My daughter Grace used to be terrified of disappointment. After being diagnosed with cancer at age four and relapsing at age seven, her life was full of hardships. Though there were certainly happy moments during the four years she was in treatment, they didn’t balance out the many difficulties that come with cancer. She faced situations as a child that would bring adults to their knees. Over time, she was worn down until any disappointment threatened to sink her.

This Christmas I bought Grace a gift that didn’t work. She was amazingly understanding about it and willing to patiently wait until it could be exchanged. Not only did she have a good attitude, but I could see the healing that had taken place in her over the last four years since she was in treatment. She was strong enough, mentally and emotionally, to handle the disappointment.

That’s what I hope for all of us this Holiday season- healing.

The fight against the Santa Susana Field Lab (SSFL) is exhausting, emotionally and mentally, and for some of us, even physically exhausting. I know lots of people in our group are battling diseases likely caused by the SSFL’s contamination while others are caregivers or are mourning those they lost. Some of us are worn out from the ups and downs of the battle. Some of us are worn out just from reading the emails and Facebook posts!

I want to let you know that I get it. I understand. I am exhausted too. This has not been an easy journey because we live here. It’s not a hypothetical problem in a faraway land. This is our home. Every nuance of the SSFL cleanup has the potential to impact our families, our wildlife, and our environment.

The best thing about the Santa Susana Field Lab has been the amazing people who have joined forces with us. It’s not just me, Jeni, Denise (with Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles), and Dan (with Committee to Bridge the Gap).

It’s all of you who have been lights in dark moments. Some of you read our complicated emails and contacted your elected officials. Some of you took the time to watch our long webinars. Some of you sent donations. Some of you came to our events. Some of you shared your expertise. Some of you have shared messages of encouragement with us.

That’s how we’ve stayed strong enough to bear the disappointments. It’s been the outpouring of love and support and encouragement from our community for the work we’re doing. Because we’ve been through some incredible disappointments this year.

Jeni and I weren’t involved in this fight in 2007 when the groundbreaking cleanup agreement was first signed between Boeing and the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) to clean the SSFL to a “Residential with Garden” standard. I wasn’t there in 2010 when an even stronger cleanup agreement was signed between the DTSC, NASA, and the Department of Energy which mandated a clean-up to background levels of contamination. Losing the 2007 cleanup agreement this year was incredibly hard for Jeni and me, but I know for some of you it was worse because you were there when it was first signed. You waited for fifteen years for the complete cleanup to happen. It never did.

DTSC and Boeing’s new “Settlement Agreement” wiped away every good aspect of the original 2007 cleanup agreement. As a consolation, they promised to start the new cleanup right away. They also promised it would be completed quicker, cheaper, and with less disruption to the environment compared to the original agreement. Of course, that’s because the new agreement will leave 90-95% of the contaminated soil on site permanently, saving Boeing millions of dollars. To rub salt in the wound, they acted like we should be shaking their hand and thanking them for it.

The day they announced the Settlement Agreement, I actually felt sick to my stomach. Jeni did too. We already knew that DTSC wasn’t going to enforce the original agreement or they would have done it years ago. We thought maybe they would make a compromise with Boeing, though we weren’t happy about the idea. We obviously need the most comprehensive cleanup possible in order to protect the health of our children, wildlife, and the environment. But what DTSC and Boeing did was worse than we imagined possible. And then they sunk lower.

Seven years ago not many people knew about the SSFL, and many who did incorrectly believed that the contamination from the site impacted a relatively small amount of people living nearby. A federally-funded study by the University of Michigan found a 60% higher cancer incidence rate for people living within two miles of the SSFL, compared to five miles. There isn’t a magic fence stopping the contamination at two miles.

People started learning about the SSFL after the Woolsey Fire began on the SSFL property and folks expressed concerns about contamination being mobilized by the fire and potentially dispersed offsite through ash and wind. An independent study confirmed these fears when it found radioactive ash nine miles away (it’s assumed the radioactive ash went much further but the study only examined a nine-mile radius from the SSFL). People were worried because they realized the contamination from the site can reach the larger community. 

When Boeing and the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board (LARWQCB) reached a “Memorandum of Understanding” (MOU) this year, after the Settlement Agreement, residents of Ventura County were shocked and outraged because they saw how the SSFL’s contamination could reach their homes on a daily basis through their facet. That’s been a real risk over the decades of the site being contaminated with radioactive and chemical fires, spills, leaks, and explosions but it was the first time people saw the truth so blatantly. The MOU highlighted the fact that the headwaters of the Los Angeles River begin at the Santa Susana Field Lab and together with the Calleguas Creek Watershed the contamination can reach the Pacific Ocean. That includes radioactive waste, “forever” chemicals and toxic metals. We had hundreds of supporters sign up to speak against the MOU at the LARWQCB hearing. The board voted no anyhow, activating the Settlement Agreement at the same time.

It was devastating. But just when things seemed the bleakest, we found strength from unforeseen sources.

Jeff Ruch, an environmental lawyer with the nonprofit Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), took charge of filing a lawsuit against DTSC and Boeing for violating a California law called CEQA. We joined the lawsuit, along with Physicians for Social Responsibility- Los Angeles. We’ll keep you posted on the progress.

Next, we met a surprising ally. Former LARWQCB chairman, Lawrence Yee reached out. He had questioned the Settlement Agreement and MOU when on the board and was pressured to resign because of it. He’s been a formidable supporter of the cleanup since.

Another unexpected source of encouragement was attending the two “Toxic Tours” hosted by Physicians for Social Responsibility- Los Angeles (PSR-LA). Jeni and I joined dozens of other impacted community members from environmental justice sites across Los Angeles and the Central Valley.DTSC Director Dr. Meredith Williams, members of her staff, and members of the new Board of Environmental Safety also joined the tour. We packed into a bus and toured contaminated communities. We were surprised to see the similarities across the sites. It was heartbreaking but validating to learn we’re not the only community opposing the DTSC. Working with PSR-LA’s group, and separately with the California Environmental Justice Coalition, we’ve decided to add fighting for DTSC reform to our list of tasks. Not only is DTSC reform important to our fight for the SSFL cleanup, but we believe itcan help protect other communities across California. The community leaders in these two California groups, as well as the people we’ve met in the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability, have been a source of inspiration and support to Jeni and me.

The reason we’re even standing as a group, as young and as scrappy as we are, is that we have been standing on the shoulders of giants and I’d like to take a moment to mention a few of them. Of course, you know about our mentors Denise Duffield and Dan Hirsch. Dan has been in the fight for the cleanup since day one, over forty years ago. He’s donated countless hours of technical consulting, leadership, and expertise. Denise has guided us with her courage, her friendship, and insight. We don’t want to forget the cleanup advocates that courageously came before us and blazed the path we now find ourselves on, as well as those who have recently joined the cause.*

There have been other moments this year that we pulled strength from. An investigative report by Reuters independently confirmed that Boeing’s new agreement will leave 90-95% of the contaminated soil behind. A four-page story in People Magazine helped educate people across the nation about the SSFL. Best of all, the documentary following the SSFL cleanup fight, “In the Dark of the Valley,” was nominated for an Emmy in the “Best Social Justice Documentary” category.

It’s people like you, the support from other communities and nonprofits, and small victories that have made Jeni and I strong enough to keep swimming against the tide. We have to. We don’t want the Santa Susana Field Lab contamination to hurt generations of children.

Thank you for being there for us this year, and we look forward to next year by your side,

Melissa Bumstead and Jeni Knack
Parents Against Santa Susana Field Lab

* We’re thankful for so many, including Marie Mason, Holly Huff, Dawn Kowalski, Dr. Robert Dodge, Bonnie Klea, William Preston-Bowling, Jessica Gessel, Joel Grover, Cindi, Dorrie Raskin, John Pace, Richard Matthews, D’Laine Blaze, Linda Parks, Sheila Kuehl, Rep. Julia Brownley, Rep. Brad Sherman, and more recent advocates including Dr. Marco Kaltofen, Maggie and Arnie Gundersen, Lauren Hammersley, Dr. Bravo-Martinez, Marisa Lopez, Ruth Luevanos, Janet, Adam, Jen, Carmi, Haakon, Audrey, Julie, Amy, Tiffany, Steve, Deva, Judi, Melissa and Jeni’s family, and many others.