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Historic SSFL Agreement
Agreement Reached Between the Schwarzenegger Administration, CBG and Other Groups that Santa Susana Nuke Site will be Cleaned Up to Strictest Superfund Standards
sre January 17– At a press conference on January 15, Cal-EPA Secretary Linda Adams, CBG's Dan Hirsch and others announced what Secretary Adams called a "historic agreement" between the Administration and environmental and community groups that the heavily contaminated Santa Susana Field Laboratory will be cleaned up to the strictest EPA Superfund standards. more . . .

 

Beamhenge Shield Animation
Martin Sheen narrates a 2 minute video for Bridge the Gap on nuclear reactor vulnerability to terrorism, and solutions.
CBG in the News
 
Main Stories
 
Headlines
May 11 2008
Nuclear: the "forever" waste.

April 23 2008
CBG is honored with award for community-oriented service at UCLA

April 6 2008
CBG issues a letter in opposition to Assemblyman Chuck DeVore's resurrected nuke bill.

March 16 2008
CBG's Hirsch works to secure Aldous and Laura Huxley's legacy.

February 10 2008
VCStar: Dan Hirsch, the "elder statesman" of SSFL.

January 17 2007
Agreement reached on cleanup of Field Lab

January 16 2007
Schwarzenegger vows state control of Santa Susana Field Laboratory

Time to study Boeing lab is sought

December 21 2007
Congress passes appropriation directing joint EPA-DOE radiation survey of SSFL

Governor may do polluter a favor and object to SSFL superfund listing

CBG comments on proposed NRC rulemaking

December 12 2007
Hirsch worries Governor may "block" Superfund status at the last minute

VCStar quotes Hirsch, Superfund status "20 years" in the making.

Note: EPA documents regarding SSFL Superfund decision can be downloaded from our SSFL page

December 10 2007
After 20 year fight, SSFL nears superfund status

December 6 2007
CBG releases 2007 annual report (.pdf)

December 2 2007
Wind data may have come too late for SSFL Advisory Panel

November 28 2007
Boeing suddenly "finds" wind data.

November 26 2007
DeVore's withdrawal of nuclear initiative a "humiliating reversal."

November 3 3007
Water Board acts as "wholly-owned subsidiary" of Boeing, refuses to enforce the law.

Water board trims runoff
monitors at Field Lab

October 15 2007
Given history of broken commitments, CBG will be watching SSFL deal closely

September 6 2007
Field Lab cleanup measure approved

Field-lab cleanup bill goes
to Arnold

September 5 2007

New rules to govern
cleanup at SSFL

Agency reaches cleanup
pact for Field Lab

Boeing faces fine for Field
Lab runoff

Boeing faces nearly $500,000 fine for water runoff violations

CBG's Hirsch on ABC
national news about how easy it would be for terrorists to obtain radioactive material

Undercover operation
exposes kink in US regulatory mechanism

Assemblyman is trying to
get his failed pro-nuke law through another way

State studies radioactivity
questions

Exposing Patrick Moore on
Nuclear Power

Family connects man's
death to Field Lab, blames county

Nuclear greenwashing:
what the nuclear industry isn't saying

CBG's Dan Hirsch
participates in nuclear revival debate, listen in. (Scroll down to May 8.)
[real player required]

Employees exposed to
Santa Susana toxics look for compensation

DOE halts cleanup
"within hours of it being too late."

Field Lab cleanup measure advances
"I think everybody was surprised."

Field lab cleanup
postponed after uproar

DOE says it will stop
cleanup of SSFL



More . . .

 
California Nuke Initiative Bites the Dust
"Huge Victory"
tower November 19 – A proposed ballot measure to revoke California's nuclear safeguards law -- which prohibits new reactors until and unless there is a permanent solution to the high level radioactive waste disposal problem -- was withdrawn from circulation by its sponsor on November 19. Bridge the Gap and other groups had worked hard to fight efforts to place the initiative on the ballot, forcing a recognition that its chances of passage were dismal. "This reversal may represent the beginning of the end for nuclear advocates pushing for a revival of this terribly dangerous technology," said CBG's Dan Hirsch.
In Memoriam
Three Giants in the Fight to Reduce Nuclear Risks
picture
Ted Taylor, John Gofman, Paul Leventehal

Read more here.
NY Attorney General Sues NRC Over Rejection of Bridge the Gap's Rulemaking Petition to Upgrade Reactor Security
December, 2007 — New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has filed suit in federal court against the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's failure to require protection of nuclear power plants against 9/11-type air attacks. CBG had proposed a rulemaking to upgrade such protections, a petition supported by seven state AGs, including New York's, but the NRC had rejected any requirements to protect reactors from air attack. New York has now sued the NRC; click here to read New York's brief.

  • The State of New York's brief can be viewed here (.pdf)
  • The State of California's amicus brief can be viewed here (.pdf)
  • Public Citizen and Mothers for Peace's brief can be viewed here (.pdf)
CBG's Dan Hirsch Debates Nuclear Power With Chuck DeVore
Hirsch made an appearance on "Inside OC" (see video below) to debunk some of the arguments behind the current push for nuclear power in California. He also appeared on "Life & Times" to discuss the nuclear initiative as well. That video is available here.
SSFL Bill Becomes Law
September 5, 2007 -- Seven Republicans joined Democrats in the California State Assembly in a 50-22 vote in favor of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory cleanup bill. One of the only nuclear meltdowns in the world occurred at SSFL. With passage in the State Assembly and the State Senate, Governor Schwarzenegger shortly thereafter signed the bill into law.
Community Waterboarded by Water Board
November 3, 2007
water After a hearing on November 1, the LA Regional Water Quality Control Board decided to relax Boeing's pollution permit. An Early Christmas for A Huge Polluter:   At Boeing's request, and over the objections of the community, the Board permanently waived enforcement of violations at about half of Boeing's outfalls at its Santa Susana Field Laboratory and temporarily waived enforcement for the rest.  Read CBG's comment letter here. (.pdf)
Boeing Pays $471,000 for 79 Pollution Violations

Boeing has waived its right to a hearing before the LA Regional Water Quality Control Board on a proposed $471,000 fine for scores of violations of pollution discharge limits and has submitted payment.  This has the effect of canceling the October 4 hearing at which members of the public would have been able to argue the fine should have been larger. 

Click here for the Regional Board's announcement.

CBG Critiques Boeing Cleanup Plan

CBG tears into inadequate investigation of toxic contamination at Santa Susana Field Lab.  Click here for CBG 25 August 2007 Comments on "RFI Group 6 Report."

Our comments are available for download HERE (.pdf)
Court Victory on SSFL nuke site
ssfl ETECThe U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California has just issued its long-awaited decision in the lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Energy by the Committee to Bridge the Gap, Natural Resources Defense Council, and the City of Los Angeles. The suit was filed over the inadequate cleanup of the contaminated Santa Susana Field Laboratory, site of one of the only reactor meltdowns in the world. Judge Samuel Conti declared that the DOE has violated and continues to violate the National Environmental Policy Act and permanently enjoined DOE from transferring ownership or possession, or otherwise relinquishing control over any portion of the nuclear area at SSFL until an Environmental Impact Statement has been completed.

This is a great news for the environment.
Independent Panel Releases New Studies on Potential Cancers from 1959 Meltdown & Potential Migration from Other
SSFL Accidents/Spills.
On October 5, 2006 the Santa Susana Field Laboratory Advisory Panel released a series of studies about potential offsite exposures and health effects from the 1959 reactor meltdown at SSFL and other accidents, spills, and releases that occurred there.  The Santa Susana Field Laboratory Advisory Panel is an independent group of epidemiologists, nuclear experts, and other specialists established by local legislators to provide independent assessment of risks from the Rocketdyne nuclear and rocket testing facility.

Click here to read the Panel's report and the scientists' studies
EPA Staff propose rejection of National Academy of Sciences findings on Radiation Risks

Politicized, Anti-Science Effort to Set Lax Radiation Protection Standards

The EPA requested (and funded) the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to study the state of scientific knowledge on the risks to human health of "low doses" of radiation.  NAS found that there is no safe level of radiation; all doses increase the risk of cancer; and "low-level" radiation is about a third more dangerous in inducing cancer than EPA currently presumes in setting radiation standards to protect the public.  You would think EPA would now tighten its regulations accordingly.  You would be wrong.  EPA staff has now proposed ignoring the Academy's recommendations and setting lower radiation risk figures than the NAS had found.  In 27 of 28 comparisons between the NAS findings and the EPA recommendations, the EPA proposals were more lax (i.e. would result in more risk to the public).  Bridge the Gap, Nuclear Information and Resource Service, and Public Citizen have disclosed this scandal.

Click here for our joint statement.

Witches Brew of Toxic Chemicals
Burned by Rocketdyne in Open Pits
New Revelations of Dozens of Hazardous Wastes Burned Over Decades
Click here to read the document

( .pdf format, approximately 5.6mb)
CBG Reveals New Evidence of
Radioactive Contamination of Water at SSFL
Click here to read the documents
Rancho Secko Nuke Plant Victory
Bridge the Gap and the Sierra Club recently discovered a proposed contract by which radioactive wastes from decommissioning the Rancho Seco nuclear plant would be sent out of state for disposal in landfills not licensed or designed for radioactive waste.  This would effectively bypass a victory by CBG in state court several years ago that overturned a regulation that would have permitted such unlicensed dumping in California, and an administrative moratorium on such practices in the state that we got adopted.  CBG and the Sierra Club filed a complaint with the Sacramento Municipal Utilities District (SMUD) Board [click here to see our letter], which resulted in a reversal by SMUD and a commitment not to send radioactive waste to unlicensed disposal sites [click here to see SMUD's response].  This victory is important not only for our region, but more broadly, since other radwaste generators would likely have used “SMUD does it” as an excuse for exploiting the same loophole.
  • See CBG/Sierra Club Complaint to SMUD Board (click here)
  • See the SMUD Board's response letter (click here)
(both documents are in .pdf format)
  May 11 2008
Museum will call attention to aerospace pollution

March 27 2008
LA Times: Say NO to nuclear power

February 15 2008
Terrorist Threat to Campus Reactors Cited

February 10 2008
Newcomers aid field lab cleanup with discoveries

February 3 2008
Daily News: Bill would cement future goal for field lab site

January 17 2008
More contamination found in Runkle Canyon

Daily News: Measured victory in SSFL cleanup

January 9 2008
EPA extends deadline for Field Lab

January 4 2008
Video of Sleeping Guards Shakes Nuclear Industry

December 27 2007
Daily News: Governor should let EPA clean up Santa Susana site

December 21 2007
Bill includes millions for possible SSFL cleanup

December 17 2007
Senator demands answers on security issues at nuclear plants

Nuclear's "green" credentials under attack

Nuclear power headed for a fight

Security lapses draw attention to re-newed nuclear fight

December 2 2007
Nuke plant guards routinely alseep while on duty, video shows

November 26 2007
Nuclear initiative withdrawn, a victory for the environment

City Council praises decision by state agency to look into Runkle Canyon

November 21 2007
Fresno Nuke Plant Loses Backers

Nuke Initiative Implodes

Cleaning up Rocketdyne, citizen-led cleanup effort

State body will study hillside site concerns

November 16 2007
Boeing provides cleanup schedule for field lab

State agency wants to provide oversight of Runkle Canyon

Future of lab site uncertain

November 11 2007

Field Lab pollutants found at Sage Ranch

November 9 2007
Simi Valley residents demand new environmental report at Runkle Canyon

November 4 2007
Nuclear power: Utah's "recurring nightmare."

October 24 2007

NY Attorney General sues NRC over failure to adopt CBG's Beamhenge proposal

October 23 2007
The Daily News looks at the "bait and switch" deal between the Governor and Boeing regarding SSFL cleanup.

October 15 2007
Boeing Commits SSFL to open space

October 11 2007
USAToday's view on nuclear security: "Asleep at the job."

September 15 2007
SSFL facing major cleanup

September 14 2007
Officials Aim to Gain Trust on Field Lab Cleanup

August 31 2007
Bill on Santa Susana field lab cleanup advances

Simi Valley City Council expresses support for Senator Kuehl's SSFL bill

August 29 2007
Kuehl bill would set rules for lab cleanup

July 28 2007
CA senators want Santa Susana Field Lab worker compensation

Daily News: Government and corporate secrecy and denial have plagued cleanup

Fine recommended for Boeing over compliance failures at SSFL

July 23, 2007
LATimes says no way to nuclear power

More . . .


© Committee to Bridge the Gap 2007
"Bridging the Gap Between Nuclear Dangers and Human Survival"
Send us an Email: contact.cbg@gmail.com
http://www.committeetobridgethegap.org
(831) 336-8003


The Committee to Bridge the Gap is a nuclear policy organization focusing on issues regarding nuclear safety, nuclear security, nuclear safeguards, nuclear terrorism, nuclear proliferation, nuclear accidents, and the disposal of nuclear waste. Specifically, Bridge the Gap offers analyses of national issues related to nuclear terrorism at reactors, potential dirty bomb threats, and other radiological threats from terrorist organizations. We also address problems associated with cleanup of radioactive contamination. Bridge the Gap's view is that given current costs and safety concerns, nuclear is not a real solution to our current energy needs or the answer to global warming. We also focus on issues affecting the state of California, including opposing a potential ballot initiative that would overturn California's law establishing a moratorium on new nuclear plants until there is a solution to the high level radioactive waste problem. Bridge the Gap is active in addressing the push by the nuclear industry for a revival of nuclear power in this country, which ignores the host of nuclear proliferation, nuclear terrorism, atomic accident, radioactive waste, and cost problems.

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