Toxic Waste Storage OKd Despite Protests

Against the vigorous opposition of many Pico Rivera residents, state officials have renewed an agreement allowing the Southern California Gas Co. to store up to 60,000 gallons of toxic waste in the city.

Officials from the state Department of Toxic Substances Control said they approved the 10-year permit this week after reviewing the company’s spotless, 12-year record of handling thousands of barrels filled with dangerous chemicals.

The decision disappointed residents who have mounted a yearlong campaign aimed at convincing the department not to renew the permit.

During two public meetings on the issue, they raised concerns ranging from possible cancer risks for a nearby school to the chance of lightning striking the storage facility.

“This is bad news,” resident Suzana Tapia said. “They are putting us in danger.”

Such sentiments frustrate company officials who insist that the facility poses no harm to the surrounding community.

“It’s not a dump,” company spokeswoman Akila Gibbs said. “It is a storage facility. All the cans are sealed.”

City leaders, after voicing some concern last year, have decided against opposing the permit after reaching a compromise with the company limiting the number of barrels on the site at any time to 200, except in cases of emergency or by prior notice.

“We’re satisfied that [company officials] have done their job,” City Manager Dennis Courtemarche said.

The controversy surfaced in September 1995, when state officials notified residents that the company’s interim storage permit had expired and that the company wanted it renewed.