Major U.S. Inspection to Focus on Rockwell : Environment: Critics question whether the Department of Energy can fairly assess its own operations at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory.

The U.S. Department of Energy today will begin the most extensive safety and environmental inspection ever of its energy research and testing facilities at Rockwell International’s Santa Susana Field Laboratory.

A 40-member team of environmental, safety and health experts will conduct the inspection, focusing on a 290-acre portion of the 2,668-acre complex once used for government-sponsored nuclear research and testing. The Santa Susana lab is in the hills southeast of Simi Valley.

Inspectors will evaluate ongoing decontamination of former nuclear reactor buildings as well as continuing non-nuclear energy operations that are being conducted by Rockwell’s Rocketdyne division.

Except for a five-day Easter break, the inspection will run through April 16, officials said.

The inspection is part of a national program begun in 1989 by U.S. Energy Secretary James Watkins to improve safety, environmental protection and waste management at production, research and testing facilities supported by the Department of Energy, said John Belluardo, a department spokesman in Oakland.

The so-called Tiger Team will determine whether the storage, treatment and disposal of hazardous wastes comply with state and federal regulations governing health and safety, Belluardo said. The team will also evaluate the monitoring of radioactive and chemical releases into the environment, he said.

During its inspection, the Tiger Team will examine fire and radiation protection facilities, medical services, emergency planning procedures and evaluate whether they comply with the requirements of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. In addition, the team will review Rockwell’s planning, training and staffing policies.

At the conclusion of its inspection, the team will issue a report on its findings to Rockwell and the secretary of energy, Belluardo said. The report, which will be made public later, will outline what corrections are needed. A correction plan would have to be drafted and filed with the Department of Energy by July 12.

So far, Tiger Teams have inspected 20 DOE facilities nationwide and are scheduled to evaluate 36 facilities altogether. Belluardo said energy department officials hope that the Santa Susana inspection will address the fears of some neighboring residents over the safety of operations at the lab.

“There are general concerns--from an environmental standpoint--that local citizens there have,” Belluardo said. “We want to make sure there are no health hazards generated from the site.”

But members of a citizens task force called the Rocketdyne Cleanup Coalition said they are not convinced that the department can be objective in inspecting its own operations.

“There is an inherent conflict of interest here,” said task force member Dan Hirsch. “It’s hard for the community to have much faith in DOE straightening out problems they themselves created.”

Dr. Paul K. Kearns, the department official who will head up the inquiry, said the inspection is an added precautionary measure being taken by the department. He noted that the Rockwell facility is still subject to review by local and state agencies.

The Santa Susana site was established in 1947 as a rocket-testing location, for which it is still used.

During the 1950s and 1960s, major nuclear research and development was conducted there on behalf of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission and then the Department of Energy. Beginning in 1956, 16 nuclear reactors were built and operated at Santa Susana, with the last shut down in the early 1980s.

Today, most nuclear work at the lab involves cleanup of contaminated soil and buildings from past activities.

The Tiger Team inspection comes at a time of increased complaints over Rockwell’s monitoring of hazardous waste storage, treatment and disposal operations throughout the Santa Susana facility.

In November, Rockwell agreed to pay a $280,000 fine to settle a lawsuit filed by the California Department of Health Services, alleging violations in the handling of hazardous waste at the site as well as at the company’s main Canoga Park plant.

The complaint accused Rockwell of failing to meet state-imposed deadlines at Santa Susana for closing hazardous waste ponds, burning explosive waste without a permit and failing to promptly report discovery of contaminated soil.

In agreeing to the settlement, Rockwell did not admit guilt and said in a prepared statement that “a number of allegations in the complaint were without legal merit.”

But Rockwell’s problems continue to mount. Last week, state regulators accused the company of violating federal regulations governing the testing of ground water from monitoring wells at the Rocketdyne facility.

The accusations focus on the way Rockwell samples water from wells to detect chemical contaminants. None of the alleged 16 violations are believed to pose a threat to nearby residents or Rockwell workers.

The wells at issue test ground water for contamination from three covered, man-made ponds that store toxic trichlorethylene, or TCE, a solvent used to clean rocket engines tested at the facility.

Although company officials said the allegations are groundless, they have agreed to draw up plans showing how the firm samples and analyzes ground water at the site and methods used for detecting sampling errors. The plans must be submitted to the Department of Health Services by April 22.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also recently released a report of all documented radioactive and chemical releases that have occurred at Santa Susana. The report identified several areas of concern involving suspected or potential release of hazardous waste at various places throughout the lab site.

The public is invited to comment on the report’s findings at a meeting scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Simi Valley City Hall. A copy of the report is available at the Simi Valley Public Library.

Public comments will be incorporated into the report before it is prepared for review by the Department of Health Services, which will determine if further investigation or enforcement action is necessary.