[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 66 (Friday, April 5, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13725-13726]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-06332]


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NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[Notice: (19-008)]


Notice of Intent for a Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement for NASA Soil Cleanup Activities at the Santa Susana Field 
Laboratory

AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement (SEIS) to the March 2014 Final Environmental Impact Statement 
(FEIS) for Demolition and Environmental Cleanup Activities for the 
NASA-administered portion of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL), 
Ventura County, California. This SEIS will cover the soil cleanup 
activities at NASA's portion of SSFL.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), as 
amended, the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for 
Implementing the Procedural Provisions of NEPA, and NASA's NEPA policy 
and procedures, NASA intends to prepare an SEIS for soil cleanup 
activities at SSFL in Ventura County, California. An SEIS is being 
prepared because there are significant new circumstances relevant to 
environmental concerns bearing on the proposed action and its impacts. 
Specifically, the estimated quantity of soil required to be removed has 
increased substantially since the publication of the 2014 FEIS. This 
increase has the potential to alter the environmental impacts that were 
evaluated in the 2014 FEIS. For this reason, NASA has determined it is 
appropriate to prepare a supplement to the 2014 FEIS.
    The purpose of this notice is to apprise interested agencies, 
organizations, tribal governments, and individuals of NASA's intent to 
prepare the SEIS.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Peter Zorba, SSFL Project Director, by 
email at [email protected], 202-714-0496. Additional 
information about the SSFL site, NASA's demolition and proposed cleanup 
activities at SSFL, and the associated SEIS planning process and 
documentation (as available) may be found on the internet at https://ssfl.msfc.nasa.gov or on the California Department of Toxic Substances 
Control (DTSC) website at http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/SiteCleanup/Santa_Susana_Field_Lab/.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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 located near the crest of the Simi Hills, which are 
part of the Santa Monica Mountains running east-west across Southern 
California. The diverse terrain consists of ridges, canyons, and 
sandstone rock outcrops. SSFL is composed of four administrative areas 
known as Areas I, II, III, and IV and two ``undeveloped'' areas. NASA 
administers 41.7 acres within Area I and all 409.5 acres of Area II. 
The Boeing Company (Boeing) owns the remaining 2,398.8 acres within 
Areas I, III, IV, and the two undeveloped areas. The Department of 
Energy (DOE) does not own any land at SSFL but is responsible for 
building demolition and cleanup of soils and groundwater in Area IV and 
the Northern Buffer Zone.
    Since the mid-1950s, when SSFL was administered 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. These test stand 
areas along with the Liquid Oxygen (LOX) Plant portion of Area I were 
acquired by NASA from the U.S. Air Force in the 1970s.

[[Page 13726]]

    The NASA-administered areas of SSFL contain cultural resources 
associated with rocket engine development, along with several 
significant archeological sites. NASA has conducted several surveys to 
locate archeological and architectural resources within its 
administered portion of SSFL. NASA has identified the Burro Flats Site, 
which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), as 
well as various archeological sites, 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. In 2014, NASA entered into a Programmatic Agreement with the 
California State Historic Preservation Officer, the Advisory Council 
for Historic Preservation, and the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. 
The Programmatic Agreement stipulates the cultural resource management 
measures that must be implemented before, during, and after all cleanup 
activities. Previous environmental sampling on the NASA-administered 
property indicates that contaminants are present in the soil and 
groundwater at the site.
    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 
certain environmental cleanup requirements are met.
    In 2007, a Consent Order among NASA, Boeing, the U.S. Department of 
Energy, and DTSC was signed addressing 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 Order, NASA is required to complete a federal environmental 
review pursuant to NEPA and NASA Procedural Requirement (NPR) 8580.1.
    NASA published an FEIS for demolition of site infrastructure, soil 
cleanup pursuant to the AOC, and groundwater remediation within Area II 
and a portion of Area I (former LOX Plant) of SSFL on March 14, 2014 
(79 FR 14545). NASA subsequently issued a Record of Decision (ROD) for 
building demolition on April 23, 2014. A ROD for groundwater cleanup 
was published in the Federal Register on October 19, 2018. A SEIS is 
being prepared by NASA for soil cleanup within Area II and a portion of 
Area I (former LOX Plant) of SSFL.
    NASA anticipates that the potential environmental impacts of the 
soil cleanup of most interest to the public are likely public health; 
soil removal/erosion; soil transportation and disposal; threatened, 
endangered, and sensitive species; habitat and wetlands; cultural and 
historic resources; air quality and greenhouse gas emissions; and 
groundwater, surface water, or geologic structures.
    During the SEIS process, the public will be provided an opportunity 
for involvement at the publication of the Draft SEIS. The Notice of 
Availability for the Draft SEIS, Final SEIS, and ROD will be published 
in the Federal Register and through local news media to ensure that all 
members of the public have the ability to actively participate in the 
NEPA process.

Cheryl E. Parker,
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2019-06332 Filed 4-4-19; 8:45 am]
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