ROCKETDYNE LAB TARGETED IN PROPOSED CLEANUP LAW.

Byline: - Lisa Mascaro

Legislation that would prohibit housing, schools or child care from being developed on land at Rocketdyne's Santa Susana Field Lab is scheduled to go before a state Senate committee today in Sacramento.

Senate Bill 1444, drafted by state Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Los Angeles, also would prohibit the land from being sold, leased or transferred unless the site was cleaned to the strict one-in-a-million potential cancer risk sought for years by anti-nuclear activists.

``All we're saying is, if you want to develop it residentially or have kids there, you're going to meet stringent standards,'' said Syrus Devers, a legislative aide to Kuehl. ``If you're going to leave this much contaminated soil behind, don't talk to us about residential development.'' The 2,800-acre lab between Chatsworth and Simi Valley has been undergoing environmental cleanup since chemical and radiation contamination was disclosed more than a decade ago.

Boeing, the property owner, presently has no plans for the hilltop facility beyond current operations - which include rocket engine testing, laser research and the cleanup, a spokeswoman said.

Boeing opposes the legislation, saying it would restrict the company's options for the site and could impede cleanup plans and funding.

``First and foremost, this limits our further development,'' said spokeswoman Blythe Jameson. ``Limiting those options on any part of our business would be shortsighted and limit our potential for growth.''

Activists have long pressed for stricter Environmental Protection Agency cleanup standards for radiation than those providing for a one-in-3,333 potential risk now proposed for the cleanup.

The legislation also would require that waste from the site be sent to landfills permitted to handle radioactive material.

The legislation is scheduled to be heard today before the senate's Local Government Committee and April 15 before an environmental committee.