Editorial Editorial (May 06, 2005)

Navy changing tune on Moffett

Mountain View residents with an interest in the environmental cleanup of Moffett Field will have a chance to question representatives of the Navy, NASA and regulatory officials during an open house next week at City Hall.

The opportunity comes after years of squabbling about whether the Navy, which occupied Moffett Field from the mid-1930s until 1994, is fulfilling its responsibility to clean up the pollution it left behind. The open house, following up on an earlier event in October, is an indication that the Navy is shouldering its part of the clean-up job and that it is willing to open details of the operation to public scrutiny.

In a full-page notice published in last week's Voice, the Navy invites the public to a City Hall discussion on May 11 from 5 to 8 p.m., when it will share plans to clean up Site 25, one of the most polluted sections of Moffett. The 260-acre area includes NASA's stormwater retention pond and eastern diked marsh, and part of the Stevens Creek shoreline nature study area owned by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District.

The area contains PCBs, DDT and other dangerous chemicals, brought there by decades of stormwater runoff. In the past, the Navy has resisted responsibility for this cleanup, but after five years of pressure from environmental groups convinced NASA to favor a full cleanup, the Navy is now legally required to consider that option.

As a result, residents will be able to comment as the Navy considers alternatives for Site 25 that will enable NASA and the open space district, which now own the property, to restore the tidal marsh and pond in this low-lying area near the shore of San Francisco Bay.

In addition, the Navy will show off other parts of its clean-up program during a site tour the following day. Navy officials are encouraging area residents, particularly those who are impacted directly by the environmental restoration activities at Moffett Field, to apply to join the Restoration Advisory Board. Known as the RAB, the board is an advisory panel that acts as a focal point between citizens interested in the Moffett cleanup and the Navy. Applications to join this panel will be available at next week's open house.

With NASA's movement on Site 25 and the Navy's agreement to investigate the toxic paint and other materials inside Hangar One, the Navy has some major challenges left at Moffett, especially at Hangar One, where a full cleanup appears to be the only hope for survival of the historic landmark and a planned $380 million, interactive theme park.

Although it has balked before, the Navy's agreement to at least investigate a full cleanup at each site is the first step toward resolving the problem. Hopefully, when the Navy assesses the options at each site, it will take into account the wishes of the community, which must live with the decision for years to come.

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