Converting El Toro: EPA Data Sobering : Cleaning Up Hazardous Wastes Could Take Years

There is sobering news from the California Environmental Protection Agency for supporters of the plan to turn El Toro Marine Corps Air Station into a civilian airport now that it appears likely the base will be shut down.

The EPA has cited the base for illegal handling of hazardous waste and proposed an $80,500 fine. The agency also figures it would cost at least $250 million, and maybe $375 million, just to test pollution levels. Actual cleanup costs would be far higher.

The base opened in World War II and by now El Toro’s nearly 5,000 acres contain at least 22 hazardous material sites. As recently as the 1970s, there were no laws against dumping chemicals into the ground at the base. For many years, that’s how jet fuel, used motor oil and metal were disposed of routinely.

The base is on the Superfund list of the most dangerous hazardous waste dumps, yet Superfund money cannot be used to clean up military sites. That’s supposed to be the job of the military, but unfortunately the Pentagon’s cleanup fund is usually out of money.

Paying for the cleanup is not the only problem. One state environmental official estimated that it could take decades to clean up many of the 13 California military installations recommended for closure.

Yet officials from a coalition of Orange County cities pushing for a civilian airport at El Toro have implied that the facility could be converted much more quickly. Two days after the state EPA announcement, six cities in the county decided to apply for federal grants to plan converting the base into a commercial airport. Last week, it became even more crucial that realistic plans for the future of the base be formulated. After months of considering alternatives, the base emerged as one of seven major facilities in California slated for the ax. But whatever those future plans might be, the environmental considerations surely will be a major factor.

And, of course, there are many other questions about the viability of a civilian airfield at El Toro, including whether a divided community would support it. Moreover, growth projections ought to be re-examined in light of the recession.

El Toro was barely listed as a candidate for closure when wrangling developed in the county among the Board of Supervisors. Other proposals for the land have included a high-speed rail center, low-income housing or heliport.

But it is the civilian airport proposal that has been trumpeted most loudly. And now, after lobbying tirelessly for closing El Toro, proponents are trying to position the county to take the blame for having a white elephant on its hands if the airport idea doesn’t fly. The cities and the county should resist this pressure and think things through a lot more thoroughly. During the recession even the healthiest airlines have been losing money and cutting back. Funds for the El Toro conversion will likely be hard to come by. The EPA figures provide a further cautionary note of the environmental cost and delay ahead too.