Councilmember Traci Park opposes use of Will Rogers State Beach as site to process hazardous fire waste – NBC Los Angeles
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Since the Palisades fire began, Will Rogers has been a hub of resources for first responders.
Now, the parking lot will also become another temporary site for hazardous household materials removed from the homes impacted by the Palisades Fire.
In addition to the staging area space at Pacific Coast Highway and Topanga, the Environmental Protection Agency says those paints, chemicals, lithium batteries will be consolidated, securely packaged, and safely loaded there and then will go to permanent disposal and recycling facilities outside of the burn area.
The EPA says it chose Will Rogers because its parking lot is on flat, open land that is close to the damaged and destroyed homes.
Although the EPA thinks it is a good spot and will constantly monitor the air to make sure everything is safe, councilmember Traci Park says she has her concerns.
“I think there are alternative approaches that could have been utilized to do this in a more responsible way,” Park said. “By doing the sorting and storage somewhere inside the burn area that’s already contaminated instead of bringing it out to our beautiful beach and risking harm to our coastal environment and our wildlife.”
However, Malibu Mayor Doug Stewart says he commends the new site.
A statement from his city says in part, “the city of Malibu is grateful to California state parks and the U.S. environmental protection agency for working together to accelerate wildfire recovery efforts.”
The addition of a second temporary EPA processing site at Will Rogers State Beach parking lot is an important step in ensuring hazardous materials are removed safely and efficiently, helping impacted residents move forward in rebuilding their homes.
On Thursday, Mayor Karen Bass is set to be in the Palisades to meet with the EPA and other federal officials to tour the area and check out the progress with debris removal.
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