Investigations
AEROJET CHINO HILLS
Ongoing investigation into Aerojet Chino Hills facility began in 2000 when Collins found a contaminated 800-acre complex that operated for nearly 40 years. Unexploded bombs, depleted uranium, heavy metals and chemicals pollute the property. Cleanup activities began in earnest after expose costing $46 million so far. Recent EnviroReporter.com revelations question government’s handling of property being considered for unrestricted use.
AHMANSON RANCH
Collins broke revelations in 2002 that radiological and chemical pollutants may have migrated from neighboring Rocketdyne onto the ranch where Washington Mutual had hoped to build 3,050 homes. Reporting helped stop $2 billion development which led to the creation of a 2,900-acre expanse of public park land in 2003 and prevented thousands of tons of possibly-contaminated construction dust from impacting two counties and thousands of people.
CORPORATE POINTE
Corporate Pointe sits on land once occupied by Hughes Missile Group, Rocketdyne, Atomics International and Raytheon Missile Systems. Site has heavy metal, chemical and radiological contamination. In August 2009, City of Los Angeles okayed development of property without Environmental Impact Report and eased environmental standards through rezoning. Ongoing investigation.
FUKUSHIMA
Over 2,554 radiation tests at Radiation Station and across Los Angeles and over a dozen states from March 15, 2011 to December 22, 2012 and beyond. Dozens of posts, graphs, live streaming radiation monitoring, video and chat covering the greatest single environmental catastrophe in humankind history that continues to irradiate the Pacific Ocean and Northern Hemisphere. Extensive investigation discovers and exposes mechanisms and routes of Fukushima fallout in the Pacific and the atmosphere. Impacts on the food products from America, Japan and abroad revealed in ongoing tests.
ROCKETDYNE
Ongoing investigation since 1998 of the Santa Susana Field Lab between the Simi and San Fernando valleys, site of a partial nuclear meltdown in 1959 and massive chemical contamination from thousands of rocket tests. 2007 state agreement to cleanup the property derailed in November 2009 when lab owner Boeing sues California over strict cleanup law. In December 2012, EnviroReporter.com publishes the first five parts of Boeing’s Meltdown Makeover series exposing plan to sell polluted site as clean enough for a park. Government and polluter collusion undermine agreements using “greenwashing” techniques on the media and public as well as use of an “astroturf” group of collaborators against Rocketdyne cleanup.
RUNKLE CANYON
Like Ahmanson Ranch, Runkle Canyon abuts Rocketdyne. And also like the ranch, this property slated for residential development with 461 homes, seems to be polluted by Rocketdyne’s contaminants. Development stalled since Collins broke this ongoing story in March 2005 and citizens organized a group called the “Radiation Rangers” in 2006.
VA NUCLEAR DUMP
Ongoing investigation since 2001 of the biomedical nuclear and chemical dump in Brentwood California buried partially beneath a popular dog park. Dump result of 16 years of disposing of radioactive waste from animal and human experimentation by the West LA Veterans Administration and UCLA. Investigation prompts aborted $1 million toxins testing promised in 2007 at same time Bush Administration abandoned $4 billion plans for VA development, admitting dump revelations helped derail scheme. Late 2009 revelations show expanded contamination and more trouble at the VA.
OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL STORIES
Environmental articles written by Michael Collins that date back to 1996 and continue through to today’s expanded reporting and offbeat adventures with EnviroReporter.com‘s Denise Anne Duffield.
