Field lab doc highlights lack of trust

SANTA SUSANA FIELD LAB UPDATE
Part two of a two-part story



THE DANGER IS STILL REAL—Simi Valley Councilmember Ruth Luevanos, left, Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks and Jeremy Wolf, district director for state Sen. Henry Stern, attend a meeting by the Santa Susana Field Lab Work Group at the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center in February 2020. Acorn file photo

THE DANGER IS STILL REAL—Simi Valley Councilmember Ruth Luevanos, left, Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks and Jeremy Wolf, district director for state Sen. Henry Stern, attend a meeting by the Santa Susana Field Lab Work Group at the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center in February 2020. Acorn file photo

Near the conclusion of “In the Dark of the Valley,” viewers see scenes from a 2019 public hearing hosted by NASA at Simi Valley’s Posada Royale Hotel.

Billed as an opportunity for residents, activists and government officials to share their thoughts on the ongoing cleanup of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory, the meeting devolves into a shouting match, with at least one activist, Daniel Hirsch of the Committee to Bridge the Gap, being asked to leave. Hirsch wanted to present a slide show but was told he could not.

The raucous scene demonstrates the lack of trust that permeates the decades-old battle over chemical and radioactive contamination left behind in the hills above Simi Valley, as well as the hope for a breakthrough.

“People like Melissa (Bumstead, who is the focus of the film) will change the tide of this fight,” Hirsch says in the film.

Since the documentary’s release in mid-November, local officials say they’ve seen a wave of new interest in the field lab. According to MSNBC, which owns the rights to the film, “In the Dark” has already been viewed by over 1 million households.

MOTHERS UNITED— At right, Lauren Hammersley, holding one of her children, addresses the crowd at a Rock the Cleanup event in July 2019 in Simi Valley. Melissa Bumstead shares the stage with Hammersley, who is concerned that pollution left behind at the Santa Susana Field Lab above Simi contributed to the death of her 7-year-old daughter Hazel, who died of cancer in 2018. Acorn file photo

MOTHERS UNITED— At right, Lauren Hammersley, holding one of her children, addresses the crowd at a Rock the Cleanup event in July 2019 in Simi Valley. Melissa Bumstead shares the stage with Hammersley, who is concerned that pollution left behind at the Santa Susana Field Lab above Simi contributed to the death of her 7-year-old daughter Hazel, who died of cancer in 2018. Acorn file photo

“It’s surprising that so many people don’t know about the Santa Susana Field Lab,” said Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks, who makes a brief appearance in the film. “It’s really important for people to know about. If anything, (the documentary) should help convince regulators to do their job.”

State Sen. Henry Stern, whose district borders the 2,800-acre property between Simi and Chatsworth, said the film has increased local and national awareness about the health threat posed by the former rocket engine and nuclear test site.

“We know cleanup has to start, and the main issue is how to get Boeing to commit the resources so that taxpayers don’t end up footing the whole bill,” Stern said.

Since the film’s release, Parks, Stern and other local officials have renewed efforts to convince the California Environmental Protection Agency to step in and demand a prompt resolution. Originally scheduled to be completed by 2017, the current finish date for removal of contaminants is 2034.

POLLUTED PROPERTY—A photo taken at the Santa Susana Field Lab site in 2014. Acorn file photo

POLLUTED PROPERTY—A photo taken at the Santa Susana Field Lab site in 2014. Acorn file photo

It is the state Department of Toxic Substances Control, or DTSC, that is responsible for overseeing the cleanup of the property, 80% of which is controlled by aerospace giant Boeing. The remaining 20% is owned by NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy.

Some activists have accused the DTSC of working more on the behalf of Boeing, NASA and the DOE than the public.

“I just feel we need to have someone representing the residents instead of just the polluters and the regulators,” Parks said.

Level of cleanup

As highlighted in the two-hour film, the debate today is how much earth must be moved to eliminate the threat.

NASA and the DOE agreed in 2007 to remove all soil contamination at their properties, but Boeing has refused to abide by the strictest cleanup standards. The $120-billion company is lobbying to clean up its 2,200-plus acres to a “recreational” standard, which involves far less removal of contaminated dirt (they intend to donate the land as open space). NASA has also pushed back on the standards set in 2007.

Activists like Bumstead, a West Hills resident, maintain that a cleanup to “background,” restoring the property to its original state before the lab opened in 1948, is the only way to assure public safety. The 41-year-old mother of two became involved in the field lab after her daughter, Grace Ellen, was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer in 2014.

“It would be 80 times less protective than what (Boeing) agreed to in 2007,” Bumstead said of the recreational standard.

While they agreed cleanup is critical, some Simi officials say it should not expose residents to greater harm.

“I don’t want radioactive soils trucked through Simi Valley impacting our residents,” Simi Valley City Councilmember Elaine Litster said.

Mayor Keith Mashburn said there had been talk of trucking the contaminated dirt to the railroad tracks in Simi and loading it onto trains bound for an out-of-state disposal facility.

“That could spread the contamination, so I’m hoping for a way to keep it at the location,” Mashburn said. “(Having) dust and contaminated soils being blown around just doesn’t seem like a good idea to me.”

Litster said she hopes the fight over remediation doesn’t further delay progress.

“Deciding how extensive cleanup should be must not sideline the cleanup process,” she said.

Councilmember Ruth Luevanos, a cancer survivor, said she will continue to fight to hold SSFL polluters accountable for a complete cleanup.

“We have already lost too many to cancers and many other health issues directly related to the radioactive and toxic contaminants DOE, Boeing and NASA have failed to cleanup,” she said.

Under pressure

“In the Dark” paints the DTSC as ineffective at best and a co-conspirator at worst. Asked to respond, DTSC spokesperson Russ Edmondson said there has been substantial progress at the site over the last three years.

Since 2020, the last of the 18 remaining DOE-owned buildings have been demolished and the disposal of debris at a licensed facility out of state is nearly complete.

Edmondson said DTSC continues to review, monitor and oversee environmental testing at the field lab to ensure harmful chemicals aren’t migrating off-site.

He said DTSC is participating in nonbinding mediation with Boeing to hold the company accountable to the 2007 order.

“The final environmental impact report is scheduled to be released next year, at which point DTSC will move as quickly as possible to implement the next phase of cleanup,” Edmondson said.

Mashburn said two letters were sent this month on behalf of the City of Simi Valley, one to DTSC and the other to Gov. Gavin Newsom, asking them to speed up cleanup efforts.

“Them fighting and doing nothing is, in my opinion, part of the problem,” he said.

Bumstead told the Acorn she believes all three SSFL property owners have been deceiving the community about the danger the property presents, noting a recent study showing evidence that radioactive materials had escaped the site during 2018’s Woolsey fire.

As for the DTSC, Bumstead said the agency is intentionally overinflating the amount of soil that needs to be removed for a cleanup to background.

“The reason they did that is so that when Boeing, NASA and DOE came back with a plan to clean almost nothing, it would seem reasonable,” she said.

With negotiations between Boeing and DTSC taking place this month, Bumstead said, it’s critical for residents and officials to continue to lobby for a comprehensive and timely cleanup and adequate standards.

“We have all the data, decade’s worth of work of tons of experts that advocate for the cleanup, yet a minority seems to be listened to. It frustrates me,” she said.

Parks had the same message.

“Deal with it now. It’s been delayed far too long,” she said.

Michele Willer-Allred contributed to this article.

This article was updated at 9:17 a.m. Dec. 17.