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THE KIRK LAW FIRM <br /> Ms. Lori Casias <br /> Associate Government Program Analyst <br /> State of California <br /> Water Resources Control Board <br /> Division of Clean Water Programs <br /> June 3, 1999 <br /> Page 3 <br /> Steven Sasson and Margaret Lagorio, dated March 3, 1997; Declaration of Robert A. Boust.] <br /> Following receipt of PHS/EHD's March 3, 1997 letter, Unocal petitioned the State Board for <br /> closure of the Site,pursuant to Health and Safety Code section 25299.39.2(h), on June 13, 1997. <br /> [Exhibit S — Letter to Mr. David Deaner and Mr. James Munch, State Water Resources Control <br /> Board, Division of Clean Water Programs, Re: Underground Storage Tank Case Review/Closure <br /> Report, from Erin Garner, R.G., Senior Geologist, Pacific Environmental Group, Inc., dated <br /> June 13, 1997.] The petition is still pending before the State Board. <br /> A little more than two weeks after Unocal petitioned the State Board, PHS/EHD <br /> wrote to Unocal acknowledging that it had received a copy of the June 13, 1997 petition for <br /> closure and scheduling an "administrative office hearing" on the Site and two other former <br /> Unocal service station sites in Stockton. The letter offered no basis for the need for an <br /> "administrative office hearing" other than to discuss "compliance with our directives," thus <br /> clearly indicating that the only reason for PHS/EHD's action was its unhappiness over Unocal's <br /> petition for closure. [Exhibit 6 - Letter to Unocal Corporation (Bob Boust) from Margaret <br /> Lagorio, Supervising RENS, Site Mitigation Unit, dated July 1, 1997.] Unocal believes that it <br /> was at about this time that PHS/EHD referred the Site, along with one of the other former service <br /> station sites, to the District Attorney for enforcement action. <br /> Prior to this time, PHS/EHD had given Unocal no indication that there were non- <br /> compliance issues associated with either of the sites, and since that time, the District Attorney <br /> has refused Unocal's repeated requests to set forth the alleged violations in writing. See <br /> Declarations of Robert A. Boust and Sherri M. Kirk. <br /> Although it was not aware of any PHS/EHD directive that it had failed to comply <br /> with, and in spite.of having submitted what it believed to be a meritorious petition for closure <br /> that should be allowed to run its course, on April 28, 1998, Unocal representatives met with <br /> Donna Heran, Director of PHS/EHD, and her staff in an effort to determine what could be done <br /> to address PHS/EHD's concerns about the Site. As a result of the meeting, Unocal agreed to <br /> submit a workplan for additional characterization of the site. The workplan was approved by <br /> PHS/EHD in August 1998, the work completed during January and February 1999, and the <br /> report of the supplemental work submitted to PHS/EHD on February 26, 1999, all at <br /> considerable cost to Unocal. See Declaration of Robert A. Boust. <br />