Last year DTSC committed to “significantly upgrade and strengthen the Department’s permitting program and to ensure that the problems of the past do not resurface in the future” (DTSC-IRP Report, 1/28/2016). But DTSC nevertheless predicted many years of permitting backlogs, with many more facilities operating on expired permits.
Why does this matter?
When facilities like Quemetco are allowed to continue operating on expired permits they are being held to outdated standards that endanger community health. We just learned that Quemetco’s sloppy work has led DTSC to issue a Notice of Deficiency detailing all the places in the permit renewal application that are insufficient or incorrect. One of these places really stood out to us: the “requirements for risk assessments” where it is clear that Quemetco is relying on a health risk assessment done in the year 2000 that was based on modeling, not actual measured samples of toxic chemicals—and we know a lot about the high levels of these chemicals in the soil around the facility. Worse, this old risk assessment is based on outdated health thresholds for lead and other chemicals of concern. Quemetco is also NOT following sampling protocols long established by the EPA that require samples taken from soil, groundwater, surface water, soil vapor, etc.
BUT NONE OF THIS IS BEING CONSIDERED NOW since Quemetco is operating on an expired permit.
Why does this matter?
When facilities like Quemetco are allowed to continue operating on expired permits they are being held to outdated standards that endanger community health. We just learned that Quemetco’s sloppy work has led DTSC to issue a Notice of Deficiency detailing all the places in the permit renewal application that are insufficient or incorrect. One of these places really stood out to us: the “requirements for risk assessments” where it is clear that Quemetco is relying on a health risk assessment done in the year 2000 that was based on modeling, not actual measured samples of toxic chemicals—and we know a lot about the high levels of these chemicals in the soil around the facility. Worse, this old risk assessment is based on outdated health thresholds for lead and other chemicals of concern. Quemetco is also NOT following sampling protocols long established by the EPA that require samples taken from soil, groundwater, surface water, soil vapor, etc.
BUT NONE OF THIS IS BEING CONSIDERED NOW since Quemetco is operating on an expired permit.