Feinstein Urges Timely, Fair Claims Processing for Santa Susana Field Lab Employees Harmed by Radiation and Toxic Exposure

- Out of approximately 500 claims filed, only seven have been paid -
31 January, 2006

Washington, DC� Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today urged the Department of Labor to look into delays in claims filed by former Santa Susana Field Laboratory employees under a 2000 program established by Congress to compensate workers at the Department of Energy�s nuclear facilities.

Former employees of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory were harmed by exposure to radiation and other toxic materials while working on government contracts in the 1950s and 1960s, and despite Congress directing the Department of Labor to evaluate and expedite the claims process for these workers, most have received little or no help from the government.

In a letter to Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, Senator Feinstein wrote, �These workers were subject to radiation and toxic exposure in their service to the federal government. I urge you to look into this matter and ensure that valid claims are processed in a timely and fair manner.�

Senator Feinstein expressed great concern over reports that out of approximately 500 claims filed by former Santa Susana Field Lab employees, only seven have been paid. The following is the text of the letter sent by Senator Feinstein to Secretary Chao:

January 30, 2006
The Honorable Elaine Chao
Secretary of Labor
U.S. Department of Labor
Washington, D.C. 20210

Dear Secretary Chao:

I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the compensation of the former employees of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL).

Five years ago, Congress passed the Energy Employee Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act. The purpose of that legislation was to provide employees of Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear facilities and their families up to $150,000 each, in addition to providing them with assistance in applying for workers compensation. In 2004, in an effort to expedite the claims process, Congress provided the Department of Labor the authority to evaluate workers� claims that they were harmed by exposure to radiation and other toxic materials. Despite these efforts, delays continue. It is my understanding that out of approximately 500 claims filed by former SSFL employees, only seven have been paid.

These workers were subject to radiation and toxic exposure in their service to the federal government. I urge you to look into this matter and ensure that valid claims are processed in a timely and fair manner.

Thank you very much for your consideration of this request.

Sincerely,

Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator

Department of Defense Needs to Take Lead in Perchlorate Clean-Up
By Senator Dianne Feinstein
SPECIAL TO THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE: RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA
30 March 2003

In our day and age, no American should have to worry about whether their drinking water is clean and safe. Regrettably, this is not always the case.

Long battles have been fought over the potential health threats caused by MTBE and Chromium 6 in drinking water. And now, another source of contamination -- perchlorate -- has surfaced and it demands our attention.

Widely used during the Cold War, perchlorate is a primary ingredient in rocket propellants that was allowed to seep into the ground in at least 22 states, including California and Colorado, Massachusetts and Maryland.

In Texas, a Congressionally mandated study is assessing perchlorate contamination in the Bosque and Leon watersheds from the Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant in McGregor, not far from President Bush's ranch in Crawford.

The situation is particularly serious in California. In fact, according to a recent report by the California Department of Health Services, perchlorate has been detected in 292 groundwater wells operated by 80 different agencies throughout the State. Collectively, these agencies serve 24.8 million people, or 71 percent of the total population.

The problem is particularly acute in the Inland Empire, where a 7-mile plume discovered last year has contaminated 22 drinking water wells in western San Bernardino County, jeopardizing water supplies for approximately 500,000 residents. There is also the question of the extent of perchlorate contamination in California's state irrigation system used for vegetable crops.

How serious are the health risks posed by perchlorate? When ingested, perchlorate can interfere with the iodine intake of the thyroid gland, which regulates our hormones. High doses of perchlorate have also been linked to thyroid tumors, while newborn children and fetuses may be the most vulnerable.

Last November, in a letter to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, I asked the Department of Defense to assume responsibility for cleaning up perchlorate. In a separate letter to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christine Todd Whitman, I urged the EPA to assist communities whose drinking wells have been contaminated, and in a follow-up letter in January I asked the EPA to set a federal drinking water standard for perchlorate as soon as possible, to provide clearer guidance on goals for clean-up, and to closely oversee clean-up efforts in Henderson, Nevada, where water enters Lake Mead and the Colorado River via the Las Vegas Wash.

The lead for any clean-up, however, must be taken by the Department of Defense. Just last week, during a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, I reiterated my belief, to Deputy Undersecretary of Defense Raymond DuBois, that the Pentagon needs to step up to the plate and lead the cleanup of perchlorate from the Department's facilities, as well as those of its contractors. I did so after receiving a very non-committal response to my earlier letter to Secretary Rumsfeld, written by the Secretary of the Army.

The reason why the Defense Department should take the lead in any clean-up effort is simple: it was the U.S. military and defense contractors that used much of the land. To the best of our knowledge, nearly all perchlorate has been produced by the U.S. military, its contractors, and in the country's space program.

Yet the Defense Department continues to deny its responsibility. In fact, in a particularly troubling turn of events, the Bush Administration is now seeking exemptions for the Pentagon, which would greatly diminish the defense establishment's liability for perchlorate contamination in our water supply.

At the same time, the Administration has decided to refer health questions about perchlorate to the National Academy of Sciences, a move that could greatly delay efforts by the EPA to set a national drinking-water standard for the chemical.

The Pentagon has also raised doubts about the EPA's assessment of perchlorate's health risks, going so far as to argue that the chemical is harmless at concentrations up to 200 times what the EPA says.

This, to me, is unacceptable. I strongly believe that there must be tougher state and federal standards regarding perchlorate contamination. I will continue to press the Administration not only to accept responsibility for this contamination, but to end its infighting and take the lead on what is clearly a national issue.

It is too early to say if perchlorate will have the same impact as MTBE or Chromium 6, but it would be an unconscionable mistake if this is put on the back burner and we wait for a full-blown health and environmental crisis. This is why concerted national action must be taken now, not several years down the road.
E-Mail Hon. Senator Dianne Feinstein

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