Governor, Boeing agree never to develop field lab

The Santa Susana Field Laboratory, once the site of experiments involving nuclear reactors, highpowered 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 Boeing Co., 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 sign the bill after Boeing- which since 1997 has controlled the 2,850-acre site in the hills south of Simi Valley- issued a nonbinding letter of intent detailing a plan to donate its portion of the property to the state to be used for parkland once the 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 and we will continue to do so even though residential development will not be taking place at the site."

State Sen. Sheila James Kuehl (D-Santa Monica) introduced SB 990 in February. The bill passed the Assembly last month on a bipartisan vote of 5022, giving the governor until Oct. 14 to 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 Co. 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 signing 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.

"Sen. Kuehl agreed to introduce legislation that would enable and recognize environmental cleanup to an appropriate, reasonable and attainable level," Jameson said. "Basically it will enable the land transfer to take place."

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

"The standards are only set aside for those parcels there's an agreement about," Kuehl told The Acorn. "The law stays in place for (the portion of the site owned by NASA) until there's an agreement on those as well."

Critics such as Dan Hirsch, cochair of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory Study Group and the leader of a nuclear-watchdog group, said the stipulation to 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 said.

Still, Kuehl said she's generally "very happy" with the results of the negotiations because it's now "in the state's interest to get the highest possible cleanup standard."

"If anything happens after the transfer, it could be a problem for the state," Kuehl said. "I think it's worthwhile allowing Boeing to give (the land) to the state and that's why I agreed to carry the amendment."

Assemblymember Cameron Smyth (R-Santa Clarita), who had 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 told the Simi Valley Acorn this week. "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 legislation 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, along with other agencies that might want to join.

Mayor Paul Miller said he thinks the creation of the 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 last year 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.