United States Senate COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS WASHINGTON, DC 20510-6175 BARBARA BOXER, CALIFORNIA, CHAIRMAN MAX BAUCUS, MONTANA JAMES M. INHOFE, OKLAHOMA THOMAS R. CARPER, DELAWARE DAVID VITTER, LOUISIANA FRANK R. LAUTENBERG, NEW JERSEY JOHN BARRASSA, WYOMING BENJAMIN L. CARDIN, MARYLAND JEFF SESSIONS, ALABAMA BERNARD SANDERS, VERMONT MIKE CRAPO, IDAHO SHELDON WHITEHOUSE, RHODE ISLAND LAMAR ALEXANDER, TENNESSEE TOM UDALL, NEW MEXICO MIKE JOHANNS, NEBRASKA JEFF MERKLEY, OREGON JOHN BOOZMAN, ARKANSAS KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND, NEW YORK BETTINA POIRER, MAJORITY STAFF DIRECTOR RUTH VAN MARK, MINORITY STAFF DIRECTOR March 29, 2012 Honorable Charles F. Bolden, Jr. Administrator National Aeronautics and Space Administration Washington DC 20546-0001 Dear Administrator Bolden: For many years, I have worked to ensure the safety of the people who reside near the Santa Susana Field Laboratory Site (SSFL) in Ventura County, California. This site is contaminated with hazardous substances, including radioactive material, trichloroethylene, and perchlorate from past activities by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and others. These toxic substances can cause cancer and threaten the health of pregnant women and infants. We have spoken in the past about the need for NASA to work with the State of California to address the serious contamination at the site and to protect public health. Subsuquently, NASA entered into an agreement with California and made a commitment to “develop an approach for satisfying any applicable…obligations” under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and to clean up the site to the conditions that existed prior to NASA’s activities. NASA also agreed to work to coordinate the creation of state and federal cleanup documents. I was alarmed to learn that NASA has threatened to unilaterally move forward without addressing the state’s legitimate concerns and without laying the groundwork for protecting public health in a manner that is consistent with its agreement. I share California’s very serious concerns regarding what appears to be NASA’s apparent disregard of the commitment that it has made to the state and its citizens. I stand with area residents and California in their efforts to ensure that NASA does not reverse course and acts responsibly in developing and implementing the cleanup of the site. It is imperative that I speak with you at the earliest opportunity tomorrow to discuss the steps that NASA will take to coordinate and cooperate with the state in a manner that adheres to its commitment to the community – and I expect clear assurances from you that NASA will not depart from this obligation. Sincerely, Barbara Boxer Chairman