[CPEO-BIF] Google development might speed cleanup in Mountain View, California

[Lenny Siegel <LSiegel@cpeo.org>]

More room for Google in newly OK'd office project

by Daniel DeBolt

Mountain View Voice  (CA)
September 30, 2011

Google has another option for expansion in Mountain View now that the  
City Council has approved the construction of a 181,000-square-foot  
building at 369 North Whisman Road.

...

Because the building sits on top of an underground plume of toxic  
industrial solvent TCE left by early computer component  
manufacturers, the buildings are required to have sub-slab  
ventilation systems to prevent toxic vapors from entering the buildings.


Mayor Siegel asked if city staff was aware of new technologies to  
clean up the TCE faster, presumably because the new development  
presented an opportunity to require new cleanup efforts on the site,  
or at least the study of it.



"We have heard that the ability to treat it has improved," said  
Zoning Administrator Peter Gilli. "The EPA has the authority to  
implement that as they see needed. It is not something the council  
would have to look at. But if that's something council would like to  
see it studied we can work with the EPA and the property owner."



After the meeting, developer John Lovewell said accelerating the  
stagnant cleanup efforts of the site "is not a cost issue for me"  
because the responsible party, Schlumberger Technology Corp., would  
have to pay for it.

"If we could clean it up tomorrow, that would be great," he said.

...

For the entire article, see
http://www.mv-voice.com/news/show_story.php?id=4780&e=y

--

Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org

_______________________________________________
Brownfields mailing list
Brownfields@lists.cpeo.org
http://lists.cpeo.org/listinfo.cgi/brownfields-cpeo.org