April 11, Waste Management submitted a detailed application with extensive background information and engineering details to the Ventura County Planning Department to begin a process for approval to modernize and expand existing operations at the Simi Valley Landfill and Recycling Center.

We propose to add to our recycling operations, increase our green-power program, expand the buffer area surrounding the landfill and increase waste-disposal capabilities to serve our customers well into the future.

Some residents have expressed concern that they will be left out of the process. I would like all county residents, especially those who live in Simi Valley, to know that the formal community input process has not yet started.

Despite what you may have read or heard, you have my commitment that everyone who has an interest in our proposed project will have multiple opportunities to be heard.

The county Planning Department will lead the public input process, which is established by the California Environmental Quality Act. Waste Management is committed to upholding the standards set by CEQA "to develop and maintain a high-quality environment now and in the future." For nearly 40 years, this process, and the checks and balances it provides, have protected the interests of all Californians by clarifying and adding transparency to the process.

It has also been good for project owners by pinpointing in advance those areas that could become community or environmental problems and ensuring that these are addressed in the initial planning, instead of through later retrofits or remodels.

The CEQA process will begin once our application is confirmed to be complete by the Planning Department. County confirmation of completeness is now pending a revised application to address requests by county staff for more information. Thirty days after our application was submitted, we were notified that more information was needed to fully and fairly evaluate our request. Then, after another 30 days, we received a second request for more information regarding another project element.

It is customary for additional information to be requested when complex projects such as this one are being evaluated. It is also proof that the process is working.

The product of a CEQA review process is an environmental impact report. We anticipate that the EIR will take about a year for a neutral, third-party consultant to put together. It will provide the most comprehensive information about the project and also point out issues that will be most important for Waste Management to address.

After the technical studies of an EIR are completed, a draft of the entire document is made available. Sometime in 2008, county residents (and any other interested parties) will be encouraged to read the document and provide comments and feedback. All of this input will be addressed in the final EIR and be part of the project's public record.

The public record is critical to the county Board of Supervisors, who must consider all public input before voting for or against the project.

There is plenty of time in this process for the community to weigh in — and Waste Management very much wants to hear all citizens' thoughts on the project. We look forward to having a thorough public discussion. As soon as we get word from the county that our initial application is complete enough to start the EIR, we will begin a series of presentations to community groups.

Additionally, we invite you to come and take a tour of our facility and learn firsthand about our plans. You can contact us — and learn more about the project — at our Web site: www.keepingventuracountyclean.com.

We encourage all county residents to get as much information as possible, so that when our application is complete, they can help us make this the very best project possible — and make it one that meets the needs of all of Ventura County as well as the Simi Valley community.

— Mike Smith is the general manager of Waste Management of Ventura County.