[CPEO-MEF] bcn wire story on lawsuit settlement

[marylia@earthlink.net]

Hello -- FYI -- the Bay City News Service article that went out on the wire
reporting on the lawsuit settlement. Please post others as you see them.
Peace, Marylia

LIVERMORE LAB, ENVIRONMENTALISTS REACH AGREEMENT ON PERMIT

OAKLAND (BCN)
  Three environmental watchdog groups today announced that after two
years of negotiation, they have reached a settlement with the state agency
that regulates toxic waste at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

  Representatives for the Western States Legal Foundation, the
Tri-Valley Communities Against a Radioactive Environment and the San
Francisco Bay Area for Social Responsibility announced that an Alameda County
judge in Oakland today signed a settlement agreement between them and the
State of California's Department of Toxic Substances Control.

  The groups brought a lawsuit against the agency in 1999, claiming
that the department had violated the California Environmental Quality Act by
granting the Livermore lab a permit to operate an onsite treatment facility
for hazardous waste.

  The parties agreed to end litigation on June 22. The agreement
includes modifications to the permit, and enhanced environmental evaluation
surveillance and reporting.

  Marylia Kelley, of the Tri-Valley CAREs group said that under the
agreement, signed by Alameda County Superior Court Judge Gordon Baranco, the
department of toxic substances control will double its number of inspections
of the Livermore lab.

  "This increase in regulatory attention to hazardous waste
practices at Livermore will help cut down on accident spills and leaks,''
Kelley said. "The lab's record has been atrocious, and the main reason we
brought the lawsuit was to protect people and the environment.''

  A spokeswoman for the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory was
not immediately available to comment.

  JoseALopez0639p07/05/01

  CONTACT: Marylia Kelley, CAREs (925) 443-7148
                   Anne M. Stark, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
(925) 422-9799

end of story



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