Bill ensures cleanup at former site of Santa Susana Field Laboratory
By Darleen Principe darleen@theacorn.com

The Santa Susana Field Laboratory, once a test site for experiments involving nuclear reactors, high-powered lasers, and rockets that helped man get into space, may one day become a state park.

Following weeks of negotiations among the governor's office, the California Environmental Protection Agency and the Boeing Company, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last Friday signed into law Senate Bill 990, a measure that would ensure the complete cleanup of the former field lab in accordance with the highest standards of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The governor agreed to do so after Boeing- which since 1997 has controlled the 2,850-acre site located in the hills south of Simi Valley- issued a nonbinding letter of intent detailing a plan to donate their portion of the site to the state of California to be used for parkland once their cleanup is complete.

"The company just felt that dedicating the property to open space is the right thing to do," said Blythe Jameson, a Boeing spokesperson.

"We've had a longstanding commitment to clean the site to residential standards as determined by the government agencies and we the government agencies will continue to do so even though residential development will not be taking place at the site."

State Sen. Sheila Kuehl (DSanta Monica) introduced SB 990 to the state Legislature in February. The bill passed through the Assembly last month with a bipartisan vote of 50-22, which gave the governor until Oct. 14 to either sign or veto it.

"I am pleased to announce this historic agreement will benefit the environment, nearby residents in Ventura County and the people of California," Schwarzenegger said in an official statement. "I would like to applaud Sen. Kuehl for her leadership on this issue and commend the Boeing Company for working with officials to come up with this solution that will protect the health of residents in adjacent communities."

As part of the tentative agreement, the state agreed to keep the property upon transfer from ever being used for residential, agricultural or commercial purposes. Additionally, Boeing agreed to pay $750,000 a year for 30 years- or $22.5 million- to fund the transfer and for future maintenance and management of the land.

"Santa Susana is a site of great natural, cultural and historic significance and should be appropriately preserved and placed in the public trust for future generations upon completion of cleanup activities," said Jim Albaugh, president and CEO of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems.

Although the agreement would permanently protect the longcontroversial site from development, it may also rekindle debate concerning the standards used to clean the contamination at the site.

According to the governor's office, a stipulation of Schwarzenegger's signature on SB 990 is that Kuehl agrees to introduce an amendment to the bill during the next legislative season- after Boeing and the governor sign a binding agreement confirming the terms set forth in the initial letter of intent.

The amendment, drafted by the governor, voids four sections of the original bill, one of which details the specific standards of the cleanup and another giving the Department of Toxic Substances Control the final say in certifying the area to be clean.

Some critics of the stipulation, such as Dan Hirsch, co-chair of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory Study Group and the leader of a nuclear-watchdog group, said the amendment essentially defeats the purpose of the bill.

"The cleanup standards are now law and the public thinks the long struggle they've had to deal with is over," Hirsch said. "But in fact, the governor had cut a private deal with Boeing to overturn the very cleanup standards he had just claimed he signed.

"If the legislation (Kuehl) introduces next year doesn't pass, SB 990 will stay in force. The public should now rally to defend the law that was just signed so it's not overturned next year," Hirsch went on.

Assemblymember Cameron Smyth (R-Santa Clarita), who previously endorsed SB 990, announced a plan last Friday to introduce another piece of legislation in January ensuring that a new state park would be established on the site.

"I knew there had been discussions between Boeing and the governor about using that site as parkland," Smyth said. "I felt that if they were able to reach an agreement, I would step forward with the legislation. We were waiting until an agreement had been reached. Once that was done, we would start putting the language into bill form."

Smyth's plan includes the creation of a State Park Joint Powers Authority that would be responsible for developing the boundaries for the new park.

"When you look at the property, I think it's best used in its natural state for hiking, walking, equestrian activities and mountain biking," Smyth said. "My vision is that it remains in its natural state and be enjoyed in that way. What my bill does is create the framework and the mechanism for it to occur."

If the proposal passes, Smyth said, members of the Joint Powers Authority would include the State Parks Department, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, the city of Simi Valley, the county of Ventura, and the city and county of Los Angeles, among other agencies that might want to join.

Simi Valley Mayor Paul Miller said he thinks the creation of a joint body is a good idea.

"Those political entities that are affected by that piece of land should have input," he said. "The bottom line is that that land is polluted and needs to be cleaned up. Hopefully the legislature will take steps to ensure that."

Simi Valley Councilmember Glen Becerra, who in 2006 tried to contact Boeing to request the land be donated as open space, told the Acorn he thinks the new agreement is a "terrific" idea.

"I took a lot of heat for my initial statement but that to me was the right thing to do," Becerra said.

"I'm thrilled that everybody's come to that conclusion."

Becerra said he's not "overly concerned" about the amendment to SB 990 as long as the area is definitely cleaned up to the proper standards.

"I'm not an EPA specialist," Becerra said. "I don't know what the safe level is, but there are professional people out there who've made a living out of protecting the community. We've got to be able to rely on somebody at some point to come to an agreement on what's accessible."