Local News in Brief : Rocket Fuel Rerouting Set
The Defense Department has agreed to halt shipments of toxic rocket fuels through the city of Los Angeles.
In a letter to Mayor Tom Bradley, released Tuesday, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense John A. Mittino said such shipments will be rerouted away from congested metropolitan freeways to less populated desert areas north of Los Angeles County.
City officials learned only last month that rocket fuels bound for Vandenberg Air Force Base near Lompoc have for several years been shipped by truck on freeways through the densely populated San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys. The Air Force soon after agreed to a 60-day moratorium on all rocket fuel shipments while city officials negotiated for the changes in the routes.
The agreement also calls for shipping companies to provide Los Angeles police and fire officials with a four-hour notice when rocket fuels are shipped to aerospace and defense contractors in the city.
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