Rocketdyne

ROCKETDYNE LATEST NEWS (Dozens of Posts)
Comprehensive coverage from 1998 to 2024 of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory, home of the nation’s worst meltdown and astronomical contamination.

ROCKETDYNE MAPS & PHOTO GALLERIES
Photographs and maps of Rocketdyne then and now. Extensive collection unique for this historic Hot Zone.

SELECTED ARTICLES & SERIES:

WOOLSEY FIRE INVESTIGATION
EnviroReporter.com – November 20, 2018 ONGOING
Over 43,272 tons of radiation and chemical impacted smoke are launched skyward as 2,404 acres of the Santa Susana Field Lab burn in the Woolsey Fire that began on the toxic site of multiple nuclear partial meltdowns. Boeing finds radiation in fire smoke including deadly Plutonium-210, the Russian assassination isotope of choice.

BRANDEIS-BARDIN’S TOXIC DENIAL INVESTIGATION
EnviroReporter.com – April 6, 2017 ONGOING
Investigation begun in 2004 finds that Jewish camp below Santa Susana Field Lab, aided by troubled state toxics agency, denies toxins have migrated to its property despite decades of evidence; Dept. of Energy proposes leaving up to 99% of goo.

CHINA SYNDROME TOWN INVESTIGATION
EnviroReporter.com – March 6, 2014
Four-part exposé of greed, corruption, and malfeasance. Major polluter, casino owners and astroturf allies further their greenwashing of Rocketdyne with help from corrupted government agencies. Community advocates renew fight to force cleanup of SSFL.

VCREPORTER‘S “GREENWASHING” ROCKETDYNE
Ventura County Reporter – January 17, 2013
Greenwashing Rocketdyne target Ventura County Reporter exposes phony astroturf campaign cooked up by former Los Angeles Times “journalist” Gary Polakovic and his Make Over Earth firm.

BOEING’S MELTDOWN MAKEOVER INVESTIGATION
EnviroReporter.com – December 10, 2012
Five-part investigation uncovers Boeing “media campaign” to portray lab as safe through “greenwashing” and “astroturfing” even as new evidence shows huge amounts of radiation and chemicals remain.

ROCKETDYNE STILL HOT
Ventura County Reporter – March 22, 2012
Rocketdyne far more polluted than previously thought even in places twice “cleaned” by Boeing and Department of Energy. EPA bait and switches background versus looser actual cleanup numbers.

ROCKETDYNE CLEANUP WON’T HELP RUNKLE CANYON
LA Weekly – September 23, 2010
Rocketdyne cleanup agreement marred by revelations that Department of Toxic Substances Control negotiated a cleanup deal with adjacent Runkle Canyon developer KB Home to leave tainted land untouched by remediation.

ATOMIC AVENGER
Ventura County Reporter – July 8, 2010
Bonnie Klea is the Atomic Avenger successfully fighting for the rights of nation’s nuclear workers many of which have suffered terribly for work they performed at the height of Cold War.

ROCKETDYNE’S ROCKY ROAD
Ventura County Reporter – December 31, 2009
Newspaper recaps Rocketdyne revelations including secret negotiations to gut lab cleanup. DTSC replaces Norman E. Riley, head of Rocketdyne and Runkle Canyon remediation, who later returns as a KB Home lobbyist.

BOEING BLOCKS LAB CLEANUP
Ventura County Reporter – November 19, 2009
Boeing sues state of California’s EPA over the law mandating strict cleanup of its polluted Santa Susana Field Lab. Company could save hundreds of millions in cleanup costs if successful in court.

DOUBLE VISION
EnviroReporter.com — August 25, 2009
Multi-media package of print articles and interviews, exclusive photos and videos featuring regulators, cleanup activists and actual Meltdown Man himself, John Pace, who was in SRE during 1959 meltdown.

50 YEARS AFTER AMERICA’S WORST NUCLEAR MELTOWN
Miller-McCune — August 24, 2009
Human error helped worsen a nuclear meltdown just outside Los Angeles, and now human inertia has stymied the radioactive cleanup for half a century. Joan Trossman Bien and Michael Collins

WRINKLES IN RUNKLE CANYON
LA Weekly – July 22, 2009
“50 Years After a Santa Susana Nuclear Accident Holds Up Land Development” was the print version dek, or sub-headline, which in this case may be confusing. The story itself isn’t.

THE PROMISED LAND
Ventura County Reporter – January 24, 2008
Gov. Schwarzenegger historic move that keeps California in charge terminates the uncertainty of Rocketdyne cleanup — for now.

CLEANING UP ROCKETDYNE
Ventura County Reporter – Novermber 21, 2007
Citizen-inspired remediation starts at lab-adjacent Sage Ranch. Environmentalists cause multi-million dollar cleanup.

PAY DIRT
EnviroReporter.com – October 13, 2007
Gov. Schwarzenegger signs Kuehl bill to clean up Rocketdyne to Superfund standards. Boeing agrees to pay for remediation and donate lab to State for parkland.

VERY DIRTY LAUNDRY
Los Angeles CityBeat/ValleyBeat – October 12, 2006
A new report on L.A.’s nuked Rocketdyne site finally catches the attention of mainstream media. Study says between 260 and 1,800 people got cancer from partial meltdown of Sodium Reactor Experiment in 1959.

THE FALL OUT
Los Angeles ValleyBeat – February 16, 2006
Two new reports find elevated cancers and other risks within a few miles of Rocketdyne. Radiation and chemicals are the culprits.

SOUR SATISFACTION
Los Angeles CityBeat/ValleyBeat – October 6, 2005
Boeing settles massive lawsuit over the Valley’s heavily polluted Rocketdyne site. Environmentalists howl and take issue with Collins.

PIPE DREAMS
Los Angeles CityBeat/ValleyBeat – February 24, 2005
Plans to store contaminated water under Ahmanson Ranch raise environmental concerns.

TOXIC ODDS
Los Angeles CityBeat/ValleyBeat – November 4, 2004
How many cancer deaths are too many? The City of Los Angeles finally sues feds over inadequate cleanup of Rocketdyne.

RADIATING OUTWARD
Los Angeles CityBeat/ValleyBeat – September 27, 2004
Experimental space reactor in 1964 – 80% of its nuclear fuel rods crack and meltdown spewing radiation from unfortified building. 1969 – another reactor’s third of its fuel destroyed which also releases radiation.

IN HOT WATER
Ventura County Reporter– September 23, 2004
Rocketdyne divulges two new wells with tritium registering about 82,000 and 15,400 picocuries per liter near two former space reactor sites.

BETWEEN ROCKETDYNE AND A HARD PLACE
Los Angeles CityBeat/ValleyBeat – August 12, 2004
Ventura County imposes testing for development within two miles of Rocketdyne to monitor pollution spreading from the sprawling site.

TWO MILE ISLAND
Los Angeles CityBeat/ValleyBeat – July 22, 2004
Rocketdyne facility is more poisoned than anyone knew. Now residents and community leaders of the northwest San Fernando Valley and Ventura County supervisors want more testing before new homes get any closer.

BLINDED BY THE LIGHT
Los Angeles CityBeat/ValleyBeat – July 22, 2004
Astonishingly high readings of chemical pollution at Rocketdyne tabulated and generated by Department of Toxic Substances Control.

TWO MILE ISLAND
Ventura County Reporter – August 5, 2004
Supervisors vote to require groundwater testing for perchlorate and trichloroethylene for any major development planned within two miles around Rocketdyne. But not Runkle Canyon.

PERCHLORATE PATROL
Los Angeles ValleyBeat – October 23, 2003
Cal-EPA comes down on Simi Valley’s Rocketdyne facility after more perchlorate contamination is found outside the lab perimeter.

THE SINS OF ROCKETDYNE
Los Angeles CityBeat/ValleyBeat – July 3, 2003
Part two of special investigation looks at heartbreak endured by people who say SSFL made loved ones sick. Growing menace of rocket engine solvent trichloroethylene in lab groundwater.

FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN
Los Angeles ValleyBeat – June 12, 2003
Simi Valley’s Rocketdyne facility was blasted by 50 years of rocket engines and nuclear reactor meltdowns. Runoff may be poisoning Southland residents. And now government just broke a promise to clean it up.

THINGS ARE PERC-ING UP
Ventura County Reporter – February 13, 2003
Hearing on dangers perchlorate poses to water supply. Rocketdyne admits burning 1,700 pounds of toxin. Readings of perchlorate in surface water at lab are 24,000 times States maximum dose.

ROCKETDYNE – IT’S THE PITS
Ventura County Reporter – December 19, 2002
Lots of questions, few answers at the latest meeting on Rocketdyne cleanup. Collins discovers radiation in a SSFL reactor that was being decommissioned that Boeing and government inspectors had missed.

ROCKETDYNE’S RADIOACTIVE ROCK & ROLL
LA Weekly – February 2, 2001
14,000 tons of radioactive soil dug up at Rocketdyne is sent to a waste dump in a migrant town not licensed for hot dirt. Rocketdyne Cleanup Coalition raise a ruckus and protest at entrance of Santa Susana Field Laboratory.

ROCKETDYNE RUNAROUND
LA Weekly – January 11, 2000
EPA invites community to tour former SSFL nuclear buildings to observe survey for radioactive contamination. Media is invited except Michael Collins whose coverage is “obviously imbalanced” says Boeing.

ROCKETDYING
LA Weekly – October 14, 1999
Rocketdyne accused Collins of lying in 1998 when he wrote it was major supplier of America’s nuclear arsenal. Turns out he was right. Nuke missile engines tested at SSFL.

TOXIC SPRING
LA Weekly – August 5, 1999
DTSC has proposed allowing Boeing to excavate contaminated soil from one of filthiest sites at the Rocketdyne, sodium burn pit, which had PCBs, dioxin, mercury, and rocket fuel oxidizer perchlorate.

ROCKET SLIME
LA Weekly – July 8, 1999
It’s been more than a decade since Rocketdyne shut down its nuclear-test site to focus on cleaning up toxic goo contaminating site. Department of Energy has fought for lenient standards all along.

BLAST FROM THE PAST
LA Weekly – May 5, 1999
In 1994, two Rocketdyne scientists blow themselves apart at SSFL prompting Rocketdyne to plead guilty to environmental crimes and to pay $6.5 million in fines, one of largest penalties to date.

STATE STAINED IN ROCKETDYNE SCANDAL
LA Weekly – May 5, 1999
Watchdog agency under fire for colluding with Boeing. Revelations that DHS staff suppressed findings of elevated levels of lung cancer in communities surrounding Rocketdyne.

ROCKET MAN
LA Weekly – April 21, 1999
William Webber’s memory of fire where he warned Rocketdyne that using poisonous nitrogen tetraoxide gas near LAX could kill travelers in terminals. Pleas are dismissed by company hire-ups, he says weeping.

UCLA STUDY BURNS ROCKETDYNE
LA Weekly – April 21, 1999
Cancer rates elevated among space-lab workers.

SUITED UP
LA Weekly – January 20, 1999
U.S. Ninth Circuit Court okays class action lawsuit against Boeing over its lab’s pollution and an appeals court guts two cases against parent company of Rocketdyne.

MELTDOWN MONEY
LA Weekly – December 23, 1998
Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson awards aerospace giant Boeing $148.5 million to complete cleanup efforts at its Rocketdyne Santa Susana Field Laboratory by 2006.

TOTAL RECALL
LA Weekly – December 9, 1998
A former Rocketdyne worker emotionally tells a Simi Valley audience of his time on “The Hill” where venting nuclear reactor core gases were part of the job.

ROCKETDYNE’S RED GLARE
LA Weekly – December 9, 1998
Government, polluter and community are at loggerheads over former Rocketdyne laboratory in hills between the Simi and San Fernando valleys in Southern California. Nuclear and chemical contamination.

HOT ZONE
Los Angeles magazine – June 1998
Rocketdyne’s Simi Valley Field Laboratory was on the frontlines of the Cold War. Now some who lived near “The Hill” say they share two distinctions: chronic illness and unswerving belief that lab caused it.