission members told the homeowners they could not speak until the continuation of the public hearing April 29, because new information may come out of the air-quality board hearing next Thursday that could solve cleanup problems at the site.

“We don’t want you to waste your time,” one commissioner told the residents.

‘Not Allowed to Testify’

Linda Kirk, a Santa Clarita Valley homeowner, said the board “went backwards today instead of forward and violated our rights by not allowing us to testify.”

However, Commissioner Sadie Clark said the job of cleaning up SOS and plants of other companies is too big for the commission to handle alone.

“I do not believe that we can properly monitor SOS or any other site, or prevent this from occurring in the future,” Clark said.

“We need the attention of the governor, the state Department of Health Services and the people in the industry who understand these problems, because we are very new at this.”