Because of your support we have accomplished some amazing strides towards one of the worst nuclear disasters in American history, in one of the hardest years in memory.

Even though we’ve had to fight against huge powers like Boeing, the Department of Energy and NASA, our fierce tribe of "Parents Against the Santa Susana Field Lab" knows only too well (that's my daughter in the photo) why our children need to live in a nuclear and toxic free environment. 

January: Website and Woolsey Woes

We updated our website to be user friendly and to include all of our events, updates, and more.

We created a video,“Woolsey Woes, the Musical” about Boeing’s greed and negligence at the Santa Susana Field Lab. The Lego stop-motion short was seen by nearly 4,000 people and helped to inform them about the nuclear disaster and give them insight as to why we’re fighting for the cleanup. You can watch the parody here.

February: The SSFL Work Group Meeting

California EPA Secretary Jared Blumenfeld joined our local elected officials to pledge their support for the cleanup. Additional guest speakers included expert Dan Hirsch, Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks, Ventura County Supervisor Bob Huber, and cleanup advocate Melissa Bumstead. If you haven’t already, you can watch the recordings of the SSFL Work Group Meeting here.

March: Presentation at LULAC District 17 Convention

Melissa Bumstead was able to share about the SSFL with the oldest and largest Latino civil rights organization, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), which included chapters from the Conejo Valley in California. Many of the local community leaders expressed interest in learning more and assisting in the fight for the cleanup, as they understand how environmental racism disproportionately impacts people of color.

April: Earth Day Sun Catchers

Though quarantine was in full force in April, Parents Against SSFL found a way to educate families about the wildlife surrounding the SSFL with a colorful suncatcher craft. Over 400 families asked to be mailed the specially printed coloring sheet that allowed sunlight to brighten their special craft.

May: Live Online Meeting discussing the “new” SSFL Cleanup Agreement

The Department of Energy reached an agreement with the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) to demolish ten buildings at the SSFL, but the demo plans only take the buildings down to their foundations. We discussed how this action didn’t resolve the soil or groundwater contamination which are the biggest exposure pathways for our community. 

June-October: NASA’s SSFL Nomination to the National Registry of Historic Places

Parents Against SSFL is adamantly against NASA’s proposal to list the entire 2,850 acres of the SSFL on the National Registry of Historic Places for several critical reasons, including NASA’s misuse of cultural exceptions in efforts to abandon the cleanup, and putting the local Native American visitors to the site at high-risk for potential exposure to carcinogenic contamination.

We informed the community of the potential consequences of a preemptive NRHP listing and prepared them to participate in the three online meetings in June, July, and August. We also helped coordinate community members to email the National Board to ask that the land be fully remediated before it is listed on the Registry. NASA’a proposal was rejected, however the final status remains unclear as there may be a way for NASA to make a few changes to their application before reapplying and being accepted. We will continue to update you as we learn more.

November: DTSC Public Meeting

In addition to the agreement the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) and the Department of Energy (DOE) reached earlier this year to demo 10 buildings at the SSFL, this November they expanded that agreement to include 8 more buildings.

However, we discovered evidence in an EPA study that showed one of the buildings was used as a research lab and could be contaminated with radiation, contrary to the DOE’s claims. We are in the process of working with Committee to Bridge the Gap to fight against DOE’s claims that they should be able to dispose of the potentially contaminated debris in an unsafe, unlicensed, waste facility in Idaho. We will continue to update you as we learn more.

December: The Secrets of the Santa Susana Field Lab: Episode One

Through a $2,000 grant and $1,165 from fundraising we were able to produce a 20 minute documentary about NASA’s dirty secrets at the SSFL. Our first episode included NASA’s dirty secret— one of their premiere rocket scientists had been a German Nazi Scientist. We hope that the short film will capture the interest of people who don’t know about the SSFL and educate them about our current struggles in the process. You can watch the documentary here, please note that it is NOT appropriate for children.

We know the attack against our families will continue through 2021 as the SSFL polluters try to save money instead of saving our children’s lives. But we know that together we can do the impossible and get the cleanup so that our children can grow up in an environment free of radioactive and toxic contamination.

Thank you again for being part of our fierce Parents Against the Santa Susana Field Lab tribe! We hope 2021 brings happiness, health, and the complete cleanup of the Santa Susana Field Lab.