RCC co-founders Dawn Kowalski, Holly Huff, and Marie Mason speaking at Rock the Cleanup event July 13, 2019

The Rocketdyne Cleanup Coalition would like to thank all those who came out to the “Rock the Cleanup” event on July 13 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the SSFL meltdown. We were heartened by the large turnout, enthusiastic participation by community members and elected officials, and surprise guests Kim and Kourtney Kardashian. The Kardashians first became aware of SSFL when they learned that the massive Woolsey Fire that broke out near their homes last November started at and burned most the SSFL site.

We are frustrated and outraged that SSFL still hasn’t been cleaned up, despite decades of advocacy and signed cleanup agreements between the SSFL polluters and the Dept. of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC.) Yet we are also very grateful for the continued support by longtime allies such as Committee to Bridge the Gap and Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles, and thrilled by the new energy and creativity that Melissa Bumstead and Parents vs. SSFL are bringing to the cleanup fight.

The Rocketdyne Cleanup Coalition also deeply appreciates the decades of strong leadership by Congresswoman Julia Brownley, Congressmember Brad Sherman, and Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks and efforts by new Congresswoman Katie Hill to help us achieve the full cleanup that we were promised. (Read the July 11 letter to DOE, NASA, and CalEPA urging compliance with cleanup agreements that was signed by Senator Dianne Feinstein and Congressmembers Brownley, Sherman, Hill, Cardenas, Schiff, Bass, Thompson, and Desaulnier.)

We can’t wait another 60 years for SSFL to be cleaned up, or even another 5. Every day that SSFL remains contaminated is a day that our community is at risk of exposure to its dangerous contamination. We hope that the energy and enthusiasm that we saw at the Rock the Cleanup event will help us finally cross the finish line and get SSFL fully cleaned up for once and all! Click here to see photos from the event.

Kristen Mason, Kourtney Kardashian, Marie Mason, Kim Kardashian, Dawn Kowalski, and Holly Huff