Members of the Rocketdyne Cleanup Coalition, who have worked for two decades to achieve today’s historic development, expressed great joy over the signing of the breakthrough agreements with the Department of Energy and NASA for the cleanup of contamination at the Santa Susana Field Lab. The Coalition has fought since 1989 to get the site cleaned up.

*Click here to read the State’s announcement.
*Click here to read DOE’s announcement.
*Click here to read NASA’s announcement.
*Click here to read State Senator Fran Pavley’s announcement.
*Click here to read Assemblymember Julia Brownley’s announcement.

Comments from Coalition members on this long-sought victory:

“Wow, this is a day we have all been waiting for and a day many told us would never happen and why not just give up. Now after 21 years there will be an agreement for this cleanup.

We have attended more meetings than we can count, our children have grown and now have children of their own but finally a real cleanup. I thank DOE and NASA for finally doing the right thing.

I guess the message to the Boeing Company is: now is the time to get on board, do the right thing and agree to a similar deal to the one DOE and NASA have signed. It is long past time to get the site cleaned up.”

Marie Mason

“This has been a long time coming. For over two decades we have been waiting for this day to come.

Now we can put the past behind us and work together with the Department of Energy and NASA for a clean Santa Susana Field Laboratory, which will only benefit the future generations here in our communities.”

Holly Huff

“In 1989 the communities beneath the Santa Susana Field Lab learned that nuclear work had been done in the hills above us, that in 1959 there had been a partial nuclear meltdown, and that there was widespread radioactive and chemical contamination.

From 1989 on, community activists have attended endless meetings, have ploughed through piles of information, and have been given many broken promises, but no concrete action.

On December 6, 2010, finally, after much controversy, the deserving public will have what has been long fought for – binding agreements signed by two of the responsible parties – Department of Energy and NASA – for a cleanup to meet the standards of SB990, the state cleanup law. This is a huge victory for which we have long worked.

Now we can only wait, hope, and pray that Boeing will finally take the right moral action to protect the health of the present communities and to insure a healthy environment for future generations by making the same commitment for the remaining part of SSFL.”

Barbara Johnson