Laserfiche WebLink
M, <br /> AFFIDAVIT OF PETER J.NIEMIEC <br /> STATE OF CALIFORNIA ) <br /> SS: <br /> COUNTY OF ORANGE ) <br /> I,the undersigned, state: <br /> 1. 1 am an assistant counsel for Union Oil Company of California (Unocal), the petitioner in the <br /> matter entitled "Petition for Review of Local Oversight Program Action, former Unocal Service <br /> Station 0187, 437 East Miner Avenue, Stockton, CA" (Petition for Review). Unocal is also the <br /> petitioner in the Petition for Stay Order to which this affidavit is attached. <br /> 2. 1 am authorized to make this affidavit on behalf of said corporation. <br /> 3. Since approximately August 1, 1997, I have been the attorney within Unocal principally <br /> responsible for representing the corporation with respect to the ongoing corrective action with <br /> regard to petroleum contamination at 437 East Miner Avenue, Stockton, CA ("Site"). At the time <br /> that I took over this matter, the San Joaquin County Public Health Services, Environmental Health <br /> Division (PHS/EHD) had already involved the San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office in <br /> discussions over its request that Unocal perform extensive investigation and feasibility testing of <br /> active remediation systems at the Site. <br /> 4. On September 5, 1997, I met with Mr. David Irey, Deputy District Attorney, Environmental <br /> Prosecutions Unit with the County of San Joaquin. The meeting covered three separate service <br /> station sites within the city of Stockton. With respect to the Site, I suggested to Mr. Irey, that in <br /> light of the data from a recently installed monitoring well, the appropriate course of action was for <br /> Unocal to submit another workplan to complete the delineation of the lateral extent of the plume. I <br /> suggested to Mr. Irey that he should withhold any threatened enforcement action until the <br /> submission of that plan. Mr. Irey did not commit to any course of action with respect to the Site. <br /> 5. On October 9, 1997, GeoStrategies, on behalf of Unocal, submitted a workplan to install one <br /> additional well and to conduct one year's worth of monitoring of all wells. In its letter of <br /> December 10, 1997, PHS/EHD requested that Unocal substantially expand its workplan to include <br /> vertical characterization of the groundwater plume, soil testing, and feasibility testing with respect <br /> to active remedial options including air sparging. <br /> 6. Since Unocal received the letter from PHS/EHD, I have received phone calls from Mr. Irey in <br /> which he had requested meetings to discuss "pre-filing settlements" with respect to four service <br /> station sites in Stockton, including the subject Site. I am currently expecting to meet with Mr. Irey <br /> on January 23, 1998,to explore the possibility of"pre-filing settlement". <br />