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DOE launches 'Connect' outreach series to share updates on cleanup at Santa Susana Field Laboratory
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Summary
At the first 'Connect' meeting, DOE officials outlined the outreach series' goals, said the sessions are informational (not hearings), and invited community feedback while previewing two identical presentations and future quarterly meetings.
Wendy Lowe opened the first of the Department of Energy's "Connect" community meetings, telling attendees the series—short for Community Outreach, Neighbor Notifications, Engagement, Collaboration and Training—is intended to provide information and create an ongoing dialogue about DOE's cleanup work at the Etech site in Area 4 of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory.
"My name is Wendy Wendy Lowe, and I will be facilitating this meeting tonight," she said, and asked participants to "listen with curiosity" and treat one another with respect. Lowe noted the sessions are not formal public hearings and are not intended to support regulatory decisions; they are informational and designed to solicit feedback on meeting design and topics.
Dr. Josh Mengers, DOE's federal project director and site manager for the Etech cleanup, said the series aims to strengthen relationships with neighbors, provide timely updates on cleanup work, and solicit community suggestions about future topics and meeting cadence. "We're going to host these periodically," Mengers said, proposing quarterly meetings but inviting attendees to suggest frequency and topics via feedback cards or a QR code.
Mengers placed Etech within the Office of Environmental Management's portfolio, describing EM as "the world's largest environmental cleanup program" and emphasizing safety as the core principle guiding remediation decisions at Area 4. He said the session would include two identical presentations and opportunities for questions following each.
The presenters invited community input on what additional information or events would be helpful and said DOE will review the feedback it receives. The department also reminded attendees that archival monitoring data and annual site environmental reports are available on DOE's website.
Next steps: DOE plans to continue the Connect series, solicit written feedback from attendees, and hold repeated informational sessions to follow the cleanup progress and address community questions.
