Tribe wants part of contaminated rocket lab
A California tribe wants part of the contaminated Santa Susana Field Lab where rocket engines were tested at the dawn of the Space Age.
Boeing owns the majority of the 2,850-acre former Rocketdyne testing facility near Simi Valley where there was a partial nuclear meltdown in 1959.
But 452 acres administered by NASA interest the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians because of a cave adorned with Native American pictographs and evidence of tribal dwellings. NASA declared the land excess federal property in 2009.
The Ventura County Star says the tribe is concerned about preserving the Indian sites as the state continues to investigate the extent of cleanup.
A federal judge ruled last year that a state law detailing stringent cleanup standards that exceed Superfund requirements was unconstitutional. AP
Syrian plane legally carried radar parts
Russia’s foreign minister says the Syrian plane that was forced to land in Turkey was legally carrying Russian radar parts for Syria.
Sergey Lavrov insisted Oct. 12 the shipment complied with international law. He said the plane carried no weapons and that the “electric equipment for radars” of was a legitimate cargo.
Lavrov added, however, that the cargo was of “dual purpose,” meaning it could have civilian and military applications. He said the Russian company that sent it to Syria will demand that Turkey return it.
The Syrian Airbus A320 was intercepted by Turkish fighter jets on its way from Moscow to Damascus Oct. 10 and forced to land in Ankara.
Turkey’s prime minister said Oct. 11 that it was carrying ammunition and military equipment for the Syrian Defense Ministry. AP
