•Since 1990, the Santa Susana Field Laboratory Interagency Workgroup has met to encourage communication between members of the public and the regulatory agencies involved in the cleanup of the 2,849-acre site. •The group is funded by the Environmental Protection Agency, which would prefer the financial responsibility go to the owners of the property: Boeing Co., NASA and the Department of Energy. •For now, the EPA has stated it will continue to pay the cost of the work group, but it is looking for a deal to be struck between the responsible parties and the state. Despite earlier signals to the contrary, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will continue to fund a community work group that for nearly 20 years has informed the public about activities at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory.

"We are funding the group and we will continue funding the group," said Nicole Moutoux, EPA project manager. "There are no plans to stop doing that. There's no deadline."

In January, local officials and residents were concerned that the EPA intended to pull its longtime support for the public oversight group, which meets on a quarterly basis to discuss the ongoing cleanup at the former rocket engine testing and nuclear research facility in the hills two miles south of Simi. In response, area leaders took action, sending letters to the EPA urging that the agency maintain its financial commitment to the group.

On Feb. 9, U.S. Rep. Elton Gallegly (RThousand Oaks) wrote a letter to the EPA expressing "deep concern" over the agency's intention to end its administrative responsibility.

The congressman, who played a key role in the formation of the work group, told the Simi Valley Acorn it is "appropriate and essential" that the EPA continues to be involved in and financially support the meetings.

"I'm only interested in the end result, which means a transparent process that people can be confident that when they have a question, they are going to get an answer," Gallegly said. "Without this, the public's frustration and concerns would clearly be totally out of control."

Since 1990, the SSFL Interagency Workgroup has met to facilitate communication and coordination among the many regulatory agencies involved in the cleanup of the site and the public.

The work group has also helped the community understand site activities and participate in cleanup decisions.

Assemblymember Julia Brownley (D-Santa Monica) also sent letters to the EPA, including one on March 9 that was signed by Sen. Fran Pavley, former Sen. Sheila Kuehl, Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks and Los Angeles City Councilmember Greig Smith.

Louise Rishoff, district director for Brownley, agreed that the cleanup of the field lab must be guided by transparency and that the work group helps build a sense of trust with residents.

"The work group has been the single place where people could get full and accurate information and provide information back to the agencies that are making the decisions," said Rishoff, who's attended the meetings for nine years.

Despite concern that the work group might go unfunded, Moutoux said the EPA never intended to discontinue the meetings.

With the state taking the lead on the cleanup last year, the EPA attempted to pass its role of group facilitator onto the state's Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC)—the lead agency overseeing activities at the field lab.

The EPA was in conversation with the state for months, Moutoux said, and the state agreed in December to take over the administration of the work group with the understanding that the responsible parties—Boeing Co., NASA and the Department of Energy (DOE)—would pay the cost.

Those parties, however, decided they would not fund the group, and the state, which is in a budget crisis, couldn't afford to foot the bill itself, Moutoux said.

The work group costs about $60,000 annually, most of which goes to paying the facilitator and renting space at Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center for its meetings.

"As soon as we found that out from the state that they didn't think the responsible parties would cover it, we started looking for funding sources," Moutoux said, noting this took place only a few weeks prior to the work group's Feb. 26 meeting.

Perhaps due to the urging of local officials, the EPA agreed to continue funding the group using money it received from the DOE. As part of an interagency agreement signed in July last year, the energy department gave the EPA $1.7 million to begin work on a radiological survey of the Area IV portion of the field lab.

Eventually, Moutoux said, the EPA hopes that those groups responsible for the contamination at the field lab will pick up the bill.

"Our hope would be that the responsible parties would step up," she said. "That Boeing, DOE and NASA will cover this as part of the order they're negotiating with the state."

Kamara Sams, a spokesperson for Boeing, denied that the company had ever been approached about funding the work group.

She said Boeing was asked to stop participating in the work group in the late 1990s but she wasn't sure of the reason.

Despite the company's absence, Sams said, Boeing would like to attend the meetings and wants to see the work group continue.

"One of the things we are committed to is an open and positive dialogue with our community members and stakeholders," she said.

The DTSC has taken over coordination of the work group and will work with other group members to schedule meetings and set agendas, said Norm Riley, field lab project director for DTSC.