On Wednesday, the EPA announced it would use a parking lot near Will Rogers State Beach to temporarily store and process hazardous material from the Palisades Fire disaster site.
Los Angeles City Councilmember told KNX News’ Craig Fiegener the decision is “highly irresponsible.”
“This is obviously highly, highly concerning to many people given its proximity to the ocean and just given how incredibly sensitive our coastal ecosystems are,” she said. “There has been absolutely no transparency or community engagement around this.”
She added that she “heard wind” of the EPA using Will Rogers State Beach a couple of weeks ago.
“I made my displeasure very, very clear to the EPA that I did not think it was appropriate to move toxic materials out of the burn area to the beach, which is the most sensitive environmental area in the entire region,” she said.
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In a statement to KNX News, the EPA said the parking lot would be closed to the public and that it would do regular air quality monitoring. It also added that using Will Rogers State Beach is a necessary step to speed up debris removal so people can begin rebuilding.
KNX News reached out to Gov. Newsom’s office for comment.
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