Field lab bill passes Assembly
Governor has until Oct. 14 to decide whether or not to sign SB 990 into law
By Darleen Principe darleen@theacorn.com

A state Senate bill calling for the complete cleanup of the former Santa Susana Field Laboratory site in accordance with the highest standards of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency passed through the Assembly on Wednesday.

Senate Bill 990, which was introduced into the state Legislature in February by state Sen. Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa Monica), passed with a bipartisan vote of 50-22. It is now in the hands of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for passage into law. He has until Oct. 14 to make a final decision, said a representative from the governor's office.

"I thought the vote on the floor was really tremendous," Kuehl told the Simi Valley Acorn. "There's no signal from the governor yet on how he's going to decide. I think the people ought to be aggressive in letting the governor know their support."

If Schwarzenegger approves SB 990, Boeing Co. will be required to meet strict standards on the allowable levels of radioactive contamination before any part of the site can be sold or transferred.

The former Santa Susana Field Laboratory is a 2,850-acre site that sits in the hills south of Simi Valley. SB 990 was introduced shortly after the Department of Energy announced plans to transfer the land to Boeing after completing its cleanup of the area later this year.

Last month, the city of Simi Valley sent a letter to the senator declaring its official support for the measure.

"It's not out of the woods yet," said Mayor Paul Miller. "It's passed and that's a good thing, but I guess we have to wait until the governor signs it. I don't know where he is on that issue."

Assemblymember Julia Brownley (D-Woodland Hills), who coauthored the bill and sponsored it on the Assembly floor, spent several months trying to garner support for SB 990. Out of the 50 assembly members who voted for the bill, seven were republican, said Stephanie Burri, Brownley's chief of staff. "That's impressive," Burri said, "Hopefully that will mean something to the governor."

Assemblymember Cameron Smyth (R-Santa Clarita) told the Acorn this week that he spent most of his legislative summer recess researching the bill and talking to both supporters and opponents of the measure. "I just felt that there was no compelling reason for me to oppose the bill," Smyth said. "I was happy to work with (Kuehl) and (Brownley)- and work with the supporters to ensure the bill passed."

Smyth said he thinks the chances of the governor approving SB 990 are good because of the "pretty good level of bipartisan support" it received in the Assembly.

"In seeing the local support, it also gave me a strong sense of the importance of the bill to the community as well," said Smyth, who represents Santa Clarita, Simi Valley and Glendale.

According to the bill's supporters, passage of SB 990 would ensure that the site would be safe for suburban, residential or agricultural use upon completion of the cleanup. The process would be overseen by the Department of Toxic Substances Control.

County Supervisor Peter Foy said he'd want to make sure the standards set by the bill were "100 percent" clear. "That was my concern on the bill in the first place," he said. "We don't want to do anything that will keep delaying and delaying the cleanup because we keep changing the standards." He did not directly express personal support for the bill but said the county Board of Supervisors sent a letter of support to Kuehl in June.

Other backers of SB 990, including Dan Hirsch, co-chair of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory Study Group, said he feels the passage is an "amazing victory." He said the "bipartisan effort pushed it over the top," and he hopes that will make a strong impact on the governor's final decision.

"He has the opportunity now to be either an environmental hero or an environmental villain," Hirsch said.