Court blocks Hunters Point Shipyard redevelopment until Navy completes toxic cleanup

Contrary to Mayor Ed Lee’s claim in a press release issued yesterday by the Mayor’s Office, the Superior Court issued an important victory for Bayview environmental health advocates by blocking the proposed early transfer of the toxic parcels of the Hunters Point Superfund This photo illustratedSan Francisco Chronicle by Steven Falk, head of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, and Tim Paulson, head of the San Francisco Labor Council, announcing “another important milestone,” release of thedraft Candlestick Point-Hunters Point Shipyard redevelopment, “expected to create 30,000 construction jobs.” Jobs for whom, though? Most of the workers in the photo don’t appear to come from Hunters PointIn a victory for Bayview Hunters Point community and environmental justice groups, a superior court judge ruled this week that a City of San Francisco Environmental Impact approved a plan for the early transfer of parcels at the U.S. Navy Hunters Point Shipyard, a Superfund site, without an environmental cleanupThe court finds thatdoes not adequately inform the public that the developer proposes to remediate portions of the shipyard instead of the Navy under an early transfer agreementTherefore, the court orders that the development of a parcel at the shipyard site may not proceed until remediation process for the parcel is complete and approved by regulating agencies as safe for human health and development, unless an early transfer is approved after completion of environmental review in compliance according to the judge’s rulingAs of now, none of the parcels of the shipyard proposed for development have undergone a complete environmental remediation approved by regulatory agencies. The court’s ruling blocks the City of San Francisco’s efforts to immediately transfer contaminated shipyard parcels to the Lennar Urban Corp. for a proposed construction project on the 702-acre SuperfundCity officials and Lennar claimed there was no need to evaluate the environmental and health impacts of an early transfer of contaminated shipyard parcels to the City and Lennar prior to an environmental cleanup. However, the court found no legal basis for this claim because the California Environmentalthe City to evaluate these impacts. The court also determined that the EIR inadequately informed the public that the plan for early transfer would make the City and Lennarresponsible for the cleanup of the contaminated shipyard parcels.Local residents are extremely concerned about the toxic and radiological contamination at the Shipyard,an attorney with Earthjustice who represented community groups in the lawsuit against the City. “The community supports the cleanup and redevelopment of the area and they welcome the jobs it will bring,” Torgun pointed out, “but they want some assurance that the site will be safe and the redevelopment work will not harm the workers on the project and surrounding residents.”Pollution problems at the Hunters Point Shipyard date back to World War II, when the Shipyard’s massive dry docks were used to build and repairFuels, solvents and lead paint were routinely used – and dumped – at the facility.When atomic tests began in the South Pacific, radioactive waste was added to the toxic1946 to 1969, the Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory at Hunters Point decontaminated ships and studied the effects of nuclear weapons.The shipyard was later leased to the Triple A Machine Shop, a company that was eventually charged with criminal violations for the illegal storage and disposal of hazardous waste on the propertyIn 1989, the shipyard was designated as San Francisco’s only federal Superfund site under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability ActThis ruling to block early transfer is an important win for this community that had been dealt a stacked deck. It is a victory for our health, for our families and for our future. The Lennar Corp. is known for ignoring toxic contamination in other regions where it develops on decommissioned military sites, and Bayview Hunters Point is one community where we will not allow them to cut corners, even with this ruling, we need to remain vigilantthat the Navygenuinely completes a thorough cleanup and does not rush the process to meet development timetables.”