FEINSTEIN JOINS FRAY OVER FIELD LAB; SENATOR RIPS EPA, ENERGY DEPARTMENT FOR INACTION.Byline: Lisa Mascaro Daily News Staff Writer U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein Dianne Goldman Berman Feinstein (born June 22, 1933) is the senior U.S. Senator from California, having held office as a senator since 1992. She is a member of the Democratic Party. added her voice Tuesday to the debate over cleaning up Rocketdyne's 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. Santa Susana Santa Susana can refer to several places:
In letters to the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), independent agency of the U.S. government, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1970 to reduce and control air and water pollution, noise pollution, and radiation and to ensure the safe handling and , Feinstein criticizes the agencies for having not yet surveyed whether radiation exposure that has been linked to cancer deaths among lab workers could have harmed residents. ``I am very concerned to learn of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy's recalcitrance to fully investigate possible cancer risks near the Santa Susana Field Laboratory,'' Feinstein said in Oct. 7 letters to officials of both agencies. ``The lack of adequate testing by both the EPA EPA eicosapentaenoic acid. EPA abbr. eicosapentaenoic acid EPA, n.pr See acid, eicosapentaenoic. EPA, n. and DOE concerns me greatly, and I hope you will personally devote some time and resources to investigate this matter.'' A UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX study released last year showed higher rates of cancer mortality among workers exposed to radiation at the lab, and a companion study scheduled to be released later this fall is expected to discuss the impact of chemical exposure on workers. Residents say they had long been promised by officials that if problems were found among workers at the lab, a health study would be considered for the community. The 2,700-acre 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. had for decades operated a nuclear reactor and continues to test rocket Noun 1. test rocket - a rocket fired for test purposes research rocket, test instrument vehicle rocket, projectile - any vehicle self-propelled by a rocket engine engines for government and commercial spacecraft. Local activists who have been waiting for what they say was a promised study of the health risks of those living near the lab welcomed the senator's support. ``I am so thrilled that she has come into this,'' said Barbara Johnson Barbara Johnson (b. 1947) is an American literary critic and translator. She is currently a Professor of English and Comparative Literature and the Frederic Wertham Professor of Law and Psychiatry in Society at Harvard University. , a member of the Santa Susana Field Lab Work Group monitoring cleanup at the site. ``I think that EPA and DOE and the rest of the agencies need to sit up and take notice. This is what the legislators are voicing. They should do some of the things that are being asked, which is a better job at the cleanup and an epidemiological study of the community,'' said Johnson, who was among a small group of activists who lobbied the senator recently through staffers at her West Los Angeles
EPA officials did not return phone calls for comment. But Roger Liddle, a spokesman for the Department of Energy, which funded the first studies, has long said his office has no further role in additional studies now that Congress has transferred funding to the federal Department of Human Services. ``We certainly support the senator's enthusiasm for getting this done,'' Liddle said. ``The decision has been taken out of DOE's hands and placed where it belongs.'' Congress allocated $12 million in the new budget for health studies, but none of that has been specifically earmarked for the community around Rocketdyne, Liddle said. Feinstein's concerns join those of local leaders, including state Sen. Cathie Wright, R-Simi Valley, and Assemblywoman Sheila Kuehl, D-Encino, who have repeatedly called for laying the groundwork for a health study of the community. The local legislators won $150,000 in state funding this year to help support an advisory panel, a group of health experts and community residents formed to oversee the initial study of workers. That legislation was vetoed by Gov. Pete Wilson. Feinstein called on the Department of Energy to support funding the panel, which relies on an annual stipend to hold meetings and has been fighting for a community health study. ``I strongly recommend that the DOE continue to support the oversight panel and its mandate to study worker and community health issues,'' Feinstein wrote. |
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