Cleanup AGREEMENTS
The SSFL Cleanup was to be finished by 2017. Today the site remains dangerously contaminated and promises for a complete cleanup are being broken.
The original cleanup agreements were unprecedented: The 2010 agreement required cleanup to “Background” levels—the removal of all man-made contamination to restore the site to its natural condition.
The agreements are now being weakened: Boeing, NASA, and the Department of Energy are pushing to reduce cleanup requirements, which would leave most contamination onsite permanently and save polluters millions.
DTSC is failing to enforce the original deal: Instead of protecting the public, DTSC has assisted efforts to roll back the cleanup.
The community is fighting back: Parents Against SSFL and partner organizations are demanding enforcement of the original agreements and a full cleanup of the site.
2025
Boeing Corrective Measure Study and DTSC Statement of Basis
Hazardous soil could to be sent to Simi Landfill
Recreator Cleanup renamed to Residential with Garden
Approximately 90% of Boeing’s chemical contamination will remain onsite
Loopholes: Misuse of biological exemptions to skip cleanup
Critiques of CMS: Parents Against SSFL CMS Comments | Committee to Bridge the Gap CMS Comments
DTSC Documents: CMS and Statement of Basis
2024
DEpartment of energy supplemental environmental impact statement (seis)
The US Department of Energy (DOE) published a notice of intent in the Federal Register on Dec. 27, 2024, to submit a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) instead of fulfilling its commitment to the AOC cleanup. The DOE claimed that mistakes in prior calculations would make a background cleanup impossible to implement.
Critique: Committee to Bridge the Gap.
2023
DTSC Programmatic Environmental Impact Report (PEIR)
Boeing will be allowed to leave up to 94% of their portion of the site contaminated.
NASA and the Department of Energy will leave 63% of their portion of the site contaminated.
The PEIR eliminates the “background” cleanup from further analysis.
DTSC Document: Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Report (PEIR)
EDU Video: PASSFL Town Hall
2022
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Boeing and LA Waterboard
Agreement promises to remove Boeing’s rainwater discharge permit (NPDES) 10-15 years before cleanup is completed.
MOU gives authority to the Expert Panel, paid by Boeing, to make critical judgements about testing requirements and methodologies.
MOU assumes that the Settlement Agreement will remove all dangerous contamination, therefore Boeing won’t need an NPDES permit to monitor or regulate chemicals flowing offsite and into local waterways.
LA Waterboard Document: MOU AGREEMENT
Critique: Committee to Bridge the Gap, MOU 2022: Comments on Proposed Memorandum of Understanding Between the Boeing Company and the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board Regarding the Contaminated Santa Susana Field Laboratory
Critique: Heal the Bay, MOU 2022: Calling for Accountability at the Santa Susana Field Lab
2022
Settlement Agreement
CalEPA, DTSC, and Boeing sign a new agreement for the Santa Susana Field Lab cleanup, erroneously titled as the Settlement Agreement. When carefully examined, the 796-page document shows that the new agreement will dramatically weaken the chemical cleanup at the site. Instead of removing most of the chemical contamination, it will leave most of it. Similarly, it will leave most of the groundwater dangerously contaminated. Our community, wildlife and environment will be harmed unless all of the contamination is cleaned up.
PASSFL is currently suing over the Settlement Agreement, along with Physicians for Social Responsibility - Los Angeles and Public Employees Environmental Responsibility (PEER).
The settlement Agreement supersedes most of the 2007 Agreement, resulting in 95% of the contaminated soil remaining on site.
The agreement was negotiated in private without any representatives for the public interest and was agreed to without any public input.
The agreement didn’t include CEQA, a legally required environmental review.
DTSC Document: 2022 DTSC-Boeing Settlement Agreement (Final).pdf
EDU Video: Settlement Agreement Town Hall Webinar
Critique: Committee to Bridge the Gap:
2022
Boeing groundwater covenant
The groundwater Covenant to last “in perpetuity” with the Boeing Company allows the highly polluted groundwater under the Santa Susana Field Laboratory to remain polluted for “an indeterminate amount of time.”
DTSC Document: Groundwater Covenant
Press Release: Newsom Lets Boeing Keep Groundwater Forever Polluted
2020
CalEPA Promises community complete cleanup
2020, EPA Secretary Jared Blumenfeld publicly promised the community that CalEPA would not negotiate with Boeing over the cleanup and would enforce the 2007 Consent Order Agreement.
EDU Video: CalEPA promises to the public
2019
NASA Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS)
NASA claims they must evaluate three cleanup levels which would leave different amounts of contamination behind
The SEIS evaluates options for soil cleanup, with NASA choosing a "Suburban Residential" cleanup as its preferred option
EDU Video: PASSFL Town Hall Video
2017
DTSC Draft Programatic Environmental Impact Report (PEIR)
The Draft PEIR formulated the cleanup alternatives. Three scenarios were highlighted in the Draft PEIR:
The USEPA default-based (with garden) scenario assumes that 25% of all home-grown produce eaten by the resident (over 30 years) is contaminated.
The SSFL SRAM-based (with garden) scenario assumes that 100% of all the home-grown produce eaten by the resident is contaminated.
The SSFL SRAM-based (no garden) scenario assumes no exposure to home grown produce.
The Draft PEIR quotes the 2007 Consent Order, “Cleanup plans ‘shall detail the methodology for developing and evaluating potential corrective measures [cleanup actions] to remedy chemical contamination at the Facility utilizing the Standardized Risk Assessment Methodology (SRAM) Workplan (Rev. 2).
2014
DTSC Standardized Risk Assessment Methodology (SRAM) Revision 2 Addendum
DTSC approved an addendum to the SRAM Rev. 2 incorporating a list of calculated Human Health Risk-Based Screening Level (“RBSL”) levels for the toxic contaminants at the SSFL. The RBSLs are used in the calculations to determine human health cancer risks and non-cancer risk hazard estimates from the pollutants at the SSFL.
2010
Agreement on Consent (AOC): DTSC, NASA, Department of Energy
Soil cleanup to be completed by Fall 2017 and a permanent water remedy to be in place.
Cleanup to “background,” that is, to remove all man-made contamination.
All low-level radioactive debris and soil must be sent to low-radioactive licensed facilities and not local dumps.
The cleanup will not affect old-growth trees, large rock formations, endangered wildlife, or cultural artifacts. There were exceptions written into the AOC to specifically protect these.
The cleanup will be regulated by federal, state, and local laws to minimize the dust and disruption to the community.
The AOC was written by the former secretary of the Department of Energy, Dr. Steven Chu who is a distinguished scientist, the 12th Secretary of Energy, and co-winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics (1997).
DTSC Document: 2010 AOC (NASA and DOE).pdf
2007
Cleanup Agreements: DTSC, Boeing, NASA, Department of Energy
NULLIFIED BY LATER AGREEMENTS
Signed between Boeing, NASA, Department of Energy (DOE) and California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC).
Would remediate the site to match Ventura County's "open space" zoning, which includes agricultural and rural residential land uses.
Cleanup would be completed by 2017.
A permanent groundwater remedy was to be in place at that time.
The 2007 Consent Order is not as comprehensive of a cleanup as the later 2010 AOC agreement.
2015 Boeing promises a “Suburban Residential” cleanup to residents.
2017 Boeing breaks cleanup promise and says it will cleanup to the significantly less protective “Recreational Cleanup.”
DTSC Document: 2007 Consent Order for Corrective Action (Boeing).pdf
2005
Standardized Risk Assessment Methodology (SRAM) Work Plan, Revision 2
REFERENCE LINKS
“DTSC and U.S.EPA, in implementing the Superfund process, defer to local government’s land use plans and zoning decisions, and base their cleanup level calculations on the assumption that the land will be used as the land use requirements would allow, irrespective of its current use.” (PDF Page 12)
August 22, 2017: Boeing broke its longstanding commitment to a residential cleanup with an emailed announcement to the community by Kamara Sams, Boeing Community Relations.