National Environmental Policy Act; Santa Susana Field Laboratory, 47007-47009 [2013-18700]

Agencies

• National Aeronautics and Space Administration

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 149 (Friday, August 2, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47007-47009]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-18700]


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NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[Notice 13-089]


National Environmental Policy Act; Santa Susana Field Laboratory

AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

ACTION: Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (DEIS) for Demolition and Environmental Cleanup Activities 
for the NASA-administered portion of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory 
(SSFL), Ventura County, California.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), as 
amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Council on Environmental Quality 
Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions of NEPA (40 CFR 
Parts 1500-1508), and NASA's NEPA policy and procedures (14 CFR Part 
1216, subpart 1216.3), NASA has prepared a DEIS for demolition and 
cleanup activities at SSFL in Ventura County, California. Furthermore, 
pursuant to 36 CFR Section 800.8(c) of the National Historic 
Preservation Act (NHPA), NASA will use the NEPA process and the DEIS it 
produces to comply with Section 106 of NHPA in lieu of the procedures 
set forth in Sections 800.3 through 800.6.

DATES: Interested parties are invited to submit comments on 
environmental issues and concerns, preferably in writing, within forty-
five (45) calendar days from the date of publication in the Federal 
Register of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Notice of 
Availability of the DEIS. Once known, this date will be published on 
the project Web site address listed below. https://www.nasa.gov/agency/nepa/news/SSFL.html.

ADDRESSES: Comments submitted by mail should be addressed to Allen 
Elliott, SSFL Project Director, NASA MSFC AS01, Building 4494, 
Huntsville, AL 35812. Comments may be submitted via email to msfc-ssfl-eis@mail.nasa.gov.
    The DEIS may be reviewed at the following locations:
1. Simi Valley Library, 2969 Tapo Canyon Road, Simi Valley, CA 93063 
Web site: https://simivalleylibrary.org/home/, Phone: (805) 526-1735.
2. Platt Library, 23600 Victory Blvd., Woodland Hills, CA 91367, Web 
site: https://www.lapl.org/branches/platt, Phone: (818) 340-9386.
3. California State University, Northridge Oviatt Library, 18111 
Nordhoff Street, 2nd Floor, Room 265 Northridge, CA 91330, Web site: 
https://library.csun.edu, Phone: (818) 677-2285.
4. Department of Toxic Substances Control, 9211 Oakdale Avenue, 
Chatsworth, CA 91311, Web site: https://www.dtsc.ca.gov, Phone: (818) 
717-6521.
    A limited number of hard copies of the DEIS are available, on a 
first-request basis, by contacting the NASA point of contact listed 
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. The DEIS is available on the 
internet in Adobe[supreg] portable document format at https://www.nasa.gov/agency/nepa/news/SSFL.html. The Federal Register Notice of 
Intent to prepare the DEIS, issued in the Federal Register on July 6, 
2011, is also available on the Internet at: https://ssfl.msfc.nasa.gov/public-involvement/.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Allen Elliott, SSFL Project Director, 
by phone at (256) 544-0662 or by email at msfc-ssfl-eis@mail.nasa.gov. 
Additional information about NASA's SSFL site, the proposed demolition 
and cleanup activities, and the associated EIS planning process and 
documentation (as available) may be found on the internet at https://ssfl.msfc.nasa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Decision To Be Made

    This DEIS informs NASA decision makers, regulating agencies, and 
the public of the potential environmental consequences of the proposed 
demolition of SSFL buildings and structures and the proposed 
technologies for groundwater and soil remediation, as implemented 
through the Proposed Action. This DEIS analyzes a range of remedial 
technologies that might be implemented to achieve the proposed 
groundwater and soil remediation goals. NASA will use the DEIS analysis 
to consider the potential environmental, economic, and social impacts 
from the Proposed Action. On the basis of the DEIS findings, NASA will 
issue a Record of Decision (ROD) documenting the findings. The ROD will 
further identify which buildings will be demolished to support 
disposition of the property, and which remedial technology(ies) would 
will be applied to meet the soil cleanup and groundwater quality goals.
    The purpose of this notice is to apprise interested agencies, 
organizations, tribal governments, and individuals of the availability 
of the DEIS and to invite comments on the document. NASA will hold 
public meetings as part of the DEIS review process.

Site Description

    The SSFL site is 2,850 acres located in Ventura County, California, 
approximately seven miles northwest of Canoga Park and approximately 30 
miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. SSFL is composed of four areas 
known as Areas I, II, III, and IV and two unnumbered areas known as the 
``undeveloped land.'' NASA administers 41.7 acres within Area I and all 
409.5 acres of Area II. The Boeing Company manages the remaining 
2,398.8 acres within Areas I, III, and IV, and the two undeveloped 
areas.
    Since the mid-1950s, when the two federally owned areas were owned 
by the U.S. Air Force, this site has been used for developing and 
testing rocket engines. Four test stand complexes were constructed in 
Area II between 1954 and 1957 named Alfa, Bravo, Coca, and Delta. Area 
II and the LOX Plant portion of Area I were acquired by NASA from the 
U.S. Air Force in the 1970s. These test stands and related ancillary 
structures have been found to have historical significance based on the 
historic importance of the engine testing and the engineering and 
design of the structures.
    The NASA-administered areas of SSFL also contain cultural resources 
not related to rocket development. SSFL is located near the crest of 
the Simi Hills that are part of the Santa Monica Mountains running 
east-west across Southern California. The diverse terrain consists of 
ridges, canyons, and sandstone rock outcrops. The region was occupied 
by Native Americans from the earliest Chumash, Tongva, and Tataviam 
cultures. NASA has conducted several previous surveys to locate 
archaeological and architectural resources within its portion of the 
SSFL. As a result, NASA has identified one historic property, the Burro 
Flats Painted Cave, that is listed on the National Register of Historic 
Places

[[Page 47008]]

(NRHP), as well as multiple buildings and structures that are either 
individually eligible for listing on the NRHP or are elements of NRHP-
eligible historic districts containing multiple architectural 
resources.
    Previous environmental sampling on the NASA-administered property 
indicates that metals, dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 
volatile organics, and semivolatile organics are present in the soils 
and upper groundwater (known as the Surficial Media Operable Unit). 
Volatile organics, metals, and semivolatile organics are also present 
in the deeper groundwater (known as the Chatsworth Formation Operable 
Unit).

Environmental Commitments and Associated Environmental Review

    Rocket engine testing has been discontinued at these sites and the 
property has been excessed to the General Services Administration 
(GSA). GSA has conditionally accepted the Report of Excess pending (i) 
NASA's certification that all action necessary to protect human health 
and the environment with respect to hazardous substances on the 
property has been taken or receipt of EPA's written concurrence that an 
approved and installed remedial design is operating properly and 
successfully; OR (ii) the Governor's concurrence in the suitability of 
the property for transfer per CERCLA Section 120(h)(3)(C).
    In 2007, a Consent Order among NASA, Boeing, the Department of 
Energy (DOE), and Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) for the 
State of California was signed addressing the demolition of certain 
infrastructure and environmental cleanup of SSFL. NASA entered into an 
Administrative Order on Consent (AOC) for Remedial Action with DTSC on 
December 6, 2010, ``to further define and make more specific NASA's 
obligations with respect to the cleanup of soils at the Site.'' Based 
on the 2010 AOC, NASA is required to complete a federal environmental 
review pursuant to NEPA. ``An EIS is being prepared by NASA to include 
demolition of site infrastructure and soil cleanup (pursuant to the 
AOC), and groundwater remediation within Area II and a portion of Area 
I (Liquid Oxygen [LOX] Plant) of SSFL (pursuant to the 2007 Consent 
Order).'' As part of the environmental review process, certain studies 
have been or are being completed, to characterize the existing 
conditions and to inform the analysis and consultation. These include 
surveys for wildlife, critical habitat, rare plants, wetlands, and 
archaeological and cultural resources. The findings of these studies 
are being incorporated into the DEIS.

Alternatives

    To prepare SSFL for disposition, NASA describes the demolition of 
SSFL structures and cleanup of the site necessary to meet only the 
strictest cleanup alternative, as dictated by the 2007 Consent Order 
and the 2010 AOC requirements, and the ``No Action'' alternative 
required by NEPA. During the Scoping Process, per the standard 
consistent with the alternatives evaluated under previous Superfund or 
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) cleanup processes, NASA 
originally proposed to evaluate a range of cleanup standard levels, 
including the ``Cleanup to Background'' alternative required by the 
AOC, the ``No Action'' alternative required by NEPA, and other 
alternatives that are, consistent with the potential future use of the 
land. The latter alternatives include soil cleanup requirements to 
suburban residential, to industrial, and to recreational cleanup 
standards. Based on comments from some members of the public, DTSC, 
Senator Boxer, and guidance from the White House's Council on 
Environmental Quality, the DEIS now considers only the strictest 
``Cleanup to Background'' and the least effective ``No Action'' 
alternatives. All other cleanup alternatives, consistent with both the 
Scoping Process and the potential future use of the land, were 
specifically removed from the DEIS.
    The DEIS will consider a range of alternative technologies that 
meet NASA's objectives to clean up soil and groundwater contamination 
at the portion of the SSFL site administered by NASA. Implementation of 
this Proposed Action would occur by implementing one Demolition 
Alternative and one or more Cleanup Technologies, from the following: 
(1) Soil Cleanup Technologies: Excavation and Offsite Disposal, Soil 
Washing, Soil Vapor Extraction, Ex Situ Treatment Using Land Farming, 
Ex Situ Treatment Using oxidation, In Situ Chemical Oxidation, In Situ 
Anaerobic or Aerobic Biological Treatment; (2) Groundwater Treatment 
Technologies: Pump and Treat, Vacuum Extraction, Heat Driven 
Extraction, In situ Chemical Oxidation, In situ Enhanced 
Bioremediation, and Monitored Natural Attenuation.
    NEPA requires analysis of the ``No Action'' alternative which in 
this case means no environmental cleanup at the site and/or no 
demolition of test stands and ancillary structures on the NASA-
administered property.
    GSA will conduct a separate environmental review under NEPA for the 
action of transferring the land out of NASA stewardship. The options 
could include reuse or redevelopment of the property under local, 
state, or private ownership.
    DTSC is preparing a separate Environmental Impact Report (EIR) 
under the California Environmental Quality Act, which requires that 
State agencies give major consideration, when regulating public and 
private activities, to preventing environmental degradation and to 
identifying environmentally superior mitigations and alternatives, when 
possible. This State-led environmental review must identify the 
potentially significant environmental effects of a project and 
environmentally preferable alternatives to implementing the project. 
The EIR also indicates the manner in which significant effects could be 
mitigated or avoided. DTSC will analyze the potential environmental 
effects of environmental cleanup activities occurring SSFL-wide by 
NASA, Boeing, and DOE. NASA and DTSC have coordinated during these 
processes to maintain consistency pertaining to the analysis of the 
NASA-administered demolition and remedial activities. Cumulative 
effects of the proposed Boeing, DOE, and NASA demolition and remedial 
activities at SSFL will be considered. The DTSC EIR is likely to be 
prepared following publication of NASA's EIS, and could incorporate 
some of NASA's EIS analysis. A programmatic EIR will be developed that 
evaluates the remedial activities that will be conducted at SSFL by 
NASA, Boeing, and DOE, as well as project-specific EIRs that evaluate 
the localized remedial activities.

Public Meetings

    NASA plans to hold two public meetings to receive comments on the 
DEIS regarding alternatives and environmental issues to be considered 
in the DEIS. The public meetings are scheduled as follows:
    1. Corporate Pointe, West Hills, CA, Tuesday, August 27, 2013 from 
2:00-4:00 p.m. at the Auditorium, 8413 Fallbrook Avenue, West Hills, CA 
91304
    2. Corporate Pointe, West Hills, CA, Wednesday, August 28, 2013 
from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the Auditorium, 8413 Fallbrook Avenue, West 
Hills, CA 91304.
    NASA will consider all comments received in developing its Final 
EIS; comments received and responses to comments will be included in 
the Final document. In conclusion, written public input on 
environmental issues and

[[Page 47009]]

concerns associated with NASA's cleanup of SSFL are hereby requested.

Olga M. Dominguez,
Assistant Administrator, Office of Strategic Infrastructure.
[FR Doc. 2013-18700 Filed 8-1-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7510-13-P