Senator Feinstein Questions Navy on El Toro Clean-up Plans
August 19, 2002

Washington, DC - Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today urged the Navy to respond to concerns about environmental clean-up at the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station before the base is sold. The following is the text of a letter from Senator Feinstein to Gordon England, Secretary of the Navy:

"I am writing to follow up on my letter of April 28, 2002 regarding environmental clean-up concerns at the former Marine Corps Air Station, El Toro.

It is my understanding that the Orange County Board of Supervisors have raised concerns regarding the contamination at MCAS El Toro, including a number of areas of the base that have been identified as having a high probability for significant contamination, but which have undergone either limited or no testing.

These include:

• Areas adjacent to and beneath MCAS El Toro's four runways, rail lines and underground storage tanks, where it is believed large quantities of jet fuel may have seeped up to 50 feet deep into the soil;
• Two of MCAS El Toro's four landfills, where waste oil, paint residue, hydraulic fluid, industrial solvents, batteries and other waste were dumped for nearly 50 years; and,
• The base sewer system, which a City of Irvine report speculated may have leaked up to 700,000 pounds of toxic solvents.

In all, 1,038 "locations of concern" have been listed in the County's Phase I environmental study, though the Navy's most recent clean-up plan addresses only 880 of these sites. Because of these concerns, the Orange County Board of Supervisors recently acted to place an advisory measure on the November ballot regarding whether or not the County should demand that the Navy to adopt a more aggressive clean-up plan and oppose the sale or transfer of the base until the clean-up is completed.

I share the concerns raised by the Board of Supervisors over contamination at MCAS El Toro, and their desire for the Navy to complete all necessary environmental testing and clean-up work as soon as possible. As I expressed in my April 28 letter, I strongly believe that proceeds from the proposed sale of MCAS El Toro be dedicated to an immediate and complete clean-up of the base before committing them to other BRAC uses.

Neither I or the county have received a response to my April 28, 2002 letter. The purpose of this letter is to alert you to the prior letter -- a copy of which is attached -- and to ask for a prompt response."

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