New Mexicans Can Save the DNFSB; Contact Our Senators Today

The independent Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board has been dwindling from a five-member board to one member and may disappear if we, the People, do not raise our voices to support its essential nuclear safety work. The Safety Board needs at least two new members. And that needs to get done by Saturday, October 18th. https://www.dnfsb.gov/about

New Mexico U.S. Senators Heinrich and Lujan have key roles to play to ensure the Safety Board’s work continues unimpeded. https://www.heinrich.senate.gov/ and https://www.lujan.senate.gov/ Our voices of support are essential to ensure communities continue to receive the essential services of the Safety Board and its staff.

Right now members of the Safety Board’s staff are monitoring the venting of radioactive tritium from Area G at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).  Their expertise in the field of nuclear safety and their demonstrated competence and knowledge relevant to their independent investigative and oversight functions are an essential part of the process.  They will be part of the follow-up once the venting of the four flanged tritium waste containers is completed. https://tewawomenunited.org/?s=tritium, https://www.ccwnewmexico.org/tritium, https://nuclearactive.org/

Not only does the Safety Board have staff at LANL, but also at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque and at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, the burial site for plutonium contaminated nuclear weapons waste, near Carlsbad. https://ananuclear.org/facilities/

Contact Senator Martin Heinrich and Senator Ben Ray Lujan and tell them that the Safety Board is essential to keeping New Mexicans safe, especially in light of the DOE’s plans to expand plutonium pit, or trigger, production at LANL. The Safety Board’s expertise provides the public with the confidence that informed experts are watching and commenting on the nuclear weapons complex in New Mexico.

A little history is relevant here. In the late 1980’s astronaut and U.S. Senator John Glenn was instrumental in the formation of the Board. DOE’s mismanagement of the Fernald Plant in Ohio, the on-going safety problems at the Rocky Flats Plant near Denver and the 1989 raid of the plant, are but a few examples of why the Board was formed.  https://ananuclear.org/facilities/

The weapons contractors have unsuccessfully tried to dismantle the Safety Board ever since. https://nuclearactive.org/safety-board-holds-nov-28-live-streamed-public-hearing/, https://nuclearactive.org/santa-fe-county-commissioners-call-for-suspension-of-doe-order-140-1/, https://nuclearactive.org/doe-must-hold-hearings-in-new-mexico-about-order-140-1/, https://nuclearactive.org/dnfsb-public-hearing-about-doe-interface-on-august-28th

Two new members must be installed by October 18^th. That means we must put pressure on the New Mexico senators to encourage Senator Lindsay Graham (South Carolina) and Senator Ted Cruz (Texas), both with DOE sites in their states, to nominate qualified candidates to the Safety Board now so that the process may begin.  https://www.lgraham.senate.gov/public/ and https://www.cruz.senate.gov/

The Alliance for Nuclear Accountability (ANA) issued a letter about the urgent need for nominations to the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, which is set to lose its quorum and therefore its ability to issue recommendations to DOE on October 18, 2025. Before then, Republicans on the Senate Armed Services committee must recommend a Presidential nomination of at least one new board member that the Senate approves. Here is the list of key Senators who have received the letter:

List of U.S. Senators to Contact to Submit DNFSB Board Member Nominations, September 18, 2025

Jim Banks (IN) – https://www.banks.senate.gov/

Marsha Blackburn (TN) – https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/

Ted Budd (NC) – https://www.budd.senate.gov/

Susan Collins (ME) – https://www.collins.senate.gov/

Tom Cotton (AR) – https://www.cotton.senate.gov/

Kevin Cramer (ND) – https://www.cramer.senate.gov/

Mike Crapo (ID) – https://www.crapo.senate.gov/

Joni Ernst (IA) – https://www.ernst.senate.gov/

Deb Fischer (NE) – https://www.fischer.senate.gov

Bill Hagerty (TN) – https://www.hagerty.senate.gov/

Josh Hawley (MO) – https://www.hawley.senate.gov/

John Kennedy (LA) – https://www.kennedy.senate.gov

Jerry Moran (KS) – https://www.moran.senate.gov

Markwayne Mullin (OK) – https://www.mullin.senate.gov/

Mike Rounds (SD) – https://www.rounds.senate.gov/

Eric Schmitt (MO) – https://www.schmitt.senate.gov/

Rick Scott (FL) – www.rickscott.senate.gov

Tim Sheehy (MT) – https://www.sheehy.senate.gov/

Dan Sullivan (AK) – https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/

Tommy Tuberville (AL) – https://www.tuberville.senate.gov/

Roger Wicker (MS) – https://www.wicker.senate.gov/

If you are a constituent of any of these Senators please reach out to your community, follow up with them and re-send the letter.

1. Friday, September 19^th from noon to 1 pm – Join your neighbors and friends 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 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, September 18^th at 6 pm at the SALA Event Center in Los Alamos – Black Hole Museum Initiative meeting, film screenings and discussion panel and Q&A with filmmakers and the Ed Grothus family. THINK PEACEFUL REUSE!  https://blackholemuseum.blogspot.com/2025/08/save-date-thursday-september-18th.html

 Background information is available here –  https://losalamosreporter.com/2025/06/29/black-hole-museum-a-new-idea-for-the-los-alamos-community/

3. Sunday, September 21, 2025 – International Day of Peace: End Racism; Build Peace.  https://internationaldayofpeace.org/

4. Sunday, September 21, 2025 – LIVE STREAM PUBLIC CONVERSATION from 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm MT at Northern Arizona University (NAU) about the legacy and future of uranium contamination in the Southwest. The Uranium Science and Community Health Forum will bring together Tribal scientists and leaders, health researchers, and policy advocates to discuss uranium in air, food and water and community-driven efforts to restore health, trust and accountability.

 The event is part of the Flagstaff Festival of Science.  The panel of nine experts is moderated by Dr. Tommy Rock and includes Dr. Karletta Chief, Chris Shuey, Carletta Tilousi, Dr. Carrie Nuva Joseph, Petuuche Gilbert, Wynona Baheshone, Carlene Yellowhair, Johnny Lehi Jr., and Dr. Janl Ingram.

https://beyondnuclear.org/uranium-contamination-restoring-health-trust-and-accountability/

5. Monday, September 22 at 6pm MDT

Wednesday, September 24 at 2 pm MDT

Friday, September 26 at 10 am MDT

Three opportunities to discuss the draft NM Environment Department amendments to the State’s Standards for Ground and Surface Water Protection at 20.6.2 NMAC and the State’s draft NEW regulations known as the New Mexico Pollutant Discharge Elimination System at 20.6.5 NMAC.

For more information:

https://www.env.nm.gov/events-calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D189342697

The public comment period begins August 29^th and closes October 28, 2025.

6. Friday, September 26 from 8 am-10 am MDT – Ministerial level conference at the United Nations Headquarters to promote the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). The Treaty is designed to prohibit all nuclear weapon test explosion for all time.  The event will be streamed live on UN Web TV. 

 For more information:  www.ctbto.org

7. Thursday, November 13^th and Friday, November 14^th – International Uranium Film Festival at the Navajo National Museum in Window Rock. For more information, visit: https://uraniumfilmfestival.org/

Tags: Alliance for Nuclear Accountability, ANA, Area G, Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, DNFSB, Fernald Plant, LANL, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Rocky Flats Plant, Sandia National Laboratories, Senate Armed Services, Senator Ben Ray Lujan, Senator John Glenn, Senator Lindsay Graham, Senator Martin Heinrich, Senator Ted Cruz, tritium venting, Waste Isolation Pilot Plant