Two regulatory agencies in California stress the U.S. Department of Energy must receive state approval before it can legally tear down 18 buildings within Area IV of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory cleanup site in Ventura County.
The Energy Department last month issued a record of decision formalizing its intention to demolish the remaining structures at the former Energy Technology Engineering Center (ETEC) at Santa Susana.
Not so fast, according to the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) and the state Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC).
CalEPA Secretary Jared Blumenfeld wrote to Energy Secretary Rick Perry on Oct. 7 “to clarify that DOE may not proceed with any Area IV building demolition” without DTSC approval. He cited a 2010 administrative order of consent from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California that requires DOE to file a demolition plan for the state agency’s approval. Acting DTSC Director Meredith Williams sent a similar letter on Oct. 16 to John Jones, DOE’s federal project director for cleanup of ETEC.
The recent Energy Department ROD says the agency “could start demolishing buildings as early as late October is concerning,” Williams said. Correspondence between DTSC and the Energy Department from 2016 to 2018 on standard operating procedure for demolition of buildings at Santa Susana does not qualify as prior authorization by the state, she added.
The Department of Toxic Substances Control wants to ensure that the old buildings sites are demolished and remediated to a background standard for radionuclides. That state agency also seeks assurances that all radioactive debris will be sent to a licensed low-level waste facility, Williams wrote.
The DTSC is the state agency overseeing remediation at the 2,850-acre Santa Susana site by three organizations – DOE, NASA, and Boeing. Located about 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, SSFL is a former rocket engine test and nuclear research facility. The Energy Technology Engineering Center was once home to 10 small nuclear reactors and other facilities for nuclear and liquid metals research among. The 470 acres controlled by DOE once held about 270 structures, with now only 18 remaining.
