The Will Rogers State Beach parking lot will be used as a temporary processing site for debris from the Palisade Fire District, the State Parks Service announced Wednesday afternoon.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency uses parking lots as a temporary staging area for potentially dangerous household items such as paints, bleach, asbestos, propane tanks, and lithium-ion batteries. 。 Debris are classified and stored before they are shipped to a specialized facility for disposal.
Before the US Army Corps of Engineers can begin removing debris from burned homes and businesses, you must remove dangerous household items. The way that material was processed became a troublesome political issue.
Federal and local officials face competing pressure to clear waste as quickly as possible, facing backlash from residents and staff who don’t want a neighborhood site. The agreement to use Will Rogers State Beach was quickly condemned by members of the Los Angeles City Council.
“We’re excited to see the world’s most recent recovery,” said Steve Soborov, Los Angeles city chief recovery officer. “But the reality is that things like this have to get out of it. They remain there every day, so you leave dangerous materials in your neighborhood.”
Will Rogers’ parking lots are “appropriate as they are flat, open land close to damaged facilities that require damaged removal,” and their use helps residents rebuild more quickly. , the State Parks Agency said in a statement.
The Will Rogers announcement comes two days after the Malibu City Council special meeting, during which residents and elected officials will be opening dangerous waste sites in small lots in Malibu near multiple schools. I’ve been threw a ball at the request. Members of the Malibu Council pushed federal officials why, unlike the Malibu universe, that was the reason Will Rogers Lott in the burn zone was not in use.
“We can’t recommend that you place this site across the street from us. When all these kids, Rogers is there near to houses etc, it doesn’t have a home around it. Already ready to go. Mayor Doug Stewart said.
Robert Fenton, a local administrator with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said at the time that the agency had asked Will Rogers to use, which was denied. It remains unclear what has changed regarding the use of the site and who was responsible for the original denial.
Wil Rogers State Beach Parking is a California State Park facility run by Los Angeles County.
In an email to the Times, Nicole Mooradian, a LA County spokesperson for Beach & Harbor, said the decision to use the car park as a staging area was “made at a higher level than the county.” 。
Constance Farrell, a spokesman for LA County Superintendent Lindsey Horvath, emailed the county not denying the location of EPA staging and that “we need to move as safely and quickly as possible through the cleanup process.” I mentioned. The Palisade Fire Zone is located in the Horvas district.
Traci Park, who represents the Pacific Pallisard of Los Angeles City Council, said he was disappointed by the news on Will Rogers’ EPA site and “repeated” suggestion of an alternative location for the council district within Burn Scar.
“I’ve been very vocal about the EPA that beaches that store dangerous materials on the beach, any beach, doesn’t seem like a good idea,” Park said in an interview. She feared that a very high tide or debris flow from the hillside above could bring dangerous waste into the ocean and harm the “incredibly sensitive” coastal marine environment. I said there was.
“We have been bent backwards for decades to protect and restore Santa Monica Bay, so it is concerning to use it as a site to sort, stage and store from the ocean.” said Park.
The park said it pushed other government-owned properties, such as parking, to replace them. She said she spoke to the governor’s office, FEMA and the possibility of using the EPA and the site on Tuesday, expressing her concerns. But she said this was “not a decision maker.”
The EPA is facing pushbacks to multiple proposed treatment sites as agencies seek to promote the cleanup of dangerous waste. The process was initially predicted to last for three months, but the Trump administration accelerated its timeline to 30 days.
Along the Pacific Coast Highway near Lario Park in Irwindale and Topanga Canyon Boulevard, the already in use debris collection site is facing intense protests.
In Malibu, residents and officials accused them of proposing many uses near Malibu City Hall, on the corner of Webbway and Civic Centre Way. The site is 0.5 miles from the two primary school campuses. It is a private school at Public Webster Elementary School and Malibu School, a Catholic campus. In addition, less than a quarter of the Santa Monica College Malibu Campus, less than 1 miles from Pepperdine University.
Staging areas are temporary storage areas where hazardous materials are sorted and prepared elsewhere for final disposal. Federal officials say finding debris in the burn zone is more harmful to the environment than moving to a staging site that can be covered and maintained in a controlled environment.
Tara Fitzgerald, commander of the EPA case, said at a Malibu City Council meeting that the waste was kept in thick, sealed plastic drums and bags in a tent with protective floors, without touching the ground in the staging area. I mentioned.
She said that the site would take a large amount of lithium -ion batteries, like electric vehicles that could not be placed in landfills. A battery that has been fired “poses a safety risk as it can voluntarily explode, fire or release,” she said. In the staging area, batteries are deflammable, disassembled, recycled and safely disposed of.
“We have had a hard time finding a place where local agents support our work, but we are expected to do it,” Fitzgerald said.
Malibu Mayor Stewart welcomed the use of the Will Roger Slot as a staging area and said he called it a “critical step” when moving towards reconstruction. Malibu City Councilman Bruce Silverstein said the state’s announcement is “a great example of residents being heard and the federal government taking appropriate and timely action to meet a variety of competing interests.” I said it in an email.
Last week, protesters gathered in white hazmato suits in the staging area on Topanga Canyon Boulevard, carrying signs that read, “Protect Topanga” and “No toxic remains in the Topanga Lagoon.”
Topanga resident Diana Mathur said she is worried that lithium-ion batteries brought to the site for processing could contaminate nearby Topanga lagoons. She also said she is concerned that the presence of toxic waste in the area could discourage people from seeking a wellness business in Topanga.
“I’m worried that we can prevent people from seeking these alternative health modalities,” Mathur said.
EPA spokesman Rusty Harris-Bishop told protesters that the work that was happening with the Pallisard fire fragments is similar to what they did in Hawaii after the 2023 Maui wildfire. 。 He said EPA has since trained fire departments across the country with its protocols.
“It must have really worked out!” cried the protesters.
“I did that,” Harris Bishop said.
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