About CCNS
Our mission: Protecting all living beings and the environment from the effects of radioactive and other hazardous materials now and in the future.

Who is CCNS?

CCNS is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that was founded in 1988 because of community concerns about nuclear waste transportation from the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), the nation's oldest nuclear weapons production facility, to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), the nation's first permanent nuclear weapons waste repository. CCNS has since evolved into a nationally recognized organization known for research, litigation, public education, community outreach and organizing on a range of nuclear safety issues. CCNS is a 501(c)(3) organization. All contributions are tax deductible.

CCNS focuses on the Department of Energy (DOE) sites in New Mexico:

The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)

CCNS researches and seeks solutions to the environmental, health and safety impacts of LANL operations on communities located in northern New Mexico. With an environmental and public health interest, CCNS addresses contaminated water discharges, air emissions and waste generation and disposal. CCNS addresses issues concerning the consolidation of U.S. nuclear weapons complex in New Mexico. Through our work to oppose all nuclear weapons production expansion at LANL, CCNS seeks to transform LANL's weapons programs to better align them with post-Cold War realities and international efforts to cease the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)

CCNS researches the scientific, political and social concerns surrounding the underground disposal facility for nuclear weapons waste. We monitor and comment on WIPP's operations in order to ensure that the facility does not compromise the environment, health or safety of the communities located in southern New Mexico or those along the waste transportation routes. CCNS works to oppose expansion of WIPP's mission to include more and new types of waste.

What does CCNS do?

Rio Grande Watershed Initiative, to address community concerns about impacts to the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo Watershed. CCNS has led the effort to analyze the impacts of LANL on one of New MexicoÕs most valuable natural resources, the Rio Grande. We have organized a series of rafting trips along the river in order to sample the springs that emanate from beneath LANL and feed the Rio Grande. CCNS's independent technical experts collected and analyzed the samples and produced a series of technical reviews of their findings. CCNS will continue to be a steward of the river through oversight and participation in the local, state, national and international decisionmaking processes.

CCNS is a founding member of Communities for Clean Water, formerly known as LANL Water Watch. Communities for Clean Water is a network of diverse non-governmental organizations focused on holding LANL accountable for over 60 years of contamination of surface and ground water.

Air. Following the Cerro Grande fire, CCNS helped to establish independent, citizen-based monitoring for radionuclides in communities downwind of LANL through the Community Radiation Monitoring Group.

Waste. CCNS participates in regulatory decisionmaking processes regarding LANL and WIPP operations by reviewing and providing comments about technical documents, operating permits and proposed changes to environmental monitoring. We report to the public the details of these documents and our response to them so as to provide opportunities for more informed community participation in Department of Energy activities in New Mexico.

Human Health and Safety

CCNS is dedicated to the health and safety of the communities surrounding LANL. Our report, New Mexico's Right to Know: The Impacts of LANL Operations on Human Health and the Environment, outlines plutonium releases from LANL to the air, cancer incidence and mortality in Los Alamos County and occupational health studies at LANL. The report is available on our website.

CCNS is a member of the New Mexico Environment and Health Coalition, which investigates the impacts of polluting industries on the health and safety of New Mexicans.

Public Education and Community Outreach

CCNS is committed to facilitating community involvement in DOE activities. Our efforts include:

CCNS organizes public events in order to educate our community about the effects of the nuclear weapons complex in New Mexico.

CCNS produces fact sheets, public comment letters and reports to inform public participation in decisionmaking regarding DOE activities in our state.

The CCNS Weekly News Update, a weekly radio broadcast featuring news and information about the nuclear weapons complex in New Mexico and nationwide, has been broadcast on several stations throughout New Mexico for more than 19 years.

The CCNS website presents the latest information about the nuclear weapons complex and upcoming events, all offering ways in which the community can get involved.

Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety
107 Cienega Street
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501
Tel. 505/986-1973; Fax 505/986-0997
ccns@nuclearactive.org