CLEANUP PANEL MEETING CANCELED; MOVE SPURS FEARS ROCKETDYNE WORK GROUP MAY BE DISBANDED.Byline: Lisa Mascaro Daily News Staff Writer Organizers of the public work group monitoring cleanup of Rocketdyne's Santa Susana Santa Susana can refer to several places:
The chairman of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory work group said in a letter to members that it is time to re-evaluate the group's effectiveness in looking after the $55 million toxic cleanup, and scheduled a private meeting with a facilitator in October. ``We're a little upset,'' said resident Barbara Johnson Barbara Johnson (b. 1947) is an American literary critic and translator. She is currently a Professor of English and Comparative Literature and the Frederic Wertham Professor of Law and Psychiatry in Society at Harvard University. , one of four community members on the group. ``Let's save the money you're going to spend on a facilitator and get some real work done.'' However, organizers of the meeting said various concerns have been raised during the panel's 10-year history and it would be helpful to reconsider re·con·sid·er v. re·con·sid·ered, re·con·sid·er·ing, re·con·sid·ers v.tr. 1. To consider again, especially with intent to alter or modify a previous decision. 2. how the work group operates and what it could do better. ``What we've done is substitute a meeting in October that will allow the work group to address ongoing concerns about the functioning of the group,'' said Vicky Semones, a work group member and community involvement coordinator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), independent agency of the U.S. government, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1970 to reduce and control air and water pollution, noise pollution, and radiation and to ensure the safe handling and , the lead agency for the work group. ``It is not the EPA's intention to disband dis·band v. dis·band·ed, dis·band·ing, dis·bands v.tr. To dissolve the organization of (a corporation, for example). v.intr. 1. this work group.'' She said resources prohibited the group from holding both its regularly scheduled public meeting tonight and an additional meeting to discuss issues particular to the group's operations. Items to be discussed in October could include who is part of the work group and how its meetings are conducted, Semones said. ``We have no preconceived notion Noun 1. preconceived notion - an opinion formed beforehand without adequate evidence; "he did not even try to confirm his preconceptions" parti pris, preconceived idea, preconceived opinion, preconception, prepossession what will come out of that meeting, only that the work group will continue in some shape or form,'' she said. But some work group members and local political leaders are concerned that the meeting could lead to the dismantling dis·man·tle tr.v. dis·man·tled, dis·man·tling, dis·man·tles 1. a. To take apart; disassemble; tear down. b. of the work group. ``They canceled it without good reason,'' said state Sen. Cathie Wright, R-Simi Valley, among a group of local legislators who have long supported the work group. ``I don't think that's fair to the people.'' For nearly 10 years, the Years, The the seven decades of Eleanor Pargiter’s life. [Br. Lit.: Benét, 1109] See : Time work group has been meeting to monitor cleanup activities at Rocketdyne, where a federally funded toxic cleanup of the rocket test site's operations is under way. The group is made up of four community members and representatives from various state and federal public agencies involved with the cleanup. The group has no authority in the cleanup operation, but is responsible for receiving information about cleanup activities and sharing it with the community. The work group has gone on hiatus hiatus /hi·a·tus/ (hi-a´tus) [L.] an opening, gap, or cleft.hia´tal aortic hiatus the opening in the diaphragm through which the aorta and thoracic duct pass. from time to time over the decade, but has been meeting quarterly for most of the past few years. Community member Dan Hirsch said he was concerned that private meetings could replace public ones after being told that holding conference calls was one of the options up for discussion. However, Semones said conference calls are just one forum, among many, that could be used to share information among group members. |
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