Just a few days ago, on May 9^th, the Department of Energy (DOE) and its National Nuclear Security Administration announced that virtual public “scoping” meetings would be held next week about their plans to prepare a nationwide Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Plutonium Pit Production (PEIS). DOE and NNSA are working to turn Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) into a manufacturing facility for plutonium triggers, or pits, for nuclear weapons.  DOE’s Notice of Intent to Prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Plutonium Pit Production, published in the Federal Register.  https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/05/09/2025-08140/notice-of-intent-to-prepare-a-programmatic-environmental-impact-statement-for-plutonium-pit

You have the opportunity to learn more about the DOE’s plans TODAY, May 22^nd, from 4 pm to 5:30 pm Mountain Time.  Our colleagues at Nuclear Watch New Mexico, Savannah River Site Watch, Tri-Valley Communities Against a Radioactive Environment (Tri-Valley CAREs) and the Union of Concerned Scientists will present DOE’s plans and what you can do about it.  The virtual workshop will be held on zoom at https://tinyurl.com/3tta9vey

The virtual workshop will feature:

• Talking points
• Suggested scoping comments
• Explanation of the procedural process
• Questions and answers with subject matter experts.

With this information, you can speak your mind at one or both of the upcoming meetings on the government’s plan to produce up to 120 new plutonium pits per year for nuclear weapons for the next 50 years.

The May 27^th and May 28^th public meetings are important because this is the first time since the 2006 to 2008 timeframe when the public will have the opportunity to comment on DOE’s nationwide plans for pit production. Over 100,000 public comments were submitted then.

Generally, the public has the opportunity to provide comments on DOE’s plan at the site level.  A recent example is the LANL Draft Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement.

Here’s some background on this process.  Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act – https://www.energy.gov/nepa/nepa-documents, Nuclear Watch New Mexico – https://nukewatch.org/home/ , Savannah River Site Watch –  https://srswatch.org/ and Tri-Valley CAREs – https://trivalleycares.org/ successfully sued the NNSA over its failure to complete a required nationwide PEIS for its most costly program ever, the expanded production of plutonium “pit” bomb cores.  https://nukewatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Lawsuit-Compels-Nationwide-Public-Review-of-Plutonium-Bomb-Core-Production.pdf

PLEASE NOTE:  No future production is to maintain the safety and reliability of the existing nuclear weapons stockpile. Instead, all pit production will be for new design nuclear weapons.

To meet its enforced legal obligation, the DOE is holding two virtual “scoping” meetings on Tuesday, May 27^th from 3:00 pm – 5:30 pm Mountain Time and Wednesday, May 28^th from 5 pm – 7:30 pm Mountain Time.

The current deadline for comments is Monday, July 14, 2025.  According to the Federal Register notice, these dates and times may change.

1. Join us on Friday, May 23^rd from noon to 1 pm at the intersection of East Alameda and Sandoval for the weekly one-hour peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament and against expanded plutonium pit production at LANL. Join the weekly peaceful protest with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others. Bring your flags, signs and banners in support of nuclear weapons disarmament.

2. STREAMING FREE ON PBS – THE VOW FROM HIROSHIMA with Setsuko Thurlow who survived the 1945 atomic destruction of her hometown, Hiroshima, and vowed to help rid the world of those weapons and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vow-from-hiroshima-awxbyw/

3. Saturday, May 31^st from 7 to 10 am – Defend the U.S. Constitution Rally at 5006 Gibson Blvd. SE, Albuquerque. Rally in solidarity alongside Veterans for Peace, AFGE Local 2063, 50501 Veterans, American Opposition, and Indivisible ABQ.  Bring signs showing your support for the U.S. Constitution, our VA, and LGBTQIA2S+ involvement in our military. Stand along both sides of Gibson between San Mateo & Truman, waving signs at traffic as the annual Air Fiesta commences on Kirtland Air Force Base.

 ARRIVE EARLY. Gates open at 8am.  Link to VFP Memorial Day weekend events—- https://mobilize.us/s/7HVkUT

4. Sunday, June 1^st – Save Our VA Rally with VA Unions on Gibson in Albuquerque. See this post next Friday, May 30^th for more information. 

5. APPLY BEFORE JUNE 1, 2025:

#Hiroshima Prefecture and the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (#ICAN) will hold the Hiroshima-ICAN Academy on Nuclear Weapons and Global Security 2025.  This year’s overall theme is “Building peace in times of change,” as armed conflict rages in many places around the world today.

Application process is open till June 1, 2025.
https://www.icanw.org/2025_hiroshima_ican_academy

6. SAVE THE DATE – SATURDAY, JULY 19^TH – 46^TH ANNUAL URANIUM TAILINGS SPILL COMMEMORATION. https://swuraniumimpacts.org/

If you haven’t already signed the electronic petition to STOP Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) plans to vent large quantities of radioactive tritium into the air beginning on or after June 2^nd, 2025, there’s still time.

Access the petition at https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/petition-to-deny-lanls-request-to-release-radioactive-tritium-into-the-air  The text of the petition is also available at https://nuclearactive.org/sign-electronic-petition-to-halt-lanl-plans-to-vent-radioactive-tritium-in-early-june/

Nuclear Watch New Mexico, Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety, and the Communities for Clean Water created the petition directed to New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and New Mexico Environment Department Secretary James Kenney.  Currently, the only roadblock to venting is that LANL needs a “Temporary Authorization” from the Environment Department, which could happen soon.

Tritium is a form of hydrogen that forms radioactive water in the environment.  It can cross the placenta, and fetuses, babies and children may receive a radiation dose about three times greater than adults.  To read the three reports commissioned by Tewa Women United and the Communities for Clean Water about the proposed venting, go to:  https://www.ccwnewmexico.org/general-2

Further, on May 14^th, the Communities for Clean Water sent a five-page letter to Secretary Kenney requesting a 60-day public comment period about LANL’s request for a temporary authorization.  They argue that five years have passed since LANL initially made the request, the publicly available information needs to be updated and the data is insufficient to determine the need for and risks associated with the venting.

Virtual Scoping Meetings for Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Plutonium Pit Production on May 27^th and May 28^th

In the meantime, on May 9^th the Department of Energy (DOE) and the semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security Administration issued its Notice of Intent to Prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, or PEIS, for Plutonium Pit Production.  The proposed PEIS would cover plutonium pit production operations at LANL; the Savannah River Site near Aiken, South Carolina; the Pantex Site near Amarillo, Texas; the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee; and the Nevada Test Site, north of Las Vegas, Nevada.  https://www.energy.gov/nepa/doeeis-0573-plutonium-pit-production-multiple-locations and https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/05/09/2025-08140/notice-of-intent-to-prepare-a-programmatic-environmental-impact-statement-for-plutonium-pit

The first step is for DOE to solicit public comments on the scope of the review, the environmental issues associated with pit production, and alternatives to it.

The virtual public scoping meeting dates and times, with hyper links and dial in by phone, are:

• Tuesday, May 27, 2025, 3 – 5:30 p.m. Mountain Time – https://bit.ly/​PuPEISMtg1.  Dial in by Phone: (571) 429-4592. Phone conference ID: 808 821 801#.
• Wednesday, May 28, 2025, 5 – 7:30 p.m. Mountain time – https://bit.ly/​PuPEISMtg2. Dial in by Phone: (571) 429-4592. Phone conference ID: 989 289 432#.

The current deadline for comments is Monday, July 14, 2025.  According to the Federal Register notice, these dates and times may change.

1. Join us on Friday, May 16^th from noon to 1 pm at the intersection of East Alameda and Sandoval for the weekly one-hour peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament and against expanded plutonium pit production at LANL. Join the weekly peaceful protest with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others. Bring your flags, signs and banners in support of nuclear weapons disarmament.

2. STREAMING FREE ON PBS – THE VOW FROM HIROSHIMA with Setsuko Thurlow who survived the 1945 atomic destruction of her hometown, Hiroshima, and vowed to help rid the world of those weapons and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vow-from-hiroshima-awxbyw/

3. APPLY BEFORE JUNE 1, 2025:

#Hiroshima Prefecture and the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (#ICAN) will hold the Hiroshima-ICAN Academy on Nuclear Weapons and Global Security 2025.  This year’s overall theme is “Building peace in times of change,” as armed conflict rages in many places around the world today.

Application process is open till June 1, 2025.
https://www.icanw.org/2025_hiroshima_ican_academy

4. Launching the 2025 Global Anti-Militarism Agenda Campaign: Join the #Stillhere-Coalition virtually on May 16 and May 18!!

   Wars of aggression, military occupations, severe sanctions, and a staggering rise in military posturing and base construction around the world are a defining aspect of the world today. But the world is also full of rising militancy and mass actions for peace against the aggressive US-led war machine.

   In light of the ever-growing militarization of US-led war and the ever-growing resistance to militarism around the world, the Resist US-Led War Movement will re-launch its Anti-Militarism Agenda, a broad-ranged and multi-issue campaign platform constructed over years of experience and collaboration with its members and partners as a road map for strengthening the global peace movement through shared campaigns.

   The launch will feature speakers from the organizations whose struggles have given life to the agenda and to global anti-militarism struggles.

 Learn about how we can work on the campaign together and how the Anti Militarism Agenda will be carried out through collaborative and coordinated campaigns on the ground against global targets that, together, we can defeat!

   There will be two launch events to accommodate different time zones:

   Launch 1 on Friday May 16 at 7pm Mountain
   tinyurl.com/amalaunchmay16

   Launch 2 on Sunday May 18 at 9am Mountain
   tinyurl.com/amalaunchmay18

Share with your networks:
IG: https://www.instagram.com/p/DJPX3eYPipu/?img_index=1
FB: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1At8fcBCEs/
X: https://x.com/ResistUSLedWar/status/1919084991796953116

Printable flyer: https://www.canva.com/design/DAGmgCrkqh0/6i2bIKBZ0NrxdrjcpdQV0Q/edit?utm_content=DAGmgCrkqh0&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) plans to vent large quantities of radioactive tritium into the air beginning on or after June 2^nd, 2025.  Tritium is a form of hydrogen that forms radioactive water in the environment.  It can cross the placenta and fetuses, babies and children may receive a radiation dose about three times greater than adults.   

The New Mexico Environment Department is currently reviewing LANL’s request to vent.

Nuclear Watch New Mexico, Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety, and the Communities for Clean Water have created an electronic Action Network petition you can sign to halt the proposed plan. https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/petition-to-deny-lanls-request-to-release-radioactive-tritium-into-the-air

The petition is directed to New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and New Mexico Environment Department Secretary James Kenney.  It reads as follows:

“Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) plans to begin large releases of radioactive tritium gas any time after June 2, 2025. The only roadblock is that LANL needs a ‘Temporary Authorization’ from the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED), which could happen soon. Below are the facts:

“Why the rush? LANL has explicitly stated, ‘There is no urgency for this project beyond the broader mission goals to reduce onsite waste liabilities.’
“LANL claims need the need to vent based on modeling, not physical sampling of container headspace.
“LANL proposes to vent up to 3 grams of tritium, [or approximately 30,000 curies] over the span of a few days and possibly over a single day. This is THE SAME AMOUNT of tritium as Japan is dumping into the Pacific Ocean over the span of 30 years from the tsunami and nuclear reactor explosions at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. In total, as much as 90,000 curies, three times the Fukushima amount – may be emitted, though not more than 30,000 curies in any single year.
“One teaspoon of tritiated water, [or HTO] can contaminate around 100 billion gallons of water.
   “When calculating the risk, LANL only does so for adults – they are not required to do so for children, infants or pregnant women/fetuses – ignoring the real impact on our communities. The author of one report, Bernd Franke, stated, ‘In the case of tritium, infants and small children get a radiation dose about three times greater than adults, with the same concentrations of tritium in air, water, and food.’”

It is time for action!  Please sign the Action Network petition opposing the proposed venting TODAY!

Please share this Update with your contacts and encourage them to sign the Action Network on-line petition.  https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/petition-to-deny-lanls-request-to-release-radioactive-tritium-into-the-air

1. Join us on Friday, May 9^th from noon to 1 pm at the intersection of East Alameda and Sandoval for the weekly one-hour peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament and against expanded plutonium pit production at LANL. Join the weekly peaceful protest with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others. Bring your flags, signs and banners in support of nuclear weapons disarmament.

2. STREAMING FREE ON PBS – THE VOW FROM HIROSHIMA with Setsuko Thurlow who survived the 1945 atomic destruction of her hometown, Hiroshima, and vowed to help rid the world of those weapons and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vow-from-hiroshima-awxbyw/

During the early days of the pandemic, on March 10, 2020, LANL mailed a notice to people on the facility mailing list about the proposed venting of radioactive tritium into the air from four metal containers stored at Area G. LANL’s request provided information about its plan to seek temporary authorization to vent from the New Mexico Environment Department, specifically from the Hazardous Waste Bureau. UTF-820200310 Resubmit Temp Authorization FTWC Venting LA-UR-20-22103

Use of the facility mailing list is a notification process for people who want to know about the LANL plans.  The public may sign up on the Hazardous Bureau’s website in order to receive a mailed written notice. https://www.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/lanl-permit/ , scroll down to LANL Hazardous Waste Facility Permit Mailing List and follow the instructions.

OR

Please notify Siona Briley by email at siona.briley@env.nm.gov , or by postal mail at Siona Briley, New Mexico Environment Department-Hazardous Waste Bureau, 2905 Rodeo Park East, Bldg. 1, Santa Fe, NM 87505. Please include your name, email (preferred communication method to save resources) or postal mailing address, and organization, if any.

Five years later, on April 9^th, 2025, the public received email notification from LANL’s Electronic Public Reading Room that the proposed venting would be done on or after June 2, 2025.

• Notification of Planned Start of a Radiological Air Emissions Point Source: Remediation of Flanged Tritium Waste Containers (FTWC) at TA-54

Importantly, the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and the New Mexico Hazardous Waste Act provide regulatory distinctions between a mailing to those on facility mailing list and those who receive an email through the Electronic Public Reading Room.

CCNS is on both notice lists.  We received both the March 10^th, 2020 Facility Mailing List notice and the April 9^th, 2025 Electronic Public Reading Room notice.

The Environment Department is reviewing the request to determine whether to grant or deny it.  Once the decision is made, people on the Facility Mailing List will receive notice through the mail.  Parties will then have thirty days to appeal the decision to the New Mexico Environmental Improvement Board.  https://www.env.nm.gov/opf/environmental-improvement-board/

CCNS and the Communities for Clean Water < https://www.ccwnewmexico.org/general-2 > urge the Environment Department to require LANL to host hybrid public meetings now in frontline communities before making a decision for the following reasons:

• it has been five years since the first notice;
• many aspects of the proposal have changed, including the significant reduction in the amount of tritium from 100,000 curies five years ago to 30,000 curies today;
• LANL has not publicly provided the technical reasons for the change;
• LANL provided a list of 53 alternatives to the Environmental Protection Agency. Despite multiple requests from Tewa Women United, neither federal agency has provided the alternatives list; and
• five years is typically a regulatory time period for review of proposed or on-going activities.

It is time for action!

Please communicate with your family and friends and encourage them to sign the Action Network on-line petition directed to Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and the Environment Department Secretary James Kenney requesting denial of LANL’s request.

Online Petition: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/petition-to-deny-lanls-request-to-release-radioactive-tritium-into-the-air
Nuclear Watch New Mexico Fact Sheet: https://nukewatch.org/why-nmed-should-deny-lanls-request-for-tritium-releases

1. Join us on Friday, May 2^nd from noon to 1 pm at the intersection of East Alameda and Sandoval for the weekly one-hour peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament and against expanded plutonium pit production at LANL. Join the weekly peaceful protest with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others. Bring your flags, signs and banners in support of nuclear weapons disarmament.

2. STREAMING FREE ON PBS – THE VOW FROM HIROSHIMA with Setsuko Thurlow who survived the 1945 atomic destruction of her hometown, Hiroshima, and vowed to help rid the world of those weapons and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vow-from-hiroshima-awxbyw/

3. Saturday, May 3^rd from 10 am to 4 pm – Dust off your hiking boots and pull out your work gloves to help clean up the Caja del Rio. Join Conservation Voters New Mexico, the Caja del Rio Coalition and partners to restore the landscape.  If you want to join, RSVP here. Then meet at USFS Headquarters Well Trailhead, Forest Rd 24, Santa Fe, NM 87507.

All materials for the clean-up event will be supplied by the Caja del Rio Coalition and/or its partners, except for gloves and outdoor gear. Lunch will be provided, but it’s important to bring any additional snacks and water to keep you energized throughout the day.

4. Saturday, May 3^rd in the afternoon at Site Santa Fe – Artists Against the Bomb Billboard Project, a collaborative project supported by Estudio Pedro Reyes and the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). Also showing is DIRECT ACTION: Pedro Reyes.  https://www.sitesantafe.org/en/exhibitions/billboard-project-pedro-reyes/ and https://www.sitesantafe.org/en/exhibitions/pedro-reyes-direct-action/

5. Thursday, May 8^th from 12 – 1:30 pm in The Small Auditorium, CFA – New Mexico’s Nuclear Weapons Boom Community Reading & Conversation 

Join Tewa Women United for an open conversation about recent developments in nuclear activity across New Mexico, inspired by the New Yorker article by Abe Streep, “New Mexico’s Nuclear Weapons Boom.” This powerful piece highlights the growing role of the nuclear industry in our region — and features stories about Northern New Mexico College students and academic programs. We’ll be joined by special guest Alicia Inez Guzmán of Searchlight New Mexico, an investigative journalist who covers nuclear issues and the industry’s local impact. Come learn, share, and be part of the dialogue about our future.

The Northern NM College host contact information:

Tobe Bott-Lyons tobe.bottlyons@nnmc.edu

Johanna Case-Hofmeister johanna.case@nnmc.edu

the bomb is a groundbreaking multimedia installation that immerses audiences in the strange, compelling and unsettling reality of nuclear weapons.  Since General Groves and Robert Oppenheimer arrived in New Mexico in late 1942 to establish the Manhattan Project, the danger has only increased.  The world is confronted by the nine nations that possess about 12,000 nuclear weapons.  And those nations are modernizing their arsenals, including the United States at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), the only facility with the capabilities to fabricate the triggers, or pits, for nuclear weapons.

During this time artists have played an increasing vital role in confronting the nuclear threat.  They capture its dangers, its absurdities and the ever-present sense of impending nuclear catastrophe.

the bomb is presented in three parts:  a one-hour long film, a two-day symposium and a month-long installation exhibit, all taking place at or near the Zimmerman Library on the University of New Mexico (UNM) campus. There is no admission fee.  The events will not be livestreamed. UTF-8UNM_THE BOMB UNIVERSITY TOUR Press Release

the bomb was created by Smriti Keshari and Eric Schlosser and is on an international tour.  The stop at UNM is unique in that the lectures, class visits and the exhibition focus on university students.

On Wednesday, April 30^th, the bomb, a one-hour long film, places the viewer in the middle of the nuclear weapons story – from the July 16, 1945 Trinity Test in New Mexico to the threats to destroy all life on Planet Earth.  It has been described as “stunning…unique and dazzling” by Entertainment Weekly, and “not so much a film as it is an experience…haunting…unsettling…as immersive as it gets” by Newsweek.  The 5:30 PM screening of the bomb will be in George Pearl Hall 101.  https://www.thebombnow.com/

A two-day symposium on the bomb will be held on Wednesday, April 30^th and Thursday, May 1^st.  Alicia Inez Guzmán will give the keynote lecture about “Epifania’s Story: A Local Reporter’s Quest to Reveal a 50-year-old Secret,” about a woman living in Truchas who did not work at LANL, but was contaminated with LANL plutonium. https://searchlightnm.org/buried-secrets-poisoned-bodies/  It will be followed by a gallery walk; panel discussions by artists, faculty, graduate students and undergraduate students; a post-screening discussion; and a writing workshop led by the filmmakers, which is reserved for UNM journalism students.  https://honors.unm.edu/news/events/the-bomb.html, scroll down for the schedule.

The third piece is the bomb Exhibit from April 30^th through May 30^th at the Zimmerman Library, Room 102.   The full schedule is Wednesday, April 30; Fridays in May:  the 9^th, 16^th, 23^rd and 30^th.  https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerque-metro/university-of-new-mexico-to-host-exhibit-on-nuclear-history-technology-weapons/

The exhibit at UNM has been coordinated by Myrriah Gómez, Associate Professor in the Honors College; Sachi Barnaby, an Honors College undergraduate student; and Mel Ribas, the senior operations manager of the University Libraries.  https://honors.unm.edu/news/events/the-bomb.html

Stay informed about the tour and upcoming locations by visiting https://www.thebombnow.com/

1. Join us on Friday, April 25^th from noon to 1 pm at the intersection of East Alameda and Sandoval for the weekly one-hour peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament and against expanded plutonium pit production at LANL. Join the weekly peaceful protest with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others. Bring your flags, signs and banners in support of nuclear weapons disarmament.

2. Friday, April 25^th from 5 pm to 7:30 pm – Voces del Pueblo: Artists of the Levantamiento Chicano in New Mexico at the National Hispanic Cultural Center Art Museum (April 25, 2025 to February 8, 2026). Listen to the Raíces interview on Monday, April 21^st at 7:30 pm about the exhibit on KUNM-FM’s Online two-week audio archive.  https://www.kunm.org/two-week-archive

3. Saturday, April 26^th from 9 am to 5 pm – Second Annual WIPP Plutonium Trail Caravan from Santa Fe to Las Vegas, NM and back to protest the continued dumping of toxic chemical and radioactive waste in NM by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and its contractors.

 Join us at the southwest corner of De Vargas Mall on Paseo de Peralta to load and go to I-25 to the Plaza in Las Vegas, NM and with a stop at the Lamy Train Station on the return trip.   

If you are unable to attend, please be sure to sign the Stop Forever WIPP petition to NM’s Governor – available in English and Spanish – to ensure the Governor protects the People of New Mexico from DOE’s WIPP expansion plans.  https://stopforeverwipp.org/ and   https://form.jotform.com/251037013320135

For more information, see https://nuclearactive.org/second-annual-wipp-plutonium-trail-caravan-on-saturday-april-26th/ ; https://nuclearactive.org/saturday-april-26th-second-annual-wipp-plutonium-trail-caravan-from-santa-fe-to-las-vegas-new-mexico/

4. SHUT DOWN DRONE WARFARE – 16 Years of Drone Resistance – Join the Spring Action Week, Sunday, April 20^th to Saturday, April 26^th – Holloman Drone Training Base, Alamogordo, NM. For more information, https://www.shutdowndronewarfare.org/

5. Tuesday, April 29^th from 6 pm to 7:30 pm at New Mexico Veterans Memorial, 1100 Louisiana Blvd. SE, Albuquerque, NM – The Department of Energy (DOE) and Department of Defense (DOD) Semiannual Public Meeting about their environmental programs and activities at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) and Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB). sandia.gov/about/environment  For more information about SNL:  envinfo@sandia.gov; about KAFB:  377ABW.PA@kirtland.af.mil

6. Wednesday, April 30^th from 4 pm to 6 pm – Virtual and in-person WIPP Community Forum & Open House to provide an update on the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). Q&A to follow.  In-person meeting at the Skeen-Whitlock Building Auditorium, 4021 National Parks Hwy., Carlsbad, NM    Registration at  https://wipp.energy.gov/events-calendar.asp
   

ENGLISH FLYER HERE: https://wipp.energy.gov/Library/documents/2025/Indian_Country_043025.pdf

 SPANISH FLYER HERE: https://wipp.energy.gov/Library/documents/2025/Indian_Country-Spanish_043025.pdf

7. Thursday, May 1^st from 6 to 8 pm at the Nick Salazar Center for the Arts, Española, NM – First We Bombed New Mexico Film Screening and Panel Discussion. Join Tewa Women United for the acclaimed film, First We Bombed New Mexico, the hidden history of Trinity—the world’s first nuclear bomb detonation—carried out in New Mexico just one month prior to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The panel features: Lois Lipman, Director of First We Bombed New Mexico; Tina Cordova, Co-founder of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium, whose activism is featured in the film; and Nathana Bird, Interim Executive Director of Tewa Women United. We hope you will join us and bring a friend as we are trying to fill the theater and build momentum for the film. Also feel free to share with your networks, on social media posts and EJ connections. Check out flyer (attached) and the trailer for the film:  https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/878337794/a575bb471a

8. Saturday, May 3^rd from 10 am to 4 pm – Dust off your hiking boots and pull out your work gloves to help clean up the Caja del Rio. Join Conservation Voters New Mexico, the Caja del Rio Coalition and partners to restore the landscape. 

 If you want to join, RSVP here. Then meet at USFS Headquarters Well Trailhead, Forest Rd 24, Santa Fe, NM 87507.

All materials for the clean-up event will be supplied by the Caja del Rio Coalition and/or its partners, except for gloves and outdoor gear. Lunch will be provided, but it’s important to bring any additional snacks and water to keep you energized throughout the day.

9. Thursday, May 8^th from 12 – 1:30 pm in The Small Auditorium, CFA – New Mexico’s Nuclear Weapons Boom Community Reading & Conversation 

Join Tewa Women United for an open conversation about recent developments in nuclear activity across New Mexico, inspired by the New Yorker article by Abe Streep, “New Mexico’s Nuclear Weapons Boom.” This powerful piece highlights the growing role of the nuclear industry in our region — and features stories about Northern New Mexico College students and academic programs. We’ll be joined by special guest Alicia Inez Guzmán of Searchlight New Mexico, an investigative journalist who covers nuclear issues and the industry’s local impact. Come learn, share, and be part of the dialogue about our future.

Here is the Northern NM College host contact information as well:

Tobe Bott-Lyons tobe.bottlyons@nnmc.edu

Johanna Case-Hofmeister johanna.case@nnmc.edu

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) promised the People of New Mexico that it would cleanup and dispose of its plutonium-contaminated nuclear bomb waste by depositing it into the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) over 25 years and close.  DOE broke its promise when that deadline passed on March 26^th, 2024. But DOE has a new plan to keep the deep geologic nuclear waste disposal facility at WIPP open for 60 more years for legacy bomb waste and for newly-generated bomb waste from fabricating new weapons.  https://wipp.energy.gov/

To alert the public about DOE’s plans, the Stop Forever WIPP Coalition will host the Second Annual WIPP Plutonium Caravan on Saturday, April 26^th beginning at 9 am at the DeVargas Mall in Santa Fe.  The Caravan will travel south on St. Francis Drive to Interstate 25 and towards Las Vegas, New Mexico with stops along the way.  You are invited to be part of the Caravan.  For more information, please visit https://stopforeverwipp.org/

Once in Las Vegas, the Caravan will stop at key locations to talk with people about the four-fold purpose of the Caravan to:

• alert those along the route of the ever increasing presence of the waste-hauling trucks;
• educate the public that DOE intends to continue hauling waste for at least 60 additional years;
• inform the public about the woefully inadequate emergency preparedness and response plans of the various jurisdictions to respond to a traffic accident involving plutonium-contaminated waste; and
• motivate the public to resist DOE’s plans by participating in the activities of the Stop Forever WIPP Coalition and by signing the petition to the New Mexico Governor.

Stops include the Tri-County Farmers’ Market and several retail stores and eateries.  On the return trip, the Caravan will travel south along Interstate 25, ending with a 5 pm presentation and press event at the Lamy Train Station.

On Saturday, April 19^th from 10 to 11 am on KFUN AM 1230 and KFUN FM 103.7, radio host Pat Leahan will interview John E. Wilks, Jr., the Caravan Project Manager, and Cynthia Weehler, founder of Fire on the Mountain, about the Caravan.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KFUN_(AM)

They also will discuss New Mexico Environment Department permit requirements for DOE to site and build a second repository outside of New Mexico, to prioritize disposal of transuranic waste generated in New Mexico, and to reserve a disposal panel for only legacy transuranic waste.  240924 NMED WIPP HazWaste Renewal Permit Conditions

Please join us.  Together we are making a difference!

1. Join us on Friday, April 18^th from noon to 1 pm at the intersection of East Alameda and Sandoval for the weekly one-hour peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament. Join the weekly peaceful protest with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others. Bring your flags, signs and banners in support of nuclear weapons disarmament.

2. Thursday, April 17^th from 5:30 pm to 8 pm at the New Mexico Veterans Memorial, 1100 Louisiana Blvd. SE – virtual and in-person – Kirtland Air Force Base Bulk Fuels Facility Project Public Meeting. The poster session will begin at 5:30 pm and the meeting will start at 6 pm.

Learn about the work to remove groundwater contamination caused by a historic leak at the old Base Bulk Fuels Facility.  Connect to the meeting by:

Option 1: Copy this url into your web browser: https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1608583654

Option 2: From ZoomGov App or meeting search on web-browser at zoomgov.com, enter Meeting ID: 160 858 3654.

Option 3: Telephone (audio only) – also use if computer speakers are not available.  Dial: (551) 285-1373 or (669) 254-5252. Spanish Assist line: (415) 449-4000.  Meeting ID: 160 858 3654.

Option 4: One tap mobile: 6692545252, 1608583654#

For more information, please contact 377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs at (505) 846-5991 or 377ABW.PA@us.af.mil. Community members may review Air Force Environmental Restoration Program documents by visiting the Kirtland AFB website at https://www.kirtland.af.mil/Home/Environment/ or the U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Center Administrative Record website at AF Administrative Record (https://ar.afcec-cloud.af.mil).

3. Saturday, April 19^th from 2 to 4 pm – Nonviolent Santa Fe WORKSHOP: “Exploring Nonviolence: Tools for Managing Conflict in Everyday Life” at the Buddhist Center Thubten Norbu Ling, 130 Rabbit Road, Santa Fe. Led by Buddhist teacher Don Handrick, Chaplain Wendy Rhema, and retired SF Firefighter Ramos Tsosie.  Please register by April 17 at NonviolentSantaFe@yahoo.com  For more information: https://nonviolentsantafe.org/     FLYER:UTF-82025-04-19 Exploring Nonviolence Workshop flier single

4. SHUT DOWN DRONE WARFARE – 16 Years of Drone Resistance – Join the Spring Action Week, Sunday, April 20^th to Saturday, April 26^th – Holloman Drone Training Base, Alamogordo, NM. For more information, https://www.shutdowndronewarfare.org/

5. Friday, April 25^th from 5 pm to 7:30 pm – Voces del Pueblo: Artists of the Levantamiento Chicano in New Mexico at the National Hispanic Cultural Center Art Museum (April 25, 2025 to February 8, 2026). 

6. Wednesday, April 30^th and Thursday, May 1^st – the bomb, a two-day symposium around a multimedia installation that immerses audiences in the strange, compelling and unsettling reality of nuclear weapons, will be on exhibit at the University of New Mexico.The full schedule for the symposium can be found HERE.

With funding from the MacArthur Foundation, the museum-version of the bomb will be installed at a half a dozen American universities in the fall of 2024 and the spring of 2025. the bomb is a groundbreaking multimedia installation that immerses audiences in the strange, compelling, and unsettling reality of nuclear weapons.

the bomb will be on exhibit at UNM from April 30 – May 30, 2025.     FLYER: UTF-8the bomb symposium_final 250430-250501

7. Wednesday, April 30^th from 4 pm to 6 pm – Virtual and in-person WIPP Community Forum & Open House to provide an update on the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). Q&A to follow.  In-person meeting at the Skeen-Whitlock Building Auditorium, 4021 National Parks Hwy., Carlsbad, NM    Registration at  https://wipp.energy.gov/events-calendar.asp   

 ENGLISH FLYER HERE: https://wipp.energy.gov/Library/documents/2025/Indian_Country_043025.pdf

 SPANISH FLYER HERE: https://wipp.energy.gov/Library/documents/2025/Indian_Country-Spanish_043025.pdf

The Department of Energy (DOE) promised the People of New Mexico that they would cleanup and dispose of its plutonium-contaminated nuclear bomb wastes by depositing waste into the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) over 25 years and close.  DOE broke its promise when that deadline passed on March 26, 2024.  But DOE has a new plan to keep the deep geologic nuclear waste disposal facility at WIPP open for 60 more years for legacy bomb waste and for newly-generated bomb waste from fabricating new weapons.

To alert the public about DOE’s plans, the Stop Forever WIPP Coalition will host the Second Annual WIPP Plutonium Caravan on Saturday, April 26^th beginning at 9 am at the DeVargas Mall in Santa Fe.  The Caravan will travel south on St. Francis Drive to Interstate 25 and towards Las Vegas, New Mexico with stops along the way.  You are invited to be part of the Caravan.  For more information about the Caravan, visit https://stopforeverwipp.org/ .

Once in Las Vegas, the Caravan will stop at key locations to talk with people about the four-fold purpose of the Caravan to:

• alert those along the route of the ever increasing presence of the waste-hauling trucks;
• educate the public that DOE intends to continue hauling waste for at least sixty additional years;
• inform the public about the woefully inadequate emergency response plans and preparedness of the various jurisdictions to respond to a traffic accident involving plutonium contaminated waste; and
• motivate the public to resist DOE’s plans by participating in the activities of the Stop Forever WIPP Coalition, as well as acting as individual resisters.

Stops include Highlands University, the Farmers’ Market and Las Vegas Plaza.  On the return trip, the Caravan will travel south along Interstate 25, ending with a presentation and press event at the Lamy Train Station.

On Saturday, April 19^th from 10 am to 11 am on KFUN AM 1230 and KFUN FM 103.7 Pat Leahan will interview John E. Wilks, Jr., the Caravan Project Manager, and Cynthia Weehler, founder of Fire on the Mountain.  Tune in to learn more about the April 26^th Caravan.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KFUN_(AM)

They will discuss New Mexico Environment Department permit conditions for DOE to site and build a second repository outside of New Mexico, to prioritize disposal of waste generated in New Mexico, and to reserve a disposal panel for only legacy transuranic waste.  240924 NMED WIPP HazWaste Renewal Permit Conditions

Please join the Stop Forever WIPP Coalition for the 2025 Plutonium Trail Caravan.  Together we are making a difference!

1. Join us on Friday, April 11^th from noon to 1 pm at the intersection of East Alameda and Sandoval for the weekly one-hour peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament. Join the weekly peaceful protest with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others. Bring your flags, signs and banners in support of nuclear weapons disarmament.

2. Thursday, April 17^th from 5:30 pm to 8 pm at the New Mexico Veterans Memorial, 1100 Louisiana Blvd. SE – virtual and in-person – Kirtland Air Force Base Bulk Fuels Facility Project Public Meeting. The poster session will begin at 5:30 pm and the meeting will start at 6 pm.

Learn about the work to remove groundwater contamination caused by a historic leak at the old Base Bulk Fuels Facility.  Connect to the meeting by:

Option 1: Copy this url into your web browser: https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1608583654

Option 2: From ZoomGov App or meeting search on web-browser at zoomgov.com, enter Meeting ID: 160 858 3654.

Option 3: Telephone (audio only) – also use if computer speakers are not available.  Dial: (551) 285-1373 or (669) 254-5252. Spanish Assist line: (415) 449-4000.  Meeting ID: 160 858 3654.

Option 4: One tap mobile: 6692545252, 1608583654#

For more information, please contact 377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs at (505) 846-5991 or 377ABW.PA@us.af.mil. Community members may review Air Force Environmental Restoration Program documents by visiting the Kirtland AFB website at https://www.kirtland.af.mil/Home/Environment/ or the U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Center Administrative Record website at AF Administrative Record (https://ar.afcec-cloud.af.mil).

3. SHUT DOWN DRONE WARFARE – 16 Years of Drone Resistance – Join the Spring Action Week, April 20 to 26^th – Holloman Drone Training Base, Alamogordo, NM. For more information, https://www.shutdowndronewarfare.org/

4. Friday, April 25^th from 5 pm to 7:30 pm – Voces del Pueblo: Artists of the Levantamiento Chicano in New Mexico at the National Hispanic Cultural Center Art Museum (April 25, 2025 to February 8, 2026).

5. Wednesday, April 30^th from 4 pm to 6 pm – Virtual and in-person WIPP Community Forum & Open House to provide an update on the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). Q&A to follow.  In-person meeting at the Skeen-Whitlock Building Auditorium, 4021 National Parks Hwy., Carlsbad, NM    Registration at  https://wipp.energy.gov/events-calendar.asp   

 ENGLISH FLYER HERE:  https://wipp.energy.gov/Library/documents/2025/Indian_Country_043025.pdf

 SPANISH FLYER HERE: https://wipp.energy.gov/Library/documents/2025/Indian_Country-Spanish_043025.pdf

Community members and Tribal advocates are standing together to say NO to the proposed expansion of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). As part of a growing movement for environmental justice and accountability, local community organizations including Tewa Women United, Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety, Communities for Clean Water, Honor Our Pueblo Existence, and Three Sisters Collective launched the 2025 SovereignTea Community Conversations series that will end with a powerful hybrid session that will center public education, dialogue, and action around LANL’s ongoing and proposed nuclear weapons activities.

The hybrid session will be offered on Monday, April 7^th from 6 to 8 pm at the Tewa Women United offices at 1003 East Fairview Lane, in Española.  Please register for the hybrid session at: bit.ly/4iM42I0

This session will focus on the proposed venting of tens of thousands of curies of radioactive tritium into the air from four Flanged Tritium Waste Containers stored at LANL and the gendered health impacts of radiation.  https://tewawomenunited.org/2024/11/press-release-new-report-reveals-lanl-tritium-venting-could-have-triple-the-radiation-exposure-to-infants-compared-to-adults

Dr. Arjun Makhijani, Ph.D., and President of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research, will discuss on Zoom the latest research about the dangers of LANL releasing radioactive tritium into the air, its impacts on pregnant women, the fetus and the environment.  https://ieer.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Arjun-Makhijani-Curriculum-Vita-2022-07-09.pdf,       https://ieer.org/projects/healthy-from-the-start/

The workshop will also focus on how the Draft Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement (SWEIS) developed by the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE NNSA) seeks to justify significantly expanded LANL operations through 2040—despite mounting concerns about the compounding environmental, human, and cultural costs.  There will be time for participants to write and submit their own public comments. These comments will be sent directly to DOE NNSA, ensuring local and Tribal voices are heard before the April 10^th public comment deadline.

On Sunday, March 30, 2025 a workshop was held in Santa Fe.  The presentations covered the National Environmental Policy Act requirements, an overview of the SWEIS process, nuclear waste storage and disposal, transportation, cleanup, and impacts to local communities and the environment.  It was recorded and will be posted soon.

In the meantime, Honor Our Pueblo Existence and Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety have created the LANL SWEIS Action Page to make submitting public comments simple and accessible.  Once on the Action Page, you may edit the sample comment to include your concerns, stories and state your commitment to protecting our communities, health, lands, and future.

Now is the time to act!  Join us in urging for meaningful Tribal consultation, environmental safeguards, and long-overdue protections and accountability.

To learn more about LANL’s expansion plans for fabricating plutonium triggers, or pits, for nuclear weapons as detailed in the draft LANL SWEIS, check out:

• The informative February 6th Nuclear Watch New Mexico draft LANL SWEIS workshop with a focus on plutoninum pit production at https://nukewatch.org/2025/02/07/nukewatch-los-alamos-lab-site-wide-eis-workshop/ and
• The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) has prepared a Public Comment Guide: Hold LANL Accountable for your use. This public comment period is a chance for the scientific community and the public to demand that LANL takes the necessary steps to ensure workers, the public, and the environment are safe.  Click here to access the Public Comment Guide. Use the guide to prepare and submit your public comment, and let UCS know when you have done so by using this report back form.

1. Join us on Friday, April 4^th from noon to 1 pm at the intersection of East Alameda and Sandoval for the weekly one-hour peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament. Join the weekly peaceful protest with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others. Bring your flags, signs and banners and join in the conversation for nuclear disarmament. 

2. Friday, April 4^th from 1:30 to 4:30 pm – Celebration of the Life of Our Friend Ken Mayers (1937 to 2025). Roberto Roibal provided this information on behalf of Pam Gilchrist and Family:

Friends,
The family of Ken Mayers invites you to a Celebration of Life and Memorial for Ken Mayers, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Friday, April 4, 2025.

It will begin at the No Nukes Vigil weekly peaceful protest at the corner of Sandoval and West Alameda from noon to 1 pm.

From 1:30 to 2:30 pm, a potluck lunch will be shared at the Fellowship Hall at the UU Congregation, 107 W. Barcelona Street.  Tables will be available for literature from the groups Ken was involved with.  A family video will be shared.

At 2:30 pm, The Raging Grannies will lead the group into Fogelson Hall for the Service.  Rev. Gail Marriner will officiate.

For those who can’t attend in person, at 2:30 pm there will be a livestream memorial by Rev. Gail.  Click this link at 2:30 for the livestream:
https://uusantafe.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2905fac0763625a2ccbaf9ab4&id=f709758296&e=eec4c110b1

From 3:45 to 4:30 pm, storytelling will continue over dessert, tea and coffee, provided by Salud Catering of Santa Fe.

The memorial announcement is attached, as well as an article from the Santa Fe New Mexican about Ken’s life, dated February 19, 2025.  https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/vietnam-veteran-remembered-as-advocate-for-peace/article_ad16ca54-ed39-11ef-a9d2-7fd393ad5f12.html

Respectfully,
ℜoberto ℜoibal for Pam Gilchrist and family
  

 Please contact Roberto with any questions or concerns at roibal@mail.mayfirst.org

3. Monday, April 7^th from 6 to 8 pm – in person and virtual SovereignTea Community Conversation at Tewa Women United offices at 1003 East Fairview Lane, Española, NM. Focus:  draft LANL SWEIS comments (due Thursday, April 10^th), including LANL’s proposed venting of radioactive tritium into the air, the proposed Electrical Power Capacity Upgrade Transmission Project, and the gendered health impacts of radiation.  Registration at:bit.ly/4iM42I0

 Honor Our Pueblo Existence and Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety have created the LANL SWEIS Action Page to make submitting public comments simple and accessible. Members of the public can customize a template comment with their stories and commitment to protecting our communities, health, lands, and future.

NOW IS THE TIME TO ACT! Join us in urging for meaningful Tribal consultation, environmental safeguards, and long-overdue protections and accountability.

4. Thursday, April 17^th from 5:30 pm to 8 pm at the New Mexico Veterans Memorial, 1100 Louisiana Blvd. SE – virtual and in-person – Kirtland Air Force Base Bulk Fuels Facility Project Public Meeting. The poster session will begin at 5:30 pm and the meeting will start at 6 pm.

Learn about the work to remove groundwater contamination caused by a historic leak at the old Base Bulk Fuels Facility.  Connect to the meeting by:

Option 1: Copy this url into your web browser: https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1608583654

Option 2: From ZoomGov App or meeting search on web-browser at zoomgov.com, enter Meeting ID: 160 858 3654.

Option 3: Telephone (audio only) – also use if computer speakers are not available.  Dial: (551) 285-1373 or (669) 254-5252. Spanish Assist line: (415) 449-4000.  Meeting ID: 160 858 3654.

Option 4: One tap mobile: 6692545252, 1608583654#

For more information, please contact 377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs at (505) 846-5991 or 377ABW.PA@us.af.mil. Community members may review Air Force Environmental Restoration Program documents by visiting the Kirtland AFB website at https://www.kirtland.af.mil/Home/Environment/ or the U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Center Administrative Record website at AF Administrative Record (https://ar.afcec-cloud.af.mil).

5. SHUT DOWN DRONE WARFARE – 16 Years of Drone Resistance – Join the Spring Action Week, April 20 to 26^th – Holloman Drone Training Base, Alamogordo, NM. For more information, https://www.shutdowndronewarfare.org/

Community members and Tribal advocates are standing together to say NO to the proposed expansion of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). As part of a growing movement for environmental justice and accountability, local community organizations including Tewa Women United, Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety, Communities for Clean Water, Honor Our Pueblo Existence, and Three Sisters Collective are launching the 2025 SovereignTea Community Conversations series—beginning with two powerful sessions that will center public education, dialogue, and action around LANL’s ongoing and proposed nuclear weapons activities.

These workshops will focus on the Draft Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement (SWEIS) being developed by the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE NNSA), which seeks to justify significantly expanded LANL operations through 2040—despite mounting concerns about the compounding environmental, human, and cultural costs. Each session will provide background on the SWEIS process, proposed impacts to local communities, and time for participants to write and submit their own public comments. These comments will be sent directly to DOE NNSA, ensuring local and Tribal voices are heard before the April 10^th public comment deadline.

Honor Our Pueblo Existence and Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety have created the LANL SWEIS Action Page to make submitting public comments simple and accessible. Members of the public can customize a template comment with their stories and commitment to protecting our communities, health, lands, and future.

NOW IS THE TIME TO ACT! Join us in urging for meaningful Tribal consultation, environmental safeguards, and long-overdue protections and accountability.  https://actionnetwork.org/letters/public-comment-for-the-draft-los-alamos-national-laboratory-site-wide-environmental-impact-statement-draft-lanl-sweis?source=direct_link&

The SovereignTea Community Conversations Schedule:

The first session will be offered in-person on Sunday, March 30, 2025 from 1 to 5 pm at the Three Sisters Collective Studio at 1240 Calle de Comercio in Santa Fe, New Mexico and will focus on the National Environmental Policy Act requirements and provide an overview of the SWEIS process, nuclear waste storage and disposal, transportation, cleanup, and impacts to local communities and the environment. This session will be recorded and it will be posted soon.

The second session will be offered in-person and virtually on Monday, April 7^th from 6 to 8 pm at the Tewa Women United offices at 1003 East Fairview Lane, Española, New Mexico. It will focus on LANL’s proposed venting of radioactive tritium into the air, the Electrical Power Capacity Upgrade Transmission Project, and the gendered health impacts of radiation.  Anyone can register for either or both sessions at: bit.ly/4iM42I0

To learn more about LANL’s expansion plans for fabricating the plutonium triggers, or pits, for nuclear weapons as detailed in the draft LANL SWEIS, check out:

• The informative February 6th Nuclear Watch New Mexico draft LANL SWEIS workshop with a focus on plutoninum pit production at https://nukewatch.org/2025/02/07/nukewatch-los-alamos-lab-site-wide-eis-workshop/ and
• TODAY, MARCH 27 at 2 pm MT – The Union of Concerned Scientists Public Comment Traiing:  Hold Los Alamos National Laboratory Accountable for Expansion Risks.  Register at https://secure.ucs.org/a/2025-3-27-lanl-public-comment-training

1. Join us on Friday, March 28th from noon to 1 pm at the intersection of East Alameda and Sandoval for the weekly one-hour peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament. Join the weekly peaceful protest with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others. Bring your flags, signs and banners and join in the conversation for nuclear disarmament. 

2. Sunday, March 30^th from noon to 3 pm – Save Our VA/Hands Off VA protest against firing 83,000 VA Employees and privatizing VA.  Join the protest at the ABQ VA Medical Center, 1501 San Pedro Dr SE, Albuquerque, NM   87108.

3. Thursday, April 3^rd at 5 pm MT Breaking the Silence: A Project of the National Council of Elders webinar – “Courage to Act in the Face of Fear – What can the spirit of the radical Martin Luther King teach us in this moment? Strategies and Resources for Resistance.”

Participants include activist/elder Mandy Carter, Joe Worthy Director of Education at the Albert Einstein Institution, longtime Southern organizer and author Suzanne Pharr and Ash-Lee Woodward Henderson, former co-executive director of the Highlander Center.

Register:  https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_M1L1jUNVSsKYwF6huHmibw#/registration

4. Friday, April 4^th at noon to 4:30 at two venues – Celebration of the Life of Our Friend Ken Mayers (1937 to 2025). Roberto Roibal provided this information on behalf of Pam Gilchrist and Family:

Friends,
The family of Ken Mayers invites you to a Celebration of Life and Memorial for Ken Mayers, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Friday, April 4, 2025.

It will begin at the No Nukes Vigil weekly peaceful protest at the corner of Sandoval and West Alameda from noon to 1 pm.

From 1:30 to 2:30 pm, a potluck lunch will be shared at the Fellowship Hall at the UU Congregation, 107 W. Barcelona Street.  Tables will be available for literature from the groups Ken was involved with.  A family video will be shared.

At 2:30 pm, The Raging Grannies will lead the group into Fogelson Hall for the Service.  Rev. Gail Marriner will officiate.

For those who can’t attend in person, at 2:30 pm there will be a livestream memorial by Rev. Gail.  Click this link at 2:30 for the livestream:
https://uusantafe.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2905fac0763625a2ccbaf9ab4&id=f709758296&e=eec4c110b1

From 3:45 to 4:30 pm, storytelling will continue over dessert, tea and coffee, provided by Salud Catering of Santa Fe.

The memorial announcement is attached, as well as an article from the Santa Fe New Mexican about Ken’s life, dated February 19, 2025.  https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/vietnam-veteran-remembered-as-advocate-for-peace/article_ad16ca54-ed39-11ef-a9d2-7fd393ad5f12.html

Respectfully,
ℜoberto ℜoibal for Pam Gilchrist and family
  

Please contact Roberto with any questions or concerns at roibal@mail.mayfirst.org

5. Monday, April 7^th from 6 to 8 pm – in person and virtual SovereignTea Community Conversation at Tewa Women United offices at 1003 East Fairview Lane, Española, NM. Focus:  draft LANL SWEIS comments (due Thursday, April 10^th), including LANL’s proposed venting of radioactive tritium into the air, the proposed Electrical Power Capacity Upgrade Transmission Project, and the gendered health impacts of radiation.  Registration at:  bit.ly/4iM42I0

Honor Our Pueblo Existence and Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety have created the LANL SWEIS Action Page to make submitting public comments simple and accessible. Members of the public can customize a template comment with their stories and commitment to protecting our communities, health, lands, and future.

NOW IS THE TIME TO ACT! Join us in urging for meaningful Tribal consultation, environmental safeguards, and long-overdue protections and accountability.

6. Thursday, April 17^th from 5:30 pm to 8 pm at the New Mexico Veterans Memorial, 1100 Louisiana Blvd. SE – virtual and in-person – Kirtland Air Force Base Bulk Fuels Facility Project Public Meeting. The poster session will begin at 5:30 pm and the meeting will start at 6 pm.

Learn about the work to remove groundwater contamination caused by a historic leak at the old Base Bulk Fuels Facility.  Connect to the meeting by:

Option 1: Copy this url into your web browser: https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1608583654

Option 2: From ZoomGov App or meeting search on web-browser at zoomgov.com, enter Meeting ID: 160 858 3654.

Option 3: Telephone (audio only) – also use if computer speakers are not available.  Dial: (551) 285-1373 or (669) 254-5252. Spanish Assist line: (415) 449-4000.  Meeting ID: 160 858 3654.

Option 4: One tap mobile: 6692545252, 1608583654#

For more information, please contact 377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs at (505) 846-5991 or 377ABW.PA@us.af.mil. Community members may review Air Force Environmental Restoration Program documents by visiting the Kirtland AFB website at https://www.kirtland.af.mil/Home/Environment/ or the U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Center Administrative Record website at AF Administrative Record (https://ar.afcec-cloud.af.mil).

7. SHUT DOWN DRONE WARFARE – 16 Years of Drone Resistance – Join the Spring Action Week, April 20 to 26^th – Holloman Drone Training Base, Alamogordo, NM. For more information, https://www.shutdowndronewarfare.org/

Public comments for the draft Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for Continued Operations at Los Alamos National Laboratory are currently due on Thursday, April 10th.  Tewa Women United, Honor Our Pueblo Existence, CCNS, Communities for Clean Water, and the Union of Concerned Scientists will host workshops to assist you in the preparation and submission of your comments.  Comments may be submitted to LANLSWEIS@nnsa.doe.gov

The 1,200 page draft SWEIS attempts to analyze the environmental, social, economic and health impacts of the proposed fabrication of 30 plutonium triggers for nuclear weapons annually at LANL until 2040.  https://www.energy.gov/nepa/articles/doeeis-0552-draft-environmental-impact-statement

The three workshops will help you compose and submit your comments.

The first workshop will be held in person and virtually on Monday, March 24th at the offices of Tewa Women United at 1003 East Fairview Lane in Española from 6 to 8 pm Mountain Time.  It will focus on the environmental justice impacts to communities of continuing LANL operations.  There is a limit of 20 participants for the in-person option.

Arjun Makhijani, President of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research, or IEER, will present by zoom the recently completed technical reports about the proposed venting of radioactive hydrogen, or tritium, from four Flanged Tritium Waste Containers currently stored at LANL’s Area G waste site.   

The second workshop is virtual only and will be hosted by the Union of Concerned Scientists on Thursday, March 27th from 2 to 3 pm Mountain Time.  It is titled, “Learn to Advocate Against Unnecessary Nuclear Weapons Infrastructure” and will suggest how to hold LANL accountable for expansion risks.  It will focus primarily on how pit production is driving LANL’s expansion and how the NNSA is violating the intent of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).  Register at https://secure.ucs.org/a/2025-3-27-lanl-public-comment-training-aps?kiosk=true

The third workshop will be held by Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety, Honor Our Pueblo Existence and Communities for Clean Water on Sunday, March 30th  from 1 pm to 5 pm at the Three Sisters Collective Studio at 1350 Calle de Comercio, Unit A, in Santa Fe.  There will be a 30-minute break between 2:30 pm and 3 pm.  The workshop will be filmed and be posted on the web. 

Myrriah Gómez, author of Nuclear Nuevo México:  Colonialism and the Effects of the Nuclear Industrial Complex on Nuevomexicanos, will talk about the public process required by NEPA.  Additional speakers and topics will be announced soon.

Sample public comments, talking points, fact sheets, calls to action and other organizing tools will be made available for your use.

To pre-register for the March 24th and 30th workshops, please go to:  http://bit.ly/4iM42I0

In the meantime, please check out the informative February 6th Nuclear Watch New Mexico draft LANL SWEIS workshop at https://nukewatch.org/2025/02/07/nukewatch-los-alamos-lab-site-wide-eis-workshop/

1. Join us on Friday, March 21st from noon to 1 pm at the intersection of East Alameda and Sandoval for the weekly one-hour peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament. Join the weekly peaceful protest with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others. Bring your flags, signs and banners and join in the conversation for nuclear disarmament. 

2. Saturday, March 22^nd – World Water Day – an annual United Nations Observance focuses on the importance of freshwater. “World Water Day celebrates water and raises awareness of the 2.2 billion people living without access to safe water. It is about taking action to tackle the global water crisis. A core focus of World Water Day is to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.”  https://www.unwater.org/our-work/world-water-day   

3. United Nations Monday, March 24^th at 5:30 pm MDT virtual event – A New Generation of Nuclear Lies: Small Modular Reactors and Nuclear Plant Reopenings/Relicensing.  Speakers:  Paul Gunter, M.V. Ramana, and Linda Pentz Gunter.  Register now at https://masspeace.us/NuclearLies

4. Thursday, April 3^rd at 5 pm MT  – Breaking the Silence: A Project of the National Council of Elders webinar – “Courage to Act in the Face of Fear – What can the spirit of the radical Martin Luther King teach us in this moment? Strategies and Resources for Resistance.”

Participants include activist/elder Mandy Carter, Joe Worthy Director of Education at the Albert Einstein Institution, longtime Southern organizer and author Suzanne Pharr and Ash-Lee Woodward Henderson, former co-executive director of the Highlander Center.

 Register:  https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_M1L1jUNVSsKYwF6huHmibw#/registration

5. Friday, April 4^th at noon to 4:30 at two venues – Celebration of the Life of Ken Mayers (1937 to 2025). The following is from Roberto Roibal on behalf of Pam Gilchrist and Family:

Friends,

The family of Ken Mayers invites you to a Celebration of Life and Memorial for Ken Mayers, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It will be on Friday, April 4, 2025 starting at Noon, and will finish by 4:30pm. Please see the attached announcement for details.

For those who can’t attend in person, at 2:30pm there will be a livestream memorial by Rev. Gail Marriner. Click this link at 2:30 for the livestream:
https://uusantafe.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2905fac0763625a2ccbaf9ab4&id=f709758296&e=eec4c110b1

Santa Fe Veterans for Peace founder protested globally
‘Ken was basically fearless’ in confronting authorities for causes he believed in – 2025-02-19NewMexArticle-KenProtests

The memorial announcement is attached, as well as an article from the Santa Fe New Mexican about Ken’s life, dated February 19, 2025.  https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/vietnam-veteran-remembered-as-advocate-for-peace/article_ad16ca54-ed39-11ef-a9d2-7fd393ad5f12.html

Respectfully,
ℜoberto ℜoibal for Pam Gilchrist and family
  

Please contact Roberto with any questions or concerns at roibal@mail.mayfirst.org