No Superfund Status for Rocketdyne Site

"Enacted last year, Senate Bill 990 requires lab owner Boeing, the U.S. Department of Energy and NASA to clean the hilltop property to a level suitable for residential and agricultural use.

Residents near the hilltop facility had long pushed for such a standard, fearing that anything less would subject them to downstream health risks associated with soil contaminated by years of rocket and nuclear testing.

A Superfund-administered cleanup would allow Boeing and its partners to meet a lower federal standard, Adams told reporters in a conference call.

'We feel under the state's watch we can accomplish a cleanup that goes further,' Adams said.

Adams' announcement was hailed by citizen watchdogs, who praised the secretary for refusing to back off of tougher requirements despite intense lobbying."