The New Mexico Environment Department has taken a strong stand to protect the People of New Mexico by requiring Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to remove plutonium-contaminated waste “Off the Hill.”  On April 23rd, the Environment Department released an essential modification to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Permit requring the cleanup of legacy waste stored at LANL in fabric tents on top of the mesa near the community of White Rock. The proposed modification also requires the disposal of legacy waste at WIPP, a nuclear bomb dump located east of Carlsbad, New Mexico. https://www.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/wipp/ , scroll down to “WIPP News” 2026, Agency-Initiated Modification Update.

The proposed modification requires that a minimum percentage of legacy waste shipments from LANL to WIPP occur during specific timeframes beginning on Friday, January 1, 2027 – a short time from now.

If the permit modification is approved, the Environment Department’s action would stop LANL’s plans to leave one million cubic meters of radioactive and hazardous waste buried in volcanic tuff in a seismic zone above the regional drinking water aquifer and the Rio Grande. Further, the action would limit the volume of waste from new proposed plutonium pit production at LANL that could be shipped to WIPP.

The Stop Forever WIPP Coalition, of which CCNS is a member group, opposes the expansion of WIPP for newly generated LANL waste from plutonium pit production. WIPP was built to dispose of legacy waste, not for newly generated LANL waste. https://stopforeverwipp.org/home

The proposed  permit provisions include:

• From January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2031, at least 55 percent of the total volume of all waste emplaced at WIPP from all generator and storage sites must be LANL legacy waste;
• Beginning January 1, 2032, and until all LANL legacy waste has been emplaced at WIPP, LANL waste must be at least 75 percent of the total volume of waste emplaced from all generator and storages sites;
• Legacy waste currently stored above-ground at LANL’s Area G shall be shipped and emplaced at WIPP by July 1, 2028; and
• If at any point any of those conditions are not met, all generator and storage site shipments, with the exception of LANL, must cease until all deficiencies are cured.

For more information, please visit the Stop Forever WIPP website at https://stopforeverwipp.org/home

Submit your comments, and see more than 550 other comments, by Monday, June 22, 2026 at 5 pm Mountain Time. Please use the Environment Department’s Comment Portal at https://nmed.commentinput.com/?id=x2V7G3HrWN  In the alternative, email your comments tot HWB-WIPP-Comment@env.nm.gov.

1. You can watch the trailer of the new film, called An Ordinary Insanity, about the renowned whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg and the Nuclear Threat for FREE at https://www.anordinaryinsanity.com/. View the 29-minute film on the Screenings Page at https://www.anordinaryinsanity.com/screenings     The film provides a powerful wakeup call about the global threat posed by nuclear weapons and advocates how we can dramatically reduce the real and present danger of nuclear annihilation. Before he released the top secret Pentagon Papers during the Vietnam War, Ellsberg was a nuclear war planner with access to classified information on U.S. nuclear strategy. Filmed one year before his death at age 92, Ellsberg speaks with clarity and urgency about the dangers we face, noting, ”I’ve long said that to my last breath I will be doing what I can to postpone and avert the risk of nuclear war.” With ongoing conflicts heightening global nuclear tensions and with the recent end of the New START treaty potentially triggering a renewed arms race, AN ORDINARY INSANITY is a timely film to help mobilize broad public concern and action for arms control and nuclear disarmament.  PLEASE SHARE ONLINE & SCREEN AT PUBLIC EVENTS.

2. Friday, June 19^th from noon to 1 pm – Join the nuclear disarmament community at the intersection of East Alameda and Sandoval in Santa Fe for the weekly peaceful protest in support of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. 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.

3. Sunday, June 13^th from 10 am to 11 am – Albuquerque Inaugural Women Veterans Celebration at New Mexico Veterans Memorial Park, 1100 Louisiana SE. Albuquerque Concert Band will begin music at 9:45 am. For more information, please call 505 768-4495.

4. Thursday, June 25^th from 5:30 to 7:00 pm – New Mexico Environment Department will host a hybrid public information session about the hexavalent chromium plume that has spread onto Pueblo de San Ildefonso at the Harold Runnels Auditorium, 1190 South St. Francis Drive, Santa Fe and on WebEx. For more information: https://www.env.nm.gov/events-calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D204711616

5. Sunday, June 28^th from 2 pm to 5 pm – Community Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) Workshop at Tewa Women United Office, 1003 E. Fairview Lane, Española, NM. Light snacks and refreshments provided.  Flyer Community Workshop Flyer Update June 28

Did you know? The Department of Energy (DOE) is required to produce a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for proposed expansion of plutonium pit production at LANL? Want to participate in the public comment period, but don’t know how? Join us for this workshop and learn how to make informed public comments.  Submit your comments by Thursday, July 16, 2026 to make your voice heard.  Send your comments to PitPEIS@nnsa.doe.gov

6. Tuesday, June 30^th – Public comments are due to the New Mexico Environment Department about its proposal to select a remedy for corrective action at the Technical Area V (TA-V) Groundwater (TAVG) Area of Concern (AOC) at Sandia National Laboratory (SNL).

This is an important issue!  If you need more time to review and prepare your comments, ask for an extension of time. Contact Neelam Dhawan at neelam.dhawan@state.nm.us , (505) 476-6042.  Cite the lengthy and detailed LANL SWEIS and draft PEIS for Plutonium Pit Production documents and what a heavy lift it has been recently for the public.

 “TA-V was established in 1961 to test radiation effects on weapon components and has hosted multiple generations of research reactors…. Currently, active nuclear facilities include the Annular Core Research Reactor…. “ The TAVG AOC has been under investigation since the 1990s. 

 A copy of the Public Notice and the proposed remedy are available electronically here:  https://www.env.nm.gov/public-notices/, scroll down and click on Sandia National Laboratory. There you will find the Public Notice in English and Spanish, a Fact Sheet / Statement of Basis, along with the TAVG AOC Current Conceptual Model and Corrective Measures Evaluation Report (May 2024) and a link to the Public Comment Portal.

 See the Public Notice about how to request a public hearing and what information is required to do so.

 The TAVG AOC is described as follows on p. 9 of the Fact Sheet / Statement of Basis as:

“E. TECHNICAL AREA V GROUNDWATER (TAVG) AREA OF CONCERN (AOC)

“E.1 BACKGROUND AND HISTORY OF THE TAVG AOC

“E.1.1 Location/Unit Description

“The Technical Area V Groundwater (TAVG) Area of Concern (AOC) Technical Area (TA)-V is located in the west-central portion within KAFB on DOE-owned land and KAFB-permitted land (Figure E-1). It occupies approximately 35 acres in the northeast corner of TA-III at SNL/NM. TA-V was established in 1961 to test radiation effects on weapon components and has hosted multiple generations of research reactors, including the Sandia Engineering Reactor Facility (SERF), the Sandia Pulsed Reactor, the High Energy Radiation Megavolt Electron Source, and the PROTO I Facility. Currently, active nuclear facilities include the Annular Core Research Reactor, the Sandia Pulsed Reactor, and the Auxiliary Hot Cell Facility, as well as radiological facilities such as the Gamma Irradiation Facility and the Low Dose Rate Irradiation Facility. Historically, wastewater derived from TA-V facilities was disposed of at the Liquid Waste Disposal System (LWDS) drain field, the two unlined LWDS surface impoundments, and the TA-V seepage pits.”

On Monday, May 8th, 2026, at a press conference in front of La Cieneguilla Petroglyphs, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich, Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and co-founder of the U.S. Senate Stewardship Caucus, and U.S. Representative Teresa Leger Fernández, Ranking Member of the U.S. House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs, unveiled their Caja del Rio Protection Act legislation to permanently protect the Caja del Rio Plateau.

Senate Bill 4458 is cosponsored by U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján, a member of the U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee, U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury, a member of the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee, and U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez, founder and co-chair of the U.S. House Public Lands Caucus.

Pueblo of Tesuque Governor Mark Mitchell celebrated the legislation to protect the Caja del Rio. He explained, “It’s a living landscape.  It holds the history of our ancestors and our ongoing relationship with the land, water, plants, animals that sustain our ceremonies for our people. This is about protecting the landscape, but also the way of life we continue today.”  https://www.tesuquepueblo.org/

Representative Leger Fernández added, “The Caja del Rio is where the beautifully diverse story of New Mexico lives — in our petroglyphs, our piñon gathering, our Tribal traditions, and our Hispano ranching communities. This land belongs to the people of New Mexico who have cared for it since time immemorial and to future generations who deserve to inherit its tradition and its beauty. As Republicans in Washington push to sell off public lands, we’re making clear that the Caja is not for sale.This legislation not only reflects our diverse heritage — it is also a product of collaboration and diverse communities coming together to protect their shared heritage. That’s how it’s done in New Mexico where we know that diversity is our strength.”  https://fernandez.house.gov/

Key provisions of the legislation are to:

• Protect public lands from sale or privatization
• Prohibit new roads, mining and rights-of-way
• Require consultation with area tribes and coordination with Traditional Historic Communities
• Preserve traditional uses, such as herb and mineral gathering, hunting and grazing
• Protect confidential Indigenous knowledge and sacred site locations from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act
• Reduce unauthorized roads and limits motor vehicle use.

The All Pueblo Council of Governors, the Santa Fe County Commission, the Sandoval County Commission and Santa Fe Mayor Michael Garcia all endorse the Caja del Rio Protection Act.

Sign up to receive alerts about the proposed legislation at https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4458

1. You can watch the trailer of the new film, called An Ordinary Insanity, about the renowned whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg and the Nuclear Threat for FREE at https://www.anordinaryinsanity.com/. View the 29-minute film on the Screenings Page at https://www.anordinaryinsanity.com/screenings    The film provides a powerful wakeup call about the global threat posed by nuclear weapons and advocates how we can dramatically reduce the real and present danger of nuclear annihilation. Before he released the top secret Pentagon Papers during the Vietnam War, Ellsberg was a nuclear war planner with access to classified information on U.S. nuclear strategy. Filmed one year before his death at age 92, Ellsberg speaks with clarity and urgency about the dangers we face, noting, ”I’ve long said that to my last breath I will be doing what I can to postpone and avert the risk of nuclear war.” With ongoing conflicts heightening global nuclear tensions and with the recent end of the New START treaty potentially triggering a renewed arms race, AN ORDINARY INSANITY is a timely film to help mobilize broad public concern and action for arms control and nuclear disarmament.  PLEASE SHARE ONLINE & SCREEN AT PUBLIC EVENTS.

2. Friday, June 12^th from noon to 1 pm – Join the nuclear disarmament community at the intersection of East Alameda and Sandoval in Santa Fe for the weekly peaceful protest in support of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. 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.

3. Monday, June 8^th through Thursday, June 18^th at 9 am at the NM State Capitol Building – Water Quality Control Commission Public Rulemaking Hearing for the Proposed Surface Water Quality State Permitting Program (WQCC 25-74(R)). To learn more, visit Amigos Bravos at  https://www.amigosbravos.org/upcoming-events/    To connect to the hearing: https://www.env.nm.gov/events-calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D199647881

4. Sunday, June 13^th from 10 am to 11 am – Albuquerque Inaugural Women Veterans Celebration at New Mexico Veterans Memorial Park, 1100 Louisiana SE. Albuquerque Concert Band will begin music at 9:45 am. For more information, please call 505 768-4495.

5. Tuesday, June 30^th – Public comments are due to the New Mexico Environment Department about its proposal to select a remedy for corrective action at the Technical Area V (TA-V) Groundwater (TAVG) Area of Concern (AOC) at Sandia National Laboratory (SNL). This is an important issue!  If you need more time to review and prepare your comments, ask for an extension of time. Contact Neelam Dhawan at neelam.dhawan@state.nm.us , (505) 476-6042.  Cite the lengthy and detailed LANL SWEIS and draft PEIS for Plutonium Pit Production documents and what a heavy lift it has been recently for the public.

“TA-V was established in 1961 to test radiation effects on weapon components and has hosted multiple generations of research reactors…. Currently, active nuclear facilities include the Annular Core Research Reactor…. “ The TAVG AOC has been under investigation since the 1990s.  A copy of the Public Notice and the proposed remedy are available electronically here:  https://www.env.nm.gov/public-notices/, scroll down and click on Sandia National Laboratory. There you will find the Public Notice in English and Spanish, a Fact Sheet / Statement of Basis, along with the TAVG AOC Current Conceptual Model and Corrective Measures Evaluation Report (May 2024) and a link to the Public Comment Portal.  See the Public Notice about how to request a public hearing and what information is required to do so.

The TAVG AOC is described as follows on p. 9 of the Fact Sheet / Statement of Basis as:

“E. TECHNICAL AREA V GROUNDWATER (TAVG) AREA OF CONCERN (AOC)

“E.1 BACKGROUND AND HISTORY OF THE TAVG AOC

“E.1.1 Location/Unit Description

“The Technical Area V Groundwater (TAVG) Area of Concern (AOC) Technical Area (TA)-V is located in the west-central portion within KAFB on DOE-owned land and KAFB-permitted land (Figure E-1). It occupies approximately 35 acres in the northeast corner of TA-III at SNL/NM. TA-V was established in 1961 to test radiation effects on weapon components and has hosted multiple generations of research reactors, including the Sandia Engineering Reactor Facility (SERF), the Sandia Pulsed Reactor, the High Energy Radiation Megavolt Electron Source, and the PROTO I Facility. Currently, active nuclear facilities include the Annular Core Research Reactor, the Sandia Pulsed Reactor, and the Auxiliary Hot Cell Facility, as well as radiological facilities such as the Gamma Irradiation Facility and the Low Dose Rate Irradiation Facility. Historically, wastewater derived from TA-V facilities was disposed of at the Liquid Waste Disposal System (LWDS) drain field, the two unlined LWDS surface impoundments, and the TA-V seepage pits.”

Dr. Ghassan Shahrour, a medical doctor and human rights advocate, considers the need to choose limits over expansion of new weapons systems and provides historical examples. He writes:

“In 1868, long before satellites or nuclear weapons, the world confronted a deceptively simple question: Should every weapon that can be built also be used?

“The question arose after the Russian Empire developed an exploding rifle bullet that inflicted devastating injuries far beyond any military necessity. Russian military physicians warned that the wounds were so catastrophic that they served no legitimate strategic purpose. In a rare moment of moral clarity, Russia renounced the weapon it had invented and invited other powers to negotiate what became the St. Petersburg Declaration — the first international agreement to prohibit a weapon because of its inhumane effects.

“The declaration established principles that still shape international humanitarian law:

• “Humanity
• “The prohibition of unnecessary suffering
• “Distinction between combatants and civilians

“More importantly, it affirmed a truth the modern world risks forgetting: human dignity, not technological capability, must define the limits of war.

“As someone who has spent decades advocating for humanitarian disarmament — from landmines to cluster munitions to nuclear risk reduction — I see in St. Petersburg not a historical footnote, but a living compass.

“The Golden Dome: A Shield That Creates More Swords

“More than 150 years later, humanity faces a similar test — only now the technologies are vastly more destructive.

“The proposed U.S. ‘Golden Dome’ missile‑defense system is presented as a shield against nuclear attack. Yet decades of scientific and strategic analysis show that no existing missile‑defense architecture can reliably stop a large‑scale, sophisticated nuclear strike involving multiple warheads, decoys, or advanced delivery systems.

“But the deeper danger is political and strategic.

“Missile‑defense systems reshape the calculations of rival powers. When one state seeks invulnerability, others respond by expanding their arsenals, improving penetration technologies, and accelerating weapons development. What begins as a defensive project becomes a catalyst for a new cycle of escalation driven by fear and mistrust.

“Systems designed as defensive are often perceived by adversaries as enabling future offensive advantage. This increases instability during crises and weakens already fragile deterrence mechanisms.

“And because technological systems are never infallible, a false alarm or malfunction could trigger decisions made under extreme pressure — decisions that would not remain confined to military command centers….

“The illusion that technology can eliminate vulnerability is not security. It is strategic overconfidence with human lives at stake.”

“From Earth to Orbit: The Rise of Space Supremacy

“This same illusion is now extending beyond Earth.

“The emerging doctrine of space supremacy seeks dominance in orbit through advanced surveillance systems, anti‑satellite weapons, and integrated missile‑defense architectures. Space — once viewed as a shared domain of human activity — is becoming another arena of military competition.

“Efforts at the United Nations to prevent this shift, particularly through proposals related to the Treaty on the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS), have stalled amid geopolitical rivalry.

“Meanwhile, anti‑satellite weapon tests have already created dangerous fields of orbital debris that threaten civilian and scientific satellites alike. A conflict in space would not remain in space. Damage to satellite networks could disrupt communication systems, emergency response, civilian aviation, financial infrastructure, and nuclear early‑warning systems on Earth.

“In an age of automation and nuclear weapons, confusion itself becomes a security threat.

“One Illusion, Two Frontiers

“To make the connection unmistakable:

“From missile‑defense fantasies on Earth to supremacy doctrines in orbit, the same illusion persists: that technology can replace diplomacy, restraint, and human security.

“Golden Dome and Space Supremacy are not separate debates. They are two faces of the same strategic error — the belief that dominance can substitute for stability.

“The Humanitarian Compass We Still Need

“The enduring lesson of St. Petersburg is not about one weapon or one treaty.
It is about restraint itself.

“In 1868, a state recognized that its own innovation had crossed a moral line and chose to step back. Today, the challenge is broader: the belief that technological superiority can permanently guarantee safety in a nuclear‑armed world.

“It cannot.

“Missile‑defense megaprojects and the militarization of space risk expanding the battlefield rather than limiting it. They encourage competition while weakening international efforts designed to reduce catastrophic risk.

“Humanitarian disarmament initiatives — from banning landmines and cluster munitions to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons — all reflect the same principle first articulated in St. Petersburg: some technologies create levels of suffering and danger no claim of military necessity can justify.

“A Call for Leadership Rooted in Humanity

“The world does not need new arenas for military rivalry.
It needs leadership grounded in restraint, diplomacy, and human security.

“That leadership should include:

• “Reassessing destabilizing missile‑defense programs
  • “Rejecting doctrines of space supremacy
  • “Advancing nuclear risk‑reduction measures
  • “Reviving arms‑control negotiations
  • “Recommitting to preventing the weaponization of outer space

“In 1868, leadership meant choosing limits over expansion.

“In 2026, it may mean choosing whether humanity’s future is shaped by shared survival — or by an endless pursuit of technological supremacy in a world increasingly unable to survive its consequences.”

https://peaceandhealthblog.com/2026/06/03/st-petersburg-vs-the-golden-dome-a-150-year-old-warning-we-are-ignoring/

Dr. Ghassan Shahrour, coordinator of the Arab Human Security Network, is a medical doctor and human rights advocate specializing in health, disability, disarmament, and human security. He has contributed to global campaigns for peace, disarmament, and the rights of persons with disabilities. This article was originally published in CounterCurrents, and is republished with permission under their fair use policy.

1. Thursday, June 4^th at 6 pm MDT – FREE online showing of Daniel Ellsberg on the Nuclear Threat at the premiere of An Ordinary Insanity – a 28-minute film by Oscar-nominated director Judith Ehrlich, filmed one year before Ellsberg’s death at age 92. To register:  https://www.anordinaryinsanity.com/  The free premiere will include a panel featuring director Judith Ehrlich, Ellsberg family members, and nuclear weapons experts and activists, followed by a Q&A. After the premiere, the film will be available to view FREE online and to use for screenings and events to help build greater awareness of the threat we face and to encourage action.

2. Friday, June 5^th from noon to 1 pm – Join the nuclear disarmament community at the intersection of East Alameda and Sandoval in Santa Fe for the weekly peaceful protest in support of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. 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.

3. Saturday, June 6^th at 1:30 pm MDT – Santa Fe Archbishop John Wester, Partnership for a World Without Nuclear Weapons, will present on his 2022 pastoral letter,Living in the Light of Christ’s Peace: A Conversation Toward Nuclear Disarmament to a virtual summit dialogue to activate Catholics to work for the global abolition of nuclear weapons. For more information about the Pax Christi New England Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (PCAN) and to register, go to https://paxchristima.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/PCAN-Summits-Flyer-PDF.pdf

4. Sunday, June 7^th at 7:30 pm – Candlelight Vigil on the Santa Fe Plaza, as part of SEVEN DAYS IN JUNE movement calling for health care as a human right and political priority, hosted by Third Act New Mexico, Upaya Zen Center and Veterans for Peace. Launched by longtime organizer and AIDS activist Cleve Jones (SevenDaysInJune.org), the campaign responds to sweeping cuts to healthcare, scientific research, and public health programs – including Veterans Administration health services – that threaten millions of Americans.

The event will honor the 45th anniversary of the AIDS crisis, remember those affected by health inequities, and call for a more compassionate future. Rebecca Solnit and others will speak, joining communities across the country in raising their voices for health, justice, and human dignity.

5. Monday, June 8^th at 9 am at the NM State Capitol Building – Water Quality Control Commission Public Rulemaking Hearing for the Proposed Surface Water Quality State Permitting Program (WQCC 25-74(R)). The public hearing may be held until June 18^th. To learn more, go to:  Amigos Bravos:  https://www.amigosbravos.org/upcoming-events/   To connect to the hearing: https://www.env.nm.gov/events-calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D199647881

6. Sunday, June 13^th from 10 am to 11 am – Albuquerque Inaugural Women Veterans Celebration at New Mexico Veterans Memorial Park, 1100 Louisiana SE. Albuquerque Concert Band will begin music at 9:45 am. For more information, please call 505 768-4495.

On April 23rd, the New Mexico Environment Department issued an important permit modification to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in order to speed up cleanup of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and focus on the disposal of legacy waste at WIPP.  The draft Hazardous Waste Act permit modification proposes to require a minimum percentage of legacy waste shipments from LANL to WIPP during specific timeframes beginning soon on January 1, 2027.

The Environment Department’s action would stop LANL’s plans to leave one million cubic meters of radioactive and hazardous waste buried in volcanic tuff in a seismic zone above the regional drinking water aquifer and the Rio Grande. The action, if approved, would limit waste from new proposed plutonium pit production that could be shipped to WIPP.

The Stop Forever WIPP Coalition opposes the expansion of WIPP for newly generated LANL waste from plutonium pit production. CCNS is a member group.

CCNS and the Stop Forever WIPP Coalition fully support the Environment Department’s action and urge you to submit your public comments by Monday, June 8th.

Some of the important proposed permit provisions are:

• From January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2031, at least 55 percent of the total volume of all waste emplaced at WIPP from all generator and storage sites must be LANL legacy waste;
• Beginning January 1, 2032, and until all LANL legacy waste has been emplaced at WIPP, LANL waste must be at least 75 percent of the total volume of waste emplaced from all generator and storage sites;
• Legacy waste currently stored above-ground at LANL’s Area G shall be shipped and emplaced at WIPP by July 1, 2028; and
• If at any point any of those conditions are not met, all generator and storage site shipments, with the exception of LANL, must cease until all deficiencies are cured.

Recall that the Department of Energy (DOE) promised New Mexico that if the state allowed WIPP, Cold War and other radioactive waste stored at LANL would be the priority for disposal in WIPP.  DOE has broken its promise for decades.

The Environment Department needs to know that the public supports the permit modification. DOE strongly opposes it.

For more information, visit the Stop Forever WIPP website at https://stopforeverwipp.org/

To learn about the NMED draft Permit, Public Notice and Fact Sheet, go to https://www.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/wipp/ , scroll down to “WIPP News – 2026” and view the April 23, 2026 entry.

Submit your comments by email to HWB-WIPP-Comment@env.nm.gov or use the WIPP Agency Initiated Modification (AIM) Draft Permit Public Comment Portal at https://nmed.commentinput.com/?id=x2V7G3HrWN

1. Friday, May 29^th from noon to 1 pm – Join the nuclear disarmament community at the intersection of East Alameda and Sandoval in Santa Fe for the weekly peaceful protest in support of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. 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.

2. Saturday, May 30^th from 9 to 11 am – Opening Community Day in the Garden at the Española Healing Foods Oasis located next to the Española Public Library (313 N. Paseo de Oñate) and behind City Hall. Opening Ceremony at 9 am; guided garden tours, planting seeds and snacks and beverages.  Free and Open to Everyone! For more information – https://tewawomenunited.org/events/2026-opening-day-at-the-espanola-healing-foods-oasis

3. Monday, June 1^st from 5:30 to 7 pm – Join the Fight! New Mexico vs. The Nuclear Industry – Webinar on the proposed Revisions to the WIPP Permit (comment period now until June 8^th); Roca Honda Uranium Mine (comment period now until early July); and Plutonium Pit Production (comment period now until July 16^th). Register for Zoom: https://tinyurl.com/NMvsNukeIndustry  Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/NMNukeToolkit

4. Wednesday, June 3^rd from 5 to 7 pm MDT at 10 Cities of Gold Road #A, Tribal Room, at the Cities of Gold Hotel in Pojoaque – hybrid MS Teams interactive public forum at which N3B and LANL discuss Wildfire Preparedness and Mitigation with Q&A. In-person participants are invited to interact with N3B and LANL subject matter experts. For meeting information, including login details, visit: https://n3b-la.com/public-meeting/emcf-6-3-2026/.

5. Thursday, June 4^th at 6 pm MDT – FREE online showing of Daniel Ellsberg on the Nuclear Threat at the premiere of An Ordinary Insanity – a 28-minute film by Oscar-nominated director Judith Ehrlich, filmed one year before Ellsberg’s death at age 92. To register:  https://www.anordinaryinsanity.com/ The free premiere will include a panel featuring director Judith Ehrlich, Ellsberg family members, and nuclear weapons experts and activists, followed by a Q&A. After the premiere, the film will be available to view FREE online and to use for screenings and events to help build greater awareness of the threat we face and to encourage action.

6. Saturday, June 6^th at 1:30 pm MDT – Santa Fe Archbishop John Wester, Partnership for a World Without Nuclear Weapons, will present on his 2022 pastoral letter,Living in the Light of Christ’s Peace: A Conversation Toward Nuclear Disarmament to a virtual summit dialogue to activate Catholics to work for the global abolition of nuclear weapons. For more information about the Pax Christi New England Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (PCAN) and to register, go to https://paxchristima.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/PCAN-Summits-Flyer-PDF.pdf

7. Monday, June 8^th at 9 am at the NM State Capitol Building – capitWater Quality Control Commission Public Rulemaking Hearing for the Proposed Surface Water Quality State Permitting Program (WQCC 25-74(R)). For more information: https://www.env.nm.gov/events-calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D199647881

8. Sunday, June 13^th from 10 am to 11 am – Albuquerque Inaugural Women Veterans Celebration at New Mexico Veterans Memorial Park, 1100 Louisiana SE. Albuquerque Concert Band will begin music at 9:45 am. For more information, please call 505 768-4495.

A newly released independent review of Los Alamos National Laboratory’s 2025 tritium venting raises serious concerns about radiation risks to children and infants and highlights major gaps in LANL’s public reporting and decision-making process.

The review also questions LANL’s decision to proceed with venting despite no measurable pressure buildup in the waste containers — meaning the explosion risk used to justify the releases may not have existed. https://www.ccwnewmexico.org/tritium

On May 14^th, 2026, the Communities for Clean Water published the review analyzing two reports LANL released following its controversial September 2025 tritium release operations. https://www.ccwnewmexico.org and https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6418a35a30fed803c21f2bb1/t/6a0604cc6c803b7fd1032476/1778779340789/Review+of+Vol+1+and+2+of+LANL+tritium+venting+reports+by+Arjun+Makhijani+for+CCW+2026-05-14.pdf

Authored by Dr. Arjun Makhijani, President of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (https://ieer.org/), the “Review of Los Alamos National Laboratory’s tritium venting reports – Volume 1 and Volume 2” provides a summary of the tritium venting as well as the data and estimates detailed in the two LANL reports.

1. 1. FTWC Radioactive Air Emissions Summary, Volume 1: Stack Emissions & Off-Site Dose Consequence, LA-UR: 25-31093, November 14, 2025; and
   2. FTWC Radioactive Air Emissions Summary, Volume 2: Environmental Sampling & Expanded Plume Modeling, LA-UR: 26-20967, February 17, 2026.

Notably, LANL formally acknowledged for the first time that estimated radiation doses to infants were more than three times higher than doses to adults — a change that came only after sustained public pressure and community participation in public meetings and hearings. Nevertheless, infant doses were not considered during the planning and modeling that took place prior to the tritium releases.  LANL stated that infant doses would not be taken into account moving forward.

Dr. Makhijani responded by saying, “Had infant doses been considered during permitting, the operation would not have been allowed as planned, since infant doses under LANL’s appropriately conservative source term assumption would have been more than the regulatory limit of 10 [millirem]. This raises the question of whether EPA’s “standard practice” of enforcement for adults only is providing equal protection under the law to infants and children when infant doses are estimated to exceed the regulatory limit of 10 [millirem] but adult doses do not. The fact that the actual venting resulted in doses well below 10 [millirem] for infants is not relevant to the question of whether the permit was properly granted.”

The findings raise broader concerns about how federal agencies assess radiation risks to nearby communities, particularly for infants, children, pregnant women, and Indigenous communities living near nuclear facilities.

Kalyn Finnell, Coordinator for the Communities for Clean Water, stated, “Community members pushed for transparency every step of the way, and that pressure forced important admissions that were absent from LANL’s original planning. But serious questions remain about whether children and families are being adequately protected.”

1. Friday, May 22^nd from noon to 1 pm – Join the nuclear disarmament community at the intersection of East Alameda and Sandoval in Santa Fe for the weekly peaceful protest in support of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. 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.

2. Friday, May 22^nd through Monday, May 25^th at 3 pm and 7:30 pm – showing of Amy Goodman’s film Steal This Story, Please, at The Guild in Albuquerque. BONUS * BUT SOLD OUT – at The Guild! Amy Goodman in person at the Sunday, May 24

The film will also be shown at the CCA from Friday, May 22^nd through Tuesday, June 2^nd.  For more information and show times:  https://ccasantafe.org/ and https://ticketing.uswest.veezi.com/sessions/dwadj82g7zwrbd9zzytyah11j0

3. Wednesday, June 3^rd from 5 to 7 pm MDT at 10 Cities of Gold Road #A, Tribal Room, at the Cities of Gold Hotel in Pojoaque – hybrid MS Teams interactive public forum at which N3B and LANL discuss Wildfire Preparedness and Mitigation with Q&A. In-person participants are invited to interact with N3B and LANL subject matter experts. For meeting information, including login details, visit: https://n3b-la.com/public-meeting/emcf-6-3-2026/.

4. Thursday, June 4^th at 6 pm MDT – FREE online showing of Daniel Ellsberg on the Nuclear Threat at the premiere of An Ordinary Insanity – a 28-minute film by Oscar-nominated director Judith Ehrlich, filmed one year before Ellsberg’s death at age 92. To register:  https://www.anordinaryinsanity.com/   The free premiere will include a panel featuring director Judith Ehrlich, Ellsberg family members, and nuclear weapons experts and activists, followed by a Q&A. After the premiere, the film will be available to view FREE online and to use for screenings and events to help build greater awareness of the threat we face and to encourage action.

5. Saturday, June 6^th at 1:30 pm MDT – Santa Fe Archbishop John Wester, Partnership for a World Without Nuclear Weapons, will present on his 2022 pastoral letter,Living in the Light of Christ’s Peace: A Conversation Toward Nuclear Disarmament to a virtual summit dialogue to activate Catholics to work for the global abolition of nuclear weapons. For more information about the Pax Christi New England Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (PCAN) and to register, go to https://paxchristima.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/PCAN-Summits-Flyer-PDF.pdf

6. Monday, June 8^th at 9 am at the NM State Capitol Building – Water Quality Control Commission Public Rulemaking Hearing for the Proposed Surface Water Quality State Permitting Program (WQCC 25-74(R)). For more information: https://www.env.nm.gov/events-calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D199647881

7. Sunday, June 13^th from 10 am to 11 am – Albuquerque Inaugural Women Veterans Celebration at New Mexico Veterans Memorial Park, 1100 Louisiana SE. Albuquerque Concert Band will begin music at 9:45 am. For more information, please call 505 768-4495.

On Thursday, April 23rd, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) issued a draft permit modification to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in order to speed up cleanup of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and focus on the disposal of legacy waste at WIPP.  The draft Hazardous Waste Act permit proposes to require a minimum percentage of legacy waste shipments from LANL to WIPP during specific timeframes beginning on January 1, 2027.

NMED’s action would help stop LANL’s plans to leave one million cubic meters of radioactive and hazardous waste buried in unlined pits, trenches and shafts in the volcanic tuff in a seismic zone above the regional drinking water aquifer and the Rio Grande. The action, if approved, would limit waste from new plutonium pit production that could be shipped to WIPP.

CCNS and the Stop Forever WIPP Coalition support NMED’s action and urge you to submit your public comments by Monday, June 8th.  The Stop Forever WIPP Coalition opposes the expansion of WIPP for newly generated LANL waste from plutonium pit production. CCNS is a member group.  https://stopforeverwipp.org/home

Some of the NMED proposed permit provisions include:

• From January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2031, at least 55 percent of the total volume of all waste shipped to WIPP for disposal must be LANL legacy waste;
• Beginning January 1, 2032, at least 75 percent must be LANL legacy waste;
• Legacy waste at LANL’s Area G that is stored above-ground must be shipped by July 1, 2028; and
• If the requirements are not met, all non-LANL shipments must cease until all deficiencies are cured.

How did we get here?  In June of 2023, members of the Stop Forever WIPP Coalition, NMED, DOE, the WIPP contractor, and other citizen groups and businesses met to negotiate permit conditions to ensure WIPP’s continued operations. Those provisions provided greater state oversight, required prioritization of legacy waste in New Mexico and protections for the People and Lands of New Mexico. For more information, go to https://www.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/wipp/, scroll down to “WIPP News – 2023” and view the October 4, 2023 entry.

Written public comments may be submitted until 5 pm Mountain Time on Monday, June 8, 2026. For more information about the NMED draft Permit, Public Notice and Fact Sheet, go to https://www.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/wipp/, scroll down to “WIPP News – 2026” and view the April 23, 2026 entry.

Submit your comments by email to HWB-WIPP-Comment@env.nm.gov or use the WIPP Agency Initiated Modification (AIM) Draft Permit Public Comment Portal at https://nmed.commentinput.com/?id=x2V7G3HrWN

1. Held and Upcoming DOE/NNSA PUBLIC HEARINGS about the draft Plutonium Pit Production Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) (five public hearings in total)

 1. North Augusta, South Carolina on Tuesday, May 5^th – Completed with informed public opposition to DOE’s plans.

 2. Kansas City, Missouri on Thursday, May 7^th – no virtual meeting option – Completed with informed public opposition to DOE’s plans.

 3. Livermore, California on Tuesday, May 12^th – no virtual meeting option – Completed with informed public opposition to DOE’s plans.

 4. Santa Fe, New Mexico on Thursday, May 14^th from 5 pm to 8 pm MT – hybrid training and public hearing focused on LANL operations.

 Public Hearing Location:   Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Institute

                                                      1607 Paseo de Peralta

                                                      Santa Fe, NM  87501

 Comment/Hearing Training for LANL:

Wednesday, May 13^th – In-Person/Hybrid at 6:00 pm MT

1420 Cerrillos Rd, Santa Fe, NM 87505

Link for hybrid meeting TBA – go to https://pitpeis.com/comment-and-hearing-resources/ for link.

5. Washington, DC on Wednesday, May 20^th – no virtual meeting option.

Public Meeting Location:   Southwest Library

Large Meeting Room

900 Wesley Place SW

Washington, DC  20024

For more information:  https://pitpeis.com/comment-and-hearing-resources/

2. Friday, May 15th from noon to 1 pm – Join the nuclear disarmament community at the intersection of East Alameda and Sandoval in Santa Fe for the weekly peaceful protest in support of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. 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.

3. Monday, April 27^th to Friday, May 22^nd – Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) at the United Nations in New York. At a time of renewed nuclear arms racing, increasing threats of nuclear weapons use, and risks of further nuclear proliferation, Legislators (mayors and parliamentarians) and civil society activists, including Abolition 2000 member groups, will also be at the 2026 NPT Review Conference advocating for concrete measures to reduce nuclear risks and advance nuclear abolition. Abolition 2000 is a global network to eliminate nuclear weapons:  No Nukes, No War. You can participate virtually! A list of events available at:  https://www.abolition2000.org/events/

4. Saturday, May 16 to Sunday, June 14^th – the Pax Christi New England Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (PCAN) will host a virtual summit dialogue in four sessions. Each will feature four to six Catholic and other faith leaders who will speak briefly, exchange ideas and field audience questions on activating Catholics to work for the global abolition of nuclear weapons. For more information and to register, go to https://paxchristima.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/PCAN-Summits-Flyer-PDF.pdf

 Archbishop John Wester, Partnership for a World Without Nuclear Weapons, will be on Panel 3 on June 6, 2026.  PCAN’s goals include building upon the Archbishop’s 2022 pastoral letter, Living in the Light of Christ’s Peace: A Conversation Toward Nuclear Disarmament.

Our colleague, Hunter Noffsinger, an organizer with the Union of Concerned Scientists, crafted a three-minute public comment about the draft Plutonium Pit Production Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) that you can use as a model for your comments at the Thursday, May 14^th public hearing in Santa Fe. It will take place from 5 to 8 pm at the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Institute at 1607 Paseo de Peralta and on MS Teams.   https://www.ucs.org/resources/plutonium-pit-production

Noffsinger wrote, “The draft PEIS misses a lot of things raised in the scoping period last May, as well as a few bare minimum requirements. First, the PEIS as drafted does not include enough consideration for the impacts of plutonium pit production across other sites, such as the Kansas City plant, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, the Nevada National Security Site, and [the] Lawrence Livermore National Lab, as is the whole purpose of this programmatic environmental impact statement. The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and [the] Department of Energy (DOE) must include the full impacts of the plutonium pit program in the final PEIS.

“Additionally, among many other concerns, I question the decision to move forward with plutonium pit production at the Savannah River Site considering SRS has been deemed an [Environmental Protection Agency] Superfund site. Plutonium pit production carries danger to human and environmental health no matter where it happens. We know this from our history of pit production at Rocky Flats as well as from the current pit production already happening at Los Alamos National Lab. In the time since Los Alamos produced its first diamond stamped pit in December of 2024, there have been several safety issues involving plutonium. One can only expect these safety incidents to become more frequent as production ramps up.

“As it relates to safety: The draft PEIS as written does not fully consider the impacts for worst-case scenarios such as plutonium fires. The impact radius must be expanded beyond the 50-mile radius in order to accurately account for these worst-case scenarios and the impacts they could have well beyond the region.

Noffinger concluded, “I, among many others, share many more concerns than this that I hope the NNSA truly considers rather than checking a box to say you ‘heard from the community.’ The NNSA and DOE have a responsibility to ensure the safety of our community members. Under the guise of national security, [they] are instead putting more people unnecessarily in harm’s way.”

1. Wednesday, May 6^th from 6 to 7:30 pm Mountain Time – Virtual training about submitting public comments for the draft Plutonium Pit Production Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement by PeaceWorks Kansas City.Virtual on Zoom:
   https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/2nbGZ0CtQoux1mUEwM2mUw

If you can’t make it in person PeaceWorks Kansas City plans to livestream the teach-in on Facebook and the recording will be archived at https://peaceworkskc.org/plutonium/

Upcoming DOE/NNSA PUBLIC HEARINGS (five in total)

1. North Augusta, South Carolina on Tuesday, May 5^th – Completed with informed public opposition to DOE’s plans.

2. Kansas City, Missouri on Thursday, May 7^th – no virtual meeting option. See above for Wednesday, May 6^th virtual training opportunity.

3. Livermore, California on Tuesday, May 12^th – no virtual meeting option.

Meeting Location:   Garré Vineyard & Winery

                                          Santa Rosa Room

                                          7986 Tesla Road

                                          Livermore, CA  94550ß

Comment/Hearing Training for Livermore: Thursday, May 7 at 6:30 pm MT; 5:30 pm PT

Virtual on Zoom:  https://tinyurl.com/2sp2592m

4. Santa Fe, New Mexico on Thursday, May 14^th from 5 pm to 8 pm MT

 Meeting Location:   Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Institute

                                          1607 Paseo de Peralta

                                          Santa Fe, NM  87501

Comment/Hearing Training for LANL:

Wednesday, May 13 – In-Person/Hybrid at 6:00 pm MT

1420 Cerrillos Rd, Santa Fe, NM 87505

Link for hybrid meeting TBA – go to https://pitpeis.com/comment-and-hearing-resources/

5. Washington, DC on Wednesday, May 20^th – no virtual meeting option.

Meeting Location:   Southwest Library

Large Meeting Room

900 Wesley Place SW

Washington, DC  20024

For more information:  https://pitpeis.com/comment-and-hearing-resources/

2. Friday, May 8^th from noon to 1 pm – Join the nuclear disarmament community at the intersection of East Alameda and Sandoval in Santa Fe for the weekly peaceful protest in support of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. 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.

3. Monday, April 27^th to Friday, May 22^nd – Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) at the United Nations in New York. At a time of renewed nuclear arms racing, increasing threats of nuclear weapons use, and risks of further nuclear proliferation, Legislators (mayors and parliamentarians) and civil society activists, including Abolition 2000 member groups, will also be at the 2026 NPT Review Conference advocating for concrete measures to reduce nuclear risks and advance nuclear abolition. Abolition 2000 is a global network to eliminate nuclear weapons:  No Nukes, No War.

You can participate virtually! A list of events available at:  https://www.abolition2000.org/events/

Last week’s Nuclear in New Mexico conference in Bernalillo continued the myth that expansion of the nuclear cycle in New Mexico would be welcomed here. Activities such as expanded uranium mining and milling, generating plutonium-contaminated waste at Los Alamos National Laboratory for disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), and transporting that waste through our communities would be good. https://nuclearinnewmexico.com/

While New Mexico does not have a nuclear power plant, the Public Service Company of New Mexico, or PNM, is invested in and receives energy from the second largest nuclear power plant in the United States – the Palo Verde Generating Station, located west of Phoenix, Arizona. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palo_Verde_Nuclear_Generating_Station

On the 40th anniversary of the Chornobyl nuclear reactor accident, Linda Pentz Gunter, Executive Director of Beyond Nuclear and an author of No To Nuclear. Why Nuclear Power Destroys Lives, Derails Climate Progress And Provokes War, wrote an article about Remembering Chornobyl. The entire article is pasted below and is available at https://beyondnuclearinternational.org/2026/04/19/remembering-chornobyl/.

40 years on we are still asking the wrong questions and getting a lot of wrong answers, writes Linda Pentz Gunter.

“Probably the most heinous crime, other than the avoidable accident itself and its immediate coverup, is the way that the Chornobyl (Ukrainian equivalent spelling) nuclear power disaster in Ukraine, 40 years old this week, has been used to downplay and normalize the long-lasting health impacts caused by that April 26, 1986 explosion.

“Still today, the myth is repeated that “no one died” — meaning no one in the public. Instead, we are told over and over that it was only a handful of liquidators, sent in to deal with the immediate crisis, who were killed by the massive release of radiation resulting from the reactor explosion.

“And still today, in part because of that myth, now so firmly cemented in the public and media narratives around the Chornobyl disaster, the true health effects of even just routine reactor operation, or the exposures suffered by communities living around active or abandoned uranium mines, or by those working in uranium enrichment or fuel fabrication facilities, are discounted and dismissed.

“Worse still, we are now facing a concerted effort by the Trump administration to emasculate already weak radiation protection standards, once again ignoring females who are most vulnerable to harm, and especially pregnant women, babies and children.

“Through yet another executive order accelerating nuclear power expansion while sparing the industry the costs it should incur to guarantee safety (an impossibility anyway), the White House wants to abandon the long-held Linear No Threshold (LNT) model.

“LNT holds that radiation damage increases with higher exposures, and that harm is posed by all radiation exposure no matter how small. But LNT itself is already unsatisfactory, since health studies continue to indicate that more — not less — protection is needed for non-cancer impacts, and for radionuclides taken internally, than is already provided by applying LNT.

“This is what makes the perpetual focus on ‘who died’ when it comes to major nuclear accidents, fundamentally the wrong question. We will likely never know who or how many died as a result of the Chornobyl disaster. Registries and statistics weren’t kept, people moved around, and, as is so often the case, illnesses were ascribed to other causes. Certainty is hard to achieve.

Nevertheless, perhaps one of the most important pieces of research on the health realities of the Chornobyl aftermath was done by historian Kate Brown in her book Manual For Survival: A Chernobyl Guide to the Future. It looks like a ‘hefty tome,’ but it is anything but. Despite being nonfiction, it reads like a page-turning thriller and some of what she uncovers is eye-stretching. And, of course, by saying ‘uncovers,’ we immediately understand that this was indeed a cover-up, first by the then Soviet Union, and then compliantly perpetuated by the United States and other western allies eager to avoid any shocking realization by the general public that nuclear power technology is phenomenally dangerous and human beings are liable to lose control of it, with disastrous results.

“This returns us to the question about the protracted harm that can be caused if something goes very badly wrong at a nuclear power plant. And it returns us to dispensing with the wrong question, which is ‘how many people died?’

“That wrong question, a favorite of headline writers and spin doctors, sets us on a perpetual path to dispute. The health figures, especially fatalities, have become the most misrepresented statistic related to the Chornobyl disaster. But focusing only on fatalities also serves to diminish the disaster’s impact. Nuclear power plant accidents often do not kill people instantly and sometimes not at all. It can take years before fatal illnesses triggered by a nuclear accident take hold. This creates a challenge in calculating just who eventually died due to the accident and who suffered non-fatal consequences.

“Exposure to ionizing radiation released by a nuclear power plant (and not just from accidents but every day) can cause serious non-fatal illnesses as well. These should not be discounted. Arguably, neither should post-accident psychological trauma. Nuclear power plant accidents can and should be prevented. The only sure way to do so is to close them all down. Otherwise we risk another Chornobyl, or Three Mile Island, or Fukushima.

“In our Thunderbird newsletter of 2018, we examined some of the key myths around the impacts of the Chornobyl disaster now 40 years ago. Below, is a synopsis of some of the key points, as they bear repeating and remain perpetually true. The full document can be read here.

What happened?

“On April 26, 1986, Unit 4 at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant exploded. That explosion and the resulting fire, lofted huge amounts of radioactivity into the atmosphere. Unit 4 was relatively new, having only been in service for just over two years. The accident occurred during what should have been a routine test to see how the plant would operate if it lost power. The test involved shutting down safety systems but a series of human errors, compounded by design flaws, instead set in motion a catastrophic chain of events.

“After shutting down the turbine system that provided the cooling water to the reactor, the water began boiling and workers desperately tried to re-insert control rods to slow down the nuclear reaction. But the rods jammed and control of Unit 4 was irrevocably lost. The explosion and fire — which took five months to put out — dispersed at least 200 times more radioactivity than that produced by the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs. The fallout contaminated several million square kilometers of land in the former Soviet Union and in Europe and was also detected in the US.

“Soviet authorities were slow to react. The accident was first detected by monitors in Sweden. The nearby city of Pripyat was not evacuated immediately. By the time they did so, radioactivity levels were 60,000 times higher than ‘normal.’

“The financial cost of the accident, while difficult to calculate given the many unknowns, is estimated to be in the region of $700 billion and is expected to keep rising.

The Liquidators

“The Chornobyl liquidators were dispatched to the stricken nuclear plant in the immediate aftermath, as well as for at least the subsequent two years, to manage and endeavor to ‘clean up’ the disaster. They included military as well as civilian personnel such as firefighters, nuclear plant workers and other skilled professionals.

“While estimates of the number of liquidators varies, the generally accepted figure is around 800,000. However, evaluating their fate has been difficult. Only a small portion of them were subject to medical examinations.

“Yet, by 1992 it was estimated that 70,000 liquidators were invalids and 13,000 had died. These estimates rose to 50,000 then to 100,000 deaths among liquidators in 2006. By 2010, Yablokov et al. estimated a death toll of 112,000 to 125,000 liquidators.

“Even the Russian authorities admit findings of liquidators aging prematurely, with a higher than average number having developed various forms of cancer, leukemia, somatic and neurological problems, psychiatric illnesses and cataracts.

“The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs found a statistically significant increase of leukemia among Russian liquidators who were in service at Chernobyl in 1986 and 1987.

General populations inside and outside the former Soviet Union

“As with the liquidators, tracking the health of general populations exposed to the plume pathway of Chornobyl has been problematic. Within the Soviet Union, people moved away and neither they nor many living in other affected countries were tracked or monitored. While countless numbers may have died from their Chornobyl-related illnesses, equal or even greater numbers may have survived with debilitating or chronic physical as well as mental illnesses caused by the accident.

“Establishing exact numbers may never be possible. Media reports often rely on the 2003-2005 Chernobyl Forum report produced by the nuclear promoting International Atomic Energy Agency. The agency ignored its own data that indicated there would be 9,000 future fatal future cancers in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine, claiming there would be no more than 4,000. Both numbers are gross underestimations. The report focused only on the most heavily exposed areas in making its predictions. It ignored the much larger populations in the affected countries as a whole, and in the rest of the world, who have been exposed to lower but chronic levels of radiation from Chornobyl.

“In contrast, a comprehensive analysis by the late Soviet scientist, Alexey Yablokov and colleagues, examined more than 5,000 Russian studies. They concluded that almost a million premature deaths would result from Chornobyl. Meanwhile, the TORCH report (The Other Report on Chernobyl), by Dr. Ian Fairlie, predicts between 30,000 and 60,000 excess cancer deaths worldwide due to the accident.

“More than half the Chornobyl fallout landed outside of the Ukraine, Belarus and Russia — in Europe, Asia and North America. Fallout from Chornobyl contaminated about 40% of Europe’s surface. Immediately after the accident, thyroid cancer was particularly rampant in Belarus, Ukraine and Russia, where no prophylactic remedy in the form of potassium iodide pills was offered. Consequently, as Baverstock and Williams found in 2006, ‘by far, the most prominent health consequence of the accident is the increase in thyroid cancer among those exposed as children . . . particularly in children living close to the reactor.’

“In contrast, Poland, where potassium iodide was distributed, experienced relatively low rates of thyroid cancers. While thyroid cancer is considered one of the more treatable kinds of cancers, this does not mean it should be viewed as an acceptable consequence of a nuclear power plant accident. Such diseases — especially among children — impact emotional, social, and physical wellbeing. In the former Soviet Union, those operated on bear a scare referred to grimly as the ‘Chornobyl necklace.’

“Dr. Wladimir Wertelecki, a physician and geneticist, has conducted research, particularly focused on Polissia, Ukraine. There he found clear indications of altered child development patterns, or teratogenesis. Wertelecki noted birth defects and other health disturbances among not only those who were adults at the time of the Chornobyl disaster, but their children who were in utero at the time and, most disturbingly, their later offspring.

“Important research has also been conducted on psychological effects. Pierre Flor-Henry and others examined some of the psychological disorders resulting from Chornobyl and found a clinical pathology related to radiation exposure. Flor-Henry found that schizophrenia and chronic fatigue syndrome among a high percentage of liquidators were accompanied by organic changes in the brain. This suggested that various neurological and psychological illnesses could be caused by exposure to radiation levels between 0.15 and 0.5 sieverts.

“There are of course many other non-cancerous diseases caused by nuclear accidents that release radioactivity. A peak in Down Syndrome cases was observed in newborns born in 1987 in Belarus, one year after the Chornobyl nuclear accident. This phenomenon has been found around other nuclear sites. Abnormally high rates of Down Syndrome were found in the Dundalk, Ireland population possibly tied to the operation of the Sellafield nuclear waste reprocessing plant across the Irish Sea in Cumbria, England.

“Read full Thunderbird: Chornobyl: The Facts.”

Linda Pentz Gunter is the Executive Director of Beyond Nuclear and writes for and edits Beyond Nuclear International. She is the author of the book, No To Nuclear. Why Nuclear Power Destroys Lives, Derails Climate Progress And Provokes War, published by Pluto Press. Any opinions are her own.

1. Thursday, April 30, 2026 at 3:30 pm Mountain Time – Virtual training about submitting public comments for the draft Plutonium Pit Production Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement by the Union of Concerned Scientists, Nuclear Watch New Mexico and Tri-Valley CARES.

Virtual on Zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/2nbGZ0CtQoux1mUEwM2mUw

For more information and schedules, go to:  https://pitpeis.com/

*** FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE TRAININGS AND THE DOE/NNSA PUBLIC HEARINGS:

North Augusta, South Carolina on Tuesday, May 5^th

Kansas City, Missouri on Thursday, May 7^th

Livermore, California on Tuesday, May 12^th

Santa Fe, New Mexico on Thursday, May 14^th

Washington, DC on Wednesday, May 20^th

go to https://pitpeis.com/comment-and-hearing-resources/

2. Thursday, April 30, 2026 at 6 pm Mountain Time – David Lochbaum, a nuclear engineer, nuclear safety expert, consultant and author, will speak about Executive Order 14300 – Asked and Answered: Exposing Trump’s efforts to relax radiation protection regulations protecting nuclear workers and the public. Registration for the Zoom link is required:https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/le67EG8XRLGmDKpcPPq7mg#/registration

3. Friday, May 1^st from noon to 1 pm – Join the nuclear disarmament community at the intersection of East Alameda and Sandoval in Santa Fe for the weekly peaceful protest in support of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. 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.

4. Monday, April 27^th to Friday, May 22^nd – Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) at the United Nations in New York. At a time of renewed nuclear arms racing, increasing threats of nuclear weapons use, and risks of further nuclear proliferation, Legislators (mayors and parliamentarians) and civil society activists, including Abolition 2000 member groups, will also be at the 2026 NPT Review Conference advocating for concrete measures to reduce nuclear risks and advance nuclear abolition. Abolition 2000 is a global network to eliminate nuclear weapons:  No Nukes, No War. You can participate virtually! A list of events available at: https://www.abolition2000.org/events/

Raise your voice on Thursday, May 14th from 5 pm to 8 pm about the proposed expansion of plutonium pit production at Los Alamos National Laboratory, or LANL, annually from 30 to possibly 100 pits, or triggers, for nuclear weapons. The hybrid public hearing will take place at the Santa Fe Farmers Market Institute, located at 1507 Paseo de Peralta, in Santa Fe. https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/articles/nnsa-issues-notice-availability-draft-programmatic-environmental-impact-statement-its ; https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/articles/nnsa-issues-notice-availability-draft-programmatic-environmental-impact-statement-its ; https://www.energy.gov/nepa/articles/doeeis-0573-draft-environmental-impact-statement-april-2026 [links here to the Draft PEIS Summary, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2].

For decades, the Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration has been working to increase the production of plutonium pits at LANL. The most ever fabricated was 11 and that was in the year 2011.

There has been little opportunity for public review and comment about the DOE NNSA plans. By court order, DOE NNSA is required to review its “programmatic” approach to expanding their operations across the country.

DOE NNSA is required to hold five public hearings not only in New Mexico, but also in North Augusta, South Carolina; Kansas City, Missouri; Livermore, California; and Washington, DC to hear the concerns about the proposed increased plutonium inventories and non-radioactive activities associated with expanded pit production.  https://www.energy.gov/nepa/doeeis-0573-plutonium-pit-production-multiple-locations

To learn more and get links to the virtual meetings, go to the non-governmental organizational PEIS central information hub at https://pitpeis.com

One important draft PEIS oversight is that Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico was omitted from analyses, even though the draft PEIS states Sandia’s “primary mission is to function as a nuclear weapons research, development, and engineering laboratory,” which is very similar to LANL’s mission. https://www.energy.gov/nepa/doeeis-0573-plutonium-pit-production-multiple-locations , e.g., p. 207 of the pdf; p. 5-2 of the document.

Sandia and LANL are located approximately 60 miles from one another as the crow flies. A 50-mile Region of Influence radius from the center of each of the two sites overlap and cover lands and resources of Indigenous Peoples, Hispanic Peoples and others. As a result, by omitting Sandia as a key site from the draft PEIS, DOE NNSA did not conduct the necessary dual analyses of the impacts of their plans within the overlap area. For example,  https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2026-04/draft-eis-0573-plutonium-pit-production-vol-1-2026-04.pdf , e.g., pp. 68-69 of pdf, p. 3-1 and 3-2 of the document.

Further, the last Sandia Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement was finalized in 1999, or 27 years ago. Even though Sandia works in conjunction with LANL on nuclear weapons research, development and engineering, there is no valid and timely Sandia environmental impact statement in place – all to the detriment of those within the 50-mile radius.  https://www.energy.gov/nepa/doeeis-0573-plutonium-pit-production-multiple-locations , e.g., p. 207 of the pdf; p. 5-2 of the document.

In 2011, DOE attempted to update its environmental impact statement. It was never completed.

The draft PEIS must be withdrawn so that the proper and thorough impact analyses in the LANL / Sandia overlap area are conducted.

1. Friday, April 24^th from noon to 1 pm – Join the nuclear disarmament community at the intersection of East Alameda and Sandoval in Santa Fe for the weekly peaceful protest in support of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. 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.

2. Friday, April 24^th at 1 pm MDT on zoom – 2026 Scholar Series about What is ALARA? How does it help protect public health and the environment? With Dr. Arjun Makhijani, the President of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research in Takoma Park, Maryland. Zoom, register here

Dr. Makhijani will describe the provisions of DOE Order 458.1, which establishes radiation protections for the public and the environment by keeping exposures “As Low As Reasonably Achievable” (ALARA), below the limits. He will illustrate the requirements in detail with an example from Los Alamos (where, in his analysis, the DOE Order 458.1 was not followed). He will also discuss how ALARA serves to protect public health and the environment.

3. Saturday, April 25^th at 1 pm MDT at the Cruz Gallery, 500 Paseo de Oñate, Española, NM – Luis Peña and Kay Matthews are hosting a reading/discussion of Kay’s new book Antonio “Ike” DeVargas – Norteño Warrior: The Politics of Land, Power, and Justice in Northern New Mexico.

 To read Lucy Lippard’s thoughts about the book, see https://lajicarita.wordpress.com/2026/04/12/events-for-the-book-release-of-antonio-ike-devargas-norteno-warrior/

 Additional Readings/Discussions:

 Saturday, May 9^th at 4 pm at SOMOS, 108 Civic Plaza Drive, Taos

Wednesday, May 20^th, time to be determined, Collected Works, 202 Galisteo, Santa Fe.

4. Tuesday, April 28^th from noon to 1:30 pm – WIPP Community Forum, U.S. Department of Energy, Carlsbad Field Office and Salado Isolation Mining Contractors (SIMCO). To register, https://wipp.energy.gov/wipp_news_20260324.asp

First, New Mexico is being targeted for new uranium and nuclear projects backed by billionaires, big tech, nuclear lobbyists and government entities. In 2025, the New Mexico Nuclear Alliance was established to push a pro-nuclear energy agenda. https://www.nmnuclearalliance.org/ Working in tandem, the Clean Energy Association of New Mexico, or Clean NM, an industry organization, also formed to push its pro-uranium agenda. CleanNM fronts as “good stewards of the environment,” respecting “community engagement” and “cultural traditions” while its member company, Grants Energy, proposes in-situ leach uranium mining on Sacred Mount Taylor, claiming those activities “safe” and “eco-friendly.” https://cleannm.org/

Beginning on Monday, April 20th through Wednesday, April 22nd, Clean NM will host a three-day industry conference at the Tamaya Resort on Indigenous lands. Peaceful protests are scheduled for Monday, April 20th from 8 am to 10 am and on Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22nd from noon to 2 pm. Both events will take place in  Bernalillo at the northeast corner of Highway 550 and Tamaya Boulevard.

Bring banners and signs. Learn about how to protect yourself and your community from the harms of the nuclear industry and its actors.  For more information, contact Alheli Caton-Garcia, Environmental Justice Organizer, Southwest Organizing Project, at alheli@swop.net; https://swuraniumimpacts.org/event/rally-to-protect-new-mexicos-resources/ , https://tewawomenunited.org/ , https://www.puebloactionalliance.org/ , and https://www.dinenonukes.org/radiation-monitoring-project/

Secondly, on or before Friday, April 24th, tell the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to reopen public input on the Final Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for Los Alamos National Laboratory, or the Final LANL SWEIS, and the concurrent Record of Decision.  https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-doe-nnsa-to-reopen-public-input-on-lanl-expansion

On March 25th, 2026, the federal agencies released their sweeping, long-term plan that will shape nuclear weapons production, waste management, environmental contamination, sacred site protection, and public health impacts in Northern New Mexico for years, if not decades, to come.

Despite the scale and significance of these decisions, DOE NNSA has not provided an opportunity for the public and affected communities to review and respond to the Final LANL SWEIS analysis before moving toward a decision. This undermines the core purpose of the National Environmental Policy Act, which requires informed, transparent decision-making grounded in meaningful public participation.

Further, key issues – including the integration of connected actions, such as the Electrical Power Capacity Upgrade (EPCU) Project, meaningful Tribal consultation, and the full scope of impacts from expanded plutonium pit production – remain inadequately analyzed or deferred.

For these reasons and more, please take action at https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-doe-nnsa-to-reopen-public-input-on-lanl-expansion

1. Friday, April 17^th from noon to 1 pm – Join the nuclear disarmament community at the intersection of East Alameda and Sandoval in Santa Fe for the weekly peaceful protest in support of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. 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.

2. Thursday, April 23^rd at noon to 2 pm MDT – What I Want You to Know: Film Screening and Discussion on Morality of War – A documentary film about the post-9/11 wars that features Iraq and Afghanistan veterans sharing personal stories from their deployments and exploring the tragedy of their wars – including moral injury, which results from the violation of one’s sense of what’s right. After the screening, a Q&A will feature the film’s producer/director and a veteran from the film. Hosted by Religions for Peace USA at https://rfpusa.org/

Join Live via Zoom or Facebook. Zoom registration is required but complimentary. You can click here to register.

3. Friday, April 24^th at 1 pm MDT on zoom – 2026 Scholar Series about What is ALARA? How does it help protect public health and the environment? With Dr. Arjun Makhijani, the President of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research in Takoma Park, Maryland. Zoom, register here

Dr. Makhijani will describe the provisions of DOE Order 458.1, which establishes radiation protections for the public and the environment by keeping exposures “As Low As Reasonably Achievable” (ALARA), below the limits. He will illustrate the requirements in detail with an example from Los Alamos (where, in his analysis, the DOE Order 458.1 was not followed). He will also discuss how ALARA serves to protect public health and the environment.

4. Saturday, April 25^th at 1 pm MDT at the Cruz Gallery, 500 Paseo de Oñate, Española, NM – Luis Peña and Kay Matthews are hosting a reading/discussion of Kay’s new book Antonio “Ike” DeVargas – Norteño Warrior: The Politics of Land, Power, and Justice in Northern New Mexico.

 To read Lucy Lippard’s thoughts about the book, see https://lajicarita.wordpress.com/2026/04/12/events-for-the-book-release-of-antonio-ike-devargas-norteno-warrior/

Additional Readings/Discussions:

Saturday, May 9^th at 4 pm at SOMOS, 108 Civic Plaza Drive, Taos

Wednesday, May 20^th, time to be determined, Collected Works, 202 Galisteo, Santa Fe.

5. Tuesday, April 28^th from noon to 1:30 pm – WIPP Community Forum, U.S. Department of Energy, Carlsbad Field Office and Salado Isolation Mining Contractors (SIMCO). To register, https://wipp.energy.gov/wipp_news_20260324.asp