TWO MILE ISLAND
Los Angeles CityBeat/ValleyBeat - July 22, 2004
The Rocketdyne facility is more poisoned than anyone knew. Now residents and community
leaders of the northwest San Fernando Valley and Ventura County supervisors want more
testing before new homes get any closer.
Los Angeles CityBeat/ValleyBeat - July 22, 2004
The Rocketdyne facility is more poisoned than anyone knew. Now residents and community
leaders of the northwest San Fernando Valley and Ventura County supervisors want more
testing before new homes get any closer.
PERCHLORATE PATROL
Los Angeles ValleyBeat - October 23, 2003
Cal-EPA comes down on Simi Valley’s Rocketdyne facility after more perchlorate
contamination is found outside the lab perimeter.
Los Angeles ValleyBeat - October 23, 2003
Cal-EPA comes down on Simi Valley’s Rocketdyne facility after more perchlorate
contamination is found outside the lab perimeter.
FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN
Los Angeles ValleyBeat - June 12, 2003
Simi Valley's Rocketdyne facility was blasted by 50 years of rocket engines and nuclear
reactor meltdowns, leaving a toxic disaster atop what residents call “The Hill.” Runoff may be
poisoning Southland residents. And now the government just broke a promise to clean it up.
Los Angeles ValleyBeat - June 12, 2003
Simi Valley's Rocketdyne facility was blasted by 50 years of rocket engines and nuclear
reactor meltdowns, leaving a toxic disaster atop what residents call “The Hill.” Runoff may be
poisoning Southland residents. And now the government just broke a promise to clean it up.
ROCKETDYNE RUNAROUND
LA Weekly - January 11, 2000
The EPA invites community activists to tour three former Rocketdyne nuclear buildings to
observe an environmental survey for radioactive contamination. The media is invited except
Collins whose coverage is deemed “obviously imbalanced” according to Boeing.
LA Weekly - January 11, 2000
The EPA invites community activists to tour three former Rocketdyne nuclear buildings to
observe an environmental survey for radioactive contamination. The media is invited except
Collins whose coverage is deemed “obviously imbalanced” according to Boeing.
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| Rocketdyne Investigation (Click thumbnail image to view article. Articles listed from newest to oldest in descending order) |
HOT ZONE
Los Angeles Magazine - June 1998
Rocketdyne’s Simi Valley Field Laboratory was on the frontlines of the Cold War. Now some
who lived near “The Hill” say they share two distinctions: chronic illness and the unswerving
belief that the lab caused it.
Los Angeles Magazine - June 1998
Rocketdyne’s Simi Valley Field Laboratory was on the frontlines of the Cold War. Now some
who lived near “The Hill” say they share two distinctions: chronic illness and the unswerving
belief that the lab caused it.
ROCKETDYNE'S RED GLARE
LA Weekly - December 9, 1998
The government and the community are at loggerheads over the Rocketdyne laboratory in
the hills between the Simi and San Fernando valleys in Southern California.
LA Weekly - December 9, 1998
The government and the community are at loggerheads over the Rocketdyne laboratory in
the hills between the Simi and San Fernando valleys in Southern California.
TOTAL RECALL
LA Weekly - December 9, 1998
A former Rocketdyne worker emotionally tells a Simi Valley audience of his time on "The Hill"
where venting nuclear reactor core gases were part of the job.
LA Weekly - December 9, 1998
A former Rocketdyne worker emotionally tells a Simi Valley audience of his time on "The Hill"
where venting nuclear reactor core gases were part of the job.
MELTDOWN MONEY
LA Weekly - December 23, 1998
Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson awards aerospace giant Boeing $148.5 million to
complete cleanup efforts at its Rocketdyne Santa Susana Field Laboratory by 2006. . "This
is the proverbial fox guarding the chicken coop," says one environmentalist.
LA Weekly - December 23, 1998
Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson awards aerospace giant Boeing $148.5 million to
complete cleanup efforts at its Rocketdyne Santa Susana Field Laboratory by 2006. . "This
is the proverbial fox guarding the chicken coop," says one environmentalist.
SUITED UP
LA Weekly - January 20, 1999
The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court okays a class action lawsuit against Boeing over its lab's
pollution and an appeals court guts two cases against the parent company of Rocketdyne.
LA Weekly - January 20, 1999
The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court okays a class action lawsuit against Boeing over its lab's
pollution and an appeals court guts two cases against the parent company of Rocketdyne.
UCLA STUDY BURNS ROCKETDYNE
LA Weekly - April 21, 1999
Cancer rates elevated among space-lab workers.
LA Weekly - April 21, 1999
Cancer rates elevated among space-lab workers.
ROCKET MAN
LA Weekly - April 21, 1999
William Webber's memory of fire where he warned Rocketdyne that using poisonous
nitrogen tetraoxide gas near LAX could possibly kill travelers in terminals, but his pleas are
dismissed by company hire-ups, he says.
LA Weekly - April 21, 1999
William Webber's memory of fire where he warned Rocketdyne that using poisonous
nitrogen tetraoxide gas near LAX could possibly kill travelers in terminals, but his pleas are
dismissed by company hire-ups, he says.
STATE STAINED IN ROCKETDYNE SCANDAL
LA Weekly - May 5, 1999
Watchdog agency under fire for colluding with space firm. The high-level attention was
sparked by recent revelations that DHS staff suppressed findings of elevated levels of lung
cancer in Simi and San Fernando Valley communities surrounding the Rocketdyne facility.
LA Weekly - May 5, 1999
Watchdog agency under fire for colluding with space firm. The high-level attention was
sparked by recent revelations that DHS staff suppressed findings of elevated levels of lung
cancer in Simi and San Fernando Valley communities surrounding the Rocketdyne facility.
BLAST FROM THE PAST
LA Weekly - May 5, 1999
In 1994, two Rocketdyne scientists blow themselves apart at the Santa Susana Field
Laboratory prompting Rocketdyne to plead guilty to environmental crimes and to pay $6.5
million in fines, one of the largest such monetary penalties to date.
LA Weekly - May 5, 1999
In 1994, two Rocketdyne scientists blow themselves apart at the Santa Susana Field
Laboratory prompting Rocketdyne to plead guilty to environmental crimes and to pay $6.5
million in fines, one of the largest such monetary penalties to date.
TOXIC SPRING
LA Weekly - August 5, 1999
The state Department of Toxic Substances Control has proposed allowing the company to
excavate contaminated soil from one of the filthiest sites at the Rocketdyne’s facility, the
sodium burn pit, which had PCBs, dioxin, mercury, and the rocket fuel oxidizer perchlorate.
LA Weekly - August 5, 1999
The state Department of Toxic Substances Control has proposed allowing the company to
excavate contaminated soil from one of the filthiest sites at the Rocketdyne’s facility, the
sodium burn pit, which had PCBs, dioxin, mercury, and the rocket fuel oxidizer perchlorate.
ROCKETDYING
LA Weekly - October 14, 1999
Rocketdyne officials had accused Collins of lying in 1998 when he disclosed that the
company was a major supplier of America's nuclear arsenal. Turns out he was right: engines
for the nuclear-tipped Navaho, Atlas and Jupiter missiles were tested at SSFL.
LA Weekly - October 14, 1999
Rocketdyne officials had accused Collins of lying in 1998 when he disclosed that the
company was a major supplier of America's nuclear arsenal. Turns out he was right: engines
for the nuclear-tipped Navaho, Atlas and Jupiter missiles were tested at SSFL.
THINGS ARE PERC-ING UP
Ventura County Reporter - February 13, 2003
Hearing in Thousand Oaks on the dangers that the rocket fuel oxidizer perchlorate poses to
our the water supply. Rocketdyne admits burning 1,700 pounds of the toxin. Readings of
perchlorate in the surface water at the lab are 24,000 times the States maximum dose.
Ventura County Reporter - February 13, 2003
Hearing in Thousand Oaks on the dangers that the rocket fuel oxidizer perchlorate poses to
our the water supply. Rocketdyne admits burning 1,700 pounds of the toxin. Readings of
perchlorate in the surface water at the lab are 24,000 times the States maximum dose.
THE SINS OF ROCKETDYNE
Los Angeles CityBeat/ValleyBeat - July 3, 2003
Part two of this special investigation looks at the heartbreak endured by people who
believed that Rocketdyne's pollution woes had made their loved ones sick. Reveleations of
the growing menace of the rocket engine solvent trichloroethylene in SSFL groundwater.
Los Angeles CityBeat/ValleyBeat - July 3, 2003
Part two of this special investigation looks at the heartbreak endured by people who
believed that Rocketdyne's pollution woes had made their loved ones sick. Reveleations of
the growing menace of the rocket engine solvent trichloroethylene in SSFL groundwater.
BLINDED BY THE LIGHT
Los Angeles CityBeat/ValleyBeat - July 22, 2004
Astonishingly high readings of chemical pollution at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory
generated by the Department of Toxic Substances Control.
Los Angeles CityBeat/ValleyBeat - July 22, 2004
Astonishingly high readings of chemical pollution at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory
generated by the Department of Toxic Substances Control.
TWO MILE ISLAND
Ventura County Reporter - August 5, 2004
Supervisors vote to require groundwater testing for perchlorate and trichloroethylene for
any major development planned within a two mile radius around Rocketdyne.
Ventura County Reporter - August 5, 2004
Supervisors vote to require groundwater testing for perchlorate and trichloroethylene for
any major development planned within a two mile radius around Rocketdyne.
BETWEEN ROCKETDYNE AND A HARD PLACE
Los Angeles CityBeat/ValleyBeat - August 12, 2004
Ventura County imposes testing for development within two miles of Rocketdyne in an
unprecedented move to monitor pollution spreading from Boeing's sprawling site.
Los Angeles CityBeat/ValleyBeat - August 12, 2004
Ventura County imposes testing for development within two miles of Rocketdyne in an
unprecedented move to monitor pollution spreading from Boeing's sprawling site.
IN HOT WATER
Ventura County Reporter - September 23, 2004
Rocketdyne divulged that two new wells had high levels of tritium registering approximately
82,000 and 15,400 picocuries per liter near two former Systems for Nuclear Auxiliary Power
(SNAP) reactors that were designed for use in space.
Ventura County Reporter - September 23, 2004
Rocketdyne divulged that two new wells had high levels of tritium registering approximately
82,000 and 15,400 picocuries per liter near two former Systems for Nuclear Auxiliary Power
(SNAP) reactors that were designed for use in space.
RADIATING OUTWARD
Los Angeles CityBeat/ValleyBeat - September 27, 2004
An experimental space reactor suffered a major accident in 1964 in which 80% of its nuclear
fuel rods cracked and released radiation from an unconfined building. An adjacent SNAP 8
reactor suffered a similar fate in 1969 with about a third of its fuel also cracking.
Los Angeles CityBeat/ValleyBeat - September 27, 2004
An experimental space reactor suffered a major accident in 1964 in which 80% of its nuclear
fuel rods cracked and released radiation from an unconfined building. An adjacent SNAP 8
reactor suffered a similar fate in 1969 with about a third of its fuel also cracking.
TOXIC ODDS
Los Angeles CityBeat/ValleyBeat - November 4, 2004
How many cancer deaths are too many? The City of Los Angeles finally sues feds over
inadequate cleanup of Rocketdyne.
Los Angeles CityBeat/ValleyBeat - November 4, 2004
How many cancer deaths are too many? The City of Los Angeles finally sues feds over
inadequate cleanup of Rocketdyne.
PIPE DREAMS
Los Angeles CityBeat/ValleyBeat - February 24, 2005
Plans to store contaminated water under Ahmanson Ranch raise environmental concerns.
Los Angeles CityBeat/ValleyBeat - February 24, 2005
Plans to store contaminated water under Ahmanson Ranch raise environmental concerns.
SOUR SATISFACTION
Los Angeles CityBeat/ValleyBeat - October 6, 2005
Boeing settles massive lawsuit over the Valley’s heavily polluted Rocketdyne site.
Environmentalists howl and take issue with Collins.
Los Angeles CityBeat/ValleyBeat - October 6, 2005
Boeing settles massive lawsuit over the Valley’s heavily polluted Rocketdyne site.
Environmentalists howl and take issue with Collins.
THE FALL OUT
Los Angeles ValleyBeat - February 16, 2006
Two new reports find elevated cancers and other risks within a few miles of Rocketdyne.
"We found associations between levels of ionizing radiation as well as indicators of exposure
to chemicals at rocket engine test stands and certain types of cancer," said one of the
study's authors, Dr. Hal Mogenstern.
Los Angeles ValleyBeat - February 16, 2006
Two new reports find elevated cancers and other risks within a few miles of Rocketdyne.
"We found associations between levels of ionizing radiation as well as indicators of exposure
to chemicals at rocket engine test stands and certain types of cancer," said one of the
study's authors, Dr. Hal Mogenstern.
VERY DIRTY LAUNDRY
Los Angeles CityBeat/ValleyBeat - October 12, 2006
A new report on L.A.’s nuked Rocketdyne site finally catches the attention of mainstream
media. Study suggests that between 260 and 1,800 people contracted cancer from the
partial meltdown of the Sodium Reactor Experiment in 1959, which released 459 times more
cesium-137 and iodine-131 than did the melt at Three Mile Island in 1979.
Los Angeles CityBeat/ValleyBeat - October 12, 2006
A new report on L.A.’s nuked Rocketdyne site finally catches the attention of mainstream
media. Study suggests that between 260 and 1,800 people contracted cancer from the
partial meltdown of the Sodium Reactor Experiment in 1959, which released 459 times more
cesium-137 and iodine-131 than did the melt at Three Mile Island in 1979.
PAY DIRT
EnviroReporter.com - October 13, 2007
Gov. Schwarzenegger signs Kuehl bill to clean up Rocketdyne to Superfund standards.
Boeing agrees to pay for remediation and donate lab to State for parkland. Activists
rejoice and lead Rocketdyne watchdog signals caution. Focus shifts to Runkle Canyon.
EnviroReporter.com - October 13, 2007
Gov. Schwarzenegger signs Kuehl bill to clean up Rocketdyne to Superfund standards.
Boeing agrees to pay for remediation and donate lab to State for parkland. Activists
rejoice and lead Rocketdyne watchdog signals caution. Focus shifts to Runkle Canyon.
CLEANING UP ROCKETDYNE
Ventura County Reporter - Novermber 21, 2007
Citizen-inspired remediation starts at lab-adjacent Sage Ranch. Environmentalists Christina
Walsh, William Preston Bowling and John Luker cause historic multi-million dollar cleanup.
Ventura County Reporter - Novermber 21, 2007
Citizen-inspired remediation starts at lab-adjacent Sage Ranch. Environmentalists Christina
Walsh, William Preston Bowling and John Luker cause historic multi-million dollar cleanup.
THE PROMISED LAND
Ventura County Reporter - January 24, 2008
Gov. Schwarzenegger terminates the uncertainty of Rocketdyne cleanup with historic move
that keeps California in charge – for now.
Ventura County Reporter - January 24, 2008
Gov. Schwarzenegger terminates the uncertainty of Rocketdyne cleanup with historic move
that keeps California in charge – for now.
ROCKETDYNE NEWS & ANALYSIS
Comprehensive coverage of the site of the worst nuclear meltdown in American history.
Comprehensive coverage of the site of the worst nuclear meltdown in American history.
| Michael Collins' articles listed below are from newest to oldest in descending order: |
STATE KEEPS ROCKETDYNE CLEANUP CONTROL
EnviroReporter.com - January 13, 2009
Cal/EPA opposes U.S. EPA Superfund Listing for Santa Susana Field Laboratory citing
"faster, more protective cleanup" done by State
EnviroReporter.com - January 13, 2009
Cal/EPA opposes U.S. EPA Superfund Listing for Santa Susana Field Laboratory citing
"faster, more protective cleanup" done by State
ROCKET SLIME
LA Weekly - July 8, 1999
It’s been more than a decade since Rocketdyne shut down its nuclear-test site to focus on
cleaning up the toxic goo contaminating its sprawling compound between Chatsworth and
Simi Valley. The cleanup has been a long, slow process, with the aerospace giant fighting
for ludicrously lenient standards every step of the way.
LA Weekly - July 8, 1999
It’s been more than a decade since Rocketdyne shut down its nuclear-test site to focus on
cleaning up the toxic goo contaminating its sprawling compound between Chatsworth and
Simi Valley. The cleanup has been a long, slow process, with the aerospace giant fighting
for ludicrously lenient standards every step of the way.