Long Beach : Record on Waste Defended

While conceding that his administration does need to develop a broad-based plan for dealing with hazardous materials in Long Beach, City Manager James Hankla took issue with a city auditor’s report faulting the city’s enforcement of environmental regulations.

Hankla said the city has spent $1.2 million since 1985 to inspect underground storage tanks containing hazardous materials. Since the tank-testing ordinance was adopted, about half of the 3,000 underground tanks in Long Beach have been dug up and removed, he said. Moreover, Hankla told the City Council on Tuesday that the city has one of the most aggressive hazardous materials response teams in the area.

In a report released last week, City Auditor Robert Fronke concluded that lax enforcement of state-mandated environmental laws was commonplace in Long Beach. More than 600 underground tanks, including some owned by the city, have not been inspected as required. A quarter of the Long Beach companies required to submit chemical inventories have not done so, and less than half have submitted emergency plans. Even when tank inspections have revealed leaks, the leaks have not always been repaired, Fronke said.