BOEING CO. SUED OVER FIELD LAB ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS SEEK PAYMENT OF FINES.Byline: Kerry Cavanaugh Staff Writer Concerned that state officials have not pursued fines for dozens of water permit violations at Santa Susana Santa Susana can refer to several places:
The groups said Boeing Co. should have to pay the state up to $4 million for 49 violations cited between late 2004 and early 2005. Regulators ordered Boeing to stop polluting, but have not fined the company. Under the federal Clean Water Act, the groups can step in as ``citizen enforcers,'' which they did in the suit filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. . ``There has to be some urgency. It's been an incredibly long time waiting for the water board to step up pressure and compel (Boeing) to speed the cleanup of surface contamination,'' said Jonathan Parfrey, executive director of Physicians for Social Responsibility Los Angeles, one of the three plaintiffs. ``If we saw large fines, we would quickly see Boeing putting their full resources toward cleanup of the lab.'' Boeing spokeswoman Inger Hodgson said she couldn't comment on the lawsuit but would say the company is committed to cleaning the hilltop lab. ``Boeing is a company that is well-intentioned and we take the well-being of our employees and the community around us very seriously.'' At 2,800-acre Santa Susana Field Lab in the Simi Hills The Simi Hills are a low rocky mountain range in Southern California. Geography Simi Hills is located on the western edge of the San Fernando Valley, United States. They run east-west and they extend 26 miles east-west, and 7 miles north-south. , scientists conducted nuclear research and tested rocket engines on behalf of the federal government starting in the late 1940s. Lab operations left extensive radiological and toxic contamination on the property. The company's water permit is designed to check for pollution in storm water and wastewater flowing off the site into creeks that eventually drain in the Los Angeles River The Los Angeles River is an intermittent river flowing through Los Angeles County, California, from Canoga Park in the west end of the San Fernando Valley, 51 miles (82 km) southeast to its mouth in Long Beach. and Arroyo Simi. In July 2004, the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board adopted a stricter water permit for the field lab. Within nine months, Boeing received 49 violations for higher-than-allowed levels of mercury, dioxins and other contaminants. The water board ordered Boeing to prevent tainted taint v. taint·ed, taint·ing, taints v.tr. 1. To affect with or as if with a disease. 2. To affect with decay or putrefaction; spoil. See Synonyms at contaminate. 3. water from leaving the site, but Boeing requested leniency le·ni·en·cy n. pl. le·ni·en·cies 1. The condition or quality of being lenient. See Synonyms at mercy. 2. A lenient act. Noun 1. and more time to comply with the new permit. In January, the water board refused to relax the permit and officials said they were working on an enforcement plan. In the meantime Adv. 1. in the meantime - during the intervening time; "meanwhile I will not think about the problem"; "meantime he was attentive to his other interests"; "in the meantime the police were notified" meantime, meanwhile , Boeing said last year that a federal grand jury subpoenaed records monitoring storm water pollution leaving the field lab. The other plaintiffs in the suit are the Committee to Bridge the Gap and the Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, Federation of Scientists. The groups' attorney, John Farrow farrow see farrowing. , said Boeing racked up 49 violations for exceeding the pollution limits of its permit, and 88 violations for polluting the receiving waters, or creeks where field lab runoff flows. Because the Clean Water Act allows a fine of up to $32,000 per violation, he said, Boeing could face more than $4 million in penalties. Kerry Cavanaugh, (818) 713-3746 kerry.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com |
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