CITY ACTS ON TOXIC CLEANUP INSURANCE DETAILS SOUGHT FROM EX-OWNER OF BERMITE.Byline: Heather MacDonald Staff Writer SANTA CLARITA - The Santa Clarita City Council is poised to begin issuing subpoenas to get the details of insurance policies held by Whittaker Corp., the former owner of the defunct Bermite munitions mu·ni·tion n. War materiel, especially weapons and ammunition. Often used in the plural. tr.v. mu·ni·tioned, mu·ni·tion·ing, mu·ni·tions To supply with munitions. factory. Vowing to keep moving on the cleanup of 996 acres in the hills off Soledad Canyon Road, city officials said the decades-old policies, if enforced, could pay to scrub at least a portion of the polluted water and soil. ``We cannot afford to wait on this issue,'' Councilman Bob Kellar said. Whittaker, which is owned by Simi Valley-based Meggitt-USA Inc., has been ordered by the state Department of Toxic Substances Control to begin cleaning the site and has met the first series of procedural deadlines and opened a dialogue with city officials. Several dozen toxic chemicals are known to be present at the Bermite site, including perchlorate perchlorate: see chlorate. , which officials believe has seeped into the area's groundwater and contaminated contaminated, v 1. made radioactive by the addition of small quantities of radioactive material. 2. made contaminated by adding infective or radiographic materials. 3. an infective surface or object. five wells. The rocket fuel byproduct by·prod·uct or by-prod·uct n. 1. Something produced in the making of something else. 2. A secondary result; a side effect. Noun 1. has been linked to thyroid disease thyroid disease Thyroid disorder Endocrinology Any benign or malignant condition that affects the structure or function of the thyroid gland. See Anaplastic carcinoma of thyroid, Chronic thyroiditis–Hashimoto's disease, Hyperthyroidism, Hypoparathyroidism, . City officials said the subpoenas were necessary because Whittaker has refused to allow the city to review the insurance policies, which covered operations at the explosives factory from 1967 until 1987, when it was closed down. While calling Whittaker's recent actions encouraging, city officials have repeatedly expressed reservations about the company's commitment to the cleanup. ``Whittaker's track record is not very good,'' Kellar said. ``Otherwise they would have addressed these problems years ago.'' Whittaker Vice President Eric Lardiere said the company was aware of its obligations and would do its best to comply with the DTSC DTSC Department of Toxic Substances Control DTSC DARCOM Technical Steering Committee , the agency overseeing the cleanup. Whittaker officials have indicated the company will challenge the City Council's subpoena subpoena (səpē`nə) [Lat.,=under penalty], in law, an order to a witness to appear before a court. A subpoena ad testificandum [Lat. power, arguing that Whittaker's insurance documents are outside the council's jurisdiction, according to city officials. ``We're on solid legal ground,'' Mayor Cameron Smyth said. ``We need to make sure every possible option is explored to get this property cleaned up.'' |
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