Stringent new rules govern cleanup at rocket testing site
State regulators monitoring cleanup of contaminants at a former nuclear research and rocket engine testing facility near Simi Valley have set new rules and deadlines for the contractor and the two government agencies responsible.
In a consent decree issued Aug. 16, the state Department of Toxic Substance Control requires Boeing Corp., owner of the Santa Susana Field Lab; the U.S. Department of Energy; and NASA to submit reports by Nov. 14 detailing how they plan to complete the cleanup by June 30, 2017. The reports must provide a schedule of analysis on the extent of contamination as well as cleanup operations.
If Boeing or either government agency violates the terms of the 74-page consent order, they will face fines of up to $15,000 a day.
Norman F. Riley, the substance control department’s project director for the field lab cleanup since April, said this order supersedes a 15-year-old agreement, which was far more general and didn’t establish penalties.
“It’s more stringent; it’s much more detailed,” Riley said of the new order. “If they find that they are out of compliance, there will not be any arguing: It will be flat out $15,000 a day for every day they are out of compliance.”
A Boeing representative said the company would meet its responsibilities.
“Boeing is committed to a thorough and timely cleanup of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory and will continue to work with the regulatory agencies,” said spokesman Blythe Jameson.
Allen Elliott, NASA’s project coordinator at Santa Susana, said the consent order “lays out how we’ll work together, what to do if we have disputes; and it also establishes a schedule for when we’ll have things cleaned up,” Elliott said. “It’s a good refocusing. . . . All of us have some accountability and responsibility, and it’s clearly defined.”
Along with examining rockets and propulsion systems, Rocketdyne conducted nuclear testing on a 90-acre portion of the field lab for various government agencies from the 1950s to the late 1980s. The work included operation of small nuclear test reactors and recycling of spent fuel from nuclear fuel rods.
Although it was not widely publicized until 20 years later, a test reactor at the site had a partial meltdown in 1959. The company said later that there was no danger to the public or workers.
Boeing, the Energy Department and NASA have worked to quantify the extent of the pollution and conduct emergency cleanup at the 2,850-acre hilltop lab since the late 1980s.
Work was halted last May after a federal judge ruled that the Energy Department, which is overseeing removal of radioactive pollutants, did not comply with the National Environmental Policy Act, because it had not prepared a thorough environmental impact statement on the project.
Energy Department spokesman Bill Taylor said his agency has begun searching for a consulting firm to handle the environmental analysis of cleaning the 290 acres of the field lab, known as Area IV, where nuclear tests were conducted. The report could take two or more years to complete, he said.
Riley estimated it would take at least six or seven years before a full accounting of the field lab’s contamination is complete.
“It’s nearly 3,000 acres and a 50-year history of waste-management problems,” he said. “We need to make sure that when we’re done, we won’t find anything left.”
Estimating a total cleanup cost will not be possible, Riley said, until the studies are complete and specific technology to properly clean the soil and water is selected.
“We don’t care what it costs. They’re going to have to clean it up, no matter what it costs,” said Riley, adding that Boeing, the Energy Department and NASA have been cooperative since he took over the cleanup program.
Daniel Hirsch, president of the anti-nuclear group Committee to Bridge the Gap, complimented Riley and his agency for attempting to re-energize the cleanup.
“They’re trying to get it back on track, but it will still be years and years before any dirt is removed,” Hirsch said. “I think it’s a serious, genuine attempt to jump-start the process, but the program is just so bogged down.”
Hirsch said establishing fines to encourage Boeing to adhere to deadlines may not be effective.
“Is it enough?” he asked. “We’ll have to see.”
