Author: EnviroReporter

White Blight

Radiation Rangers Rev. John Southwick and Frank Serafine discover white substance covering Runkle Canyon March 26, 2008. Government later claims it’s ‘natural’ after questioning Rangers’ veracity.

Reassessing Runkle

KB Home agrees to supply DTSC with at least 41 extensive reports and documents for their inspection of Runkle Canyon and pay for the $114,884 that the initial work will cost.

The Promised Land

Gov. Schwarzenegger terminates uncertainty of Rocketdyne cleanup with historic move that keeps California in charge – for now. Long bitter battle of Rocketdyne seems resolved but certainly isn’t.

Down the Test Tubes

KB Home’s lab Dade Moeller produces 10-page report showing strontium-90 radiation only a quarter of “background” for Runkle Canyon, a fraction of previous results. Hot zone hooey.

Schooled for Scandal

L.A. Councilman Bill Rosendahl leads tough talks with VA to secure $1 million for comprehensive Phase 2 tests of West LA VA’s forgotten biomedical nuclear dump. Ensuing tests laughable.

Cleaning Up Rocketdyne

Department of Toxics Substances Control begins massive cleanup of Rocketdyne dump next to Sage Ranch State Park. Debris field includes cancerous asbestos and pipes lined with toxic antimony.

Dirty Business

Radiation Rangers and Simi Valley residents demand new Runkle Canyon Environmental Impact Report and a government meeting over pollution concerns at the Simi Valley City Council meeting.

Pay Dirt

Gov. Schwarzenegger signs SB-990, a bill by State Senator Sheila Kuehl to clean up Rocketdyne to Superfund standards. Boeing agrees to pay for remediation and donate lab for parkland.

Million Dollar Maybe

West L.A.VA commits $1 million to second phase nuclear dump survey. “We’re going to waste a million dollars for no purpose,” VA official says. Survey will sample in wrong places.

Nuke ‘Em High

Syringes and medical waste, including low-level radioactive materials, were covered by fill material to depths of twenty to thirty feet or more at the Brentwood School on West L.A. VA land.

Spin Cycle

Ventura County Star and Simi Valley Acorn report Runkle Canyon as “safe” with continued fact-challenged coverage including a false alarm about copper. Hogwash reporting no surprise.

Bubble Trouble

City of Simi Valley tests Runkle Canyon water and soil for arsenic after Radiation Rangers’ samples show same. Rangers release full Pat-Chem lab report on heavy metals in Runkle Canyon Creek.

Waxman waffles on nuke dump

Rep. Henry Waxman refuses repeated media requests for 5,500 pages of information supplied him by Department of Veterans Affairs’ West Los Angeles VA regarding their biomedical nuclear dump.