DOE and NASA Reach Cleanup Agreements with the State of California for the Santa Susana Field Laboratory
WASHINGTON -- The Department of Energy and NASA signed Administrative Orders on Consent (AOC) with the California Environmental Protection Agency today that define the process for the characterization and cleanup end-state of portions of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL).The agreements come after more than 10 months of negotiations and extensive public comment on the conceptual framework for cleanup outlined in the Agreement in Principle and additional public comment on the legally enforceable process and procedures in the draft Administrative Order on Consent.
"By working closely with the State of California, we have reached an
historic agreement that will allow the Department to carry out its
important cleanup work and protect the health of both the surrounding
community and the environment," Secretary of Energy Steven Chu said.
"NASA is pleased to join with the Department of Energy and the State
of California in signing these agreements and will do its part to
assist with the Santa Susanna cleanup," NASA Administrator Charles
Bolden said. "We are committed to working with these partners to
address the environmental concerns at this former test site."
U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., chairman of the Senate Committee on
Environment and Public Works, said: "The landmark agreements
announced today between NASA, the Department of Energy and the State
of California are an important step toward real protection for
families who live near the Santa Susana Field Laboratory. For many
years, I have strongly supported the state's and communities' efforts
to ensure that a comprehensive cleanup is conducted at Santa Susana
that protects the health of the public, including children and
pregnant women. I am pleased that NASA and the Department of Energy
have stepped up to the plate and agreed to clean up the Santa Susana
site to the levels California has determined will provide the
greatest protection to nearby communities."
DOE's agreement is a commitment to clean up Area IV and the Northern
Buffer Zone of the SSFL to background levels for both chemical and
radiological constituents.
DOE's AOC includes several key steps needed to reach the desired
end-state of a cleanup to background.
- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) will determine
the radiological background for each radionuclide based upon its
on-going radiological background study.
- The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC)
will determine the chemical background for each potential chemical
constituent based upon its on-going chemical background study.
- The USEPA will determine, through the ongoing radiological
characterization survey, the nature and extent of any remaining
radiological contamination.
- DTSC will determine the nature and extent of any remaining
chemical contamination based on the previously submitted chemical
sampling results, results from co-locating samples with USEPA for
chemical analysis, and any DTSC determined necessary additional
sampling.
- A major component of the framework is the involvement of USEPA
to serve as technical advisor to DTSC and DOE. USEPA will perform
confirmatory sampling after DOE has completed cleanup to help ensure
all cleanup goals have been met. USEPA also will approve for use DOE
identified areas of backfill.
In addition to providing the legal framework for the agreement, the
Administrative Order on Consent also outlines a process to address
the court-ordered Environmental Impact Statement.
The Administrative Order on Consent can be found at:
http://www.etec.energy.gov
NASA is responsible for the environmental cleanup of the federal real
property at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory. The NASA-held
(federal) portion of the site has been used historically for the
research, development and testing of rocket engines associated with
the Apollo and Space Shuttle Programs. Under NASA's AOC, the agency
will work with the California Department of Toxic Substances Control
to determine the chemical background for each potential chemical
constituent, based on its on-going chemical background study. The
agency also will work with DTSC to determine the nature and extent of
any remaining chemical contamination based on the previously
submitted chemical sampling results, and any DTSC-determined
necessary additional sampling.
Originally developed as a remote site to test rocket engines and
conduct nuclear research, the 2,850-acre SSFL, located in the hills
between Chatsworth and Simi Valley, is owned primarily by the Boeing
Company, with small portions administered by NASA. The former Atomic
Energy Commission conducted nuclear research on nuclear-powered space
vehicles and sodium coolant mediums at 10 small reactors at the
Energy Technology Engineering Center -- 90 acres within SSFL Area IV
-- from the 1950s until 1988.
Source: NASA
