LANL Virtual NEPA Scoping Meetings September 13th and 14th; Release of LANL Campus Master Plan

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will host two virtual meetings to gather public comments about the scope of a draft environmental impact statement for Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).  If you think these scoping meetings are not important, please check out the recently released 2021 LANL Campus Master Plan. The plan was obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

The Plan sets forth an expensive new vision for replacement and expansion of LANL buildings, infrastructure, and transportation over the next 30 years, or roughly until 2052.  To learn more about it, check out the exclusive interview by Maire O’Neill, of the Los Alamos Reporter, with Kelly Beierschmitt, LANL’s deputy director for operations.  https://losalamosreporter.com/2022/09/05/los-alamos-national-laboratory-2021-campus-master-plan-reveals-plans-for-extensive-infrastructure-transformation/

One shocking example of the breadth and depth of what LANL wants to build to support expanded plutonium pit production is four million gross square feet of new space over the next 30 years.  This is about the size of 100 John Hancock Towers and 1 ½ Prudential Towers located in Boston.  https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2017/09/11/so-just-how-big-is-a-8-million-square-foot-hq2-for.html

On August 19^th, DOE announced the scoping meetings, but the 75-page Campus Master Plan had not yet been publicly released.  It is unconscionable that DOE hid its master plan.

On August 30^th, 115 non-government organizations and individuals requested DOE grant a 60-day extension of the public comment period until Monday, December 5th.   Now that the plan has been released, it can inform the public scoping comments prepared during the extension of time that has been requested.  http://nuclearactive.org/one-hundred-and-fifteen-ngos-and-individuals-ask-for-lanl-sweis-comment-extension-lanl-virtual-scoping-meetings-on-september-13th-and-14/

The first virtual scoping meeting is set for Tuesday, September 13^th from 2 to 4 pm, with a second meeting on Wednesday, September 14^th from 5 to 7 pm, both at Mountain Daylight Time.  The meetings may be accessed by telephone or on the internet.  https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/nnsa-nepa-reading-room   

CCNS inquired whether it is necessary to attend both meetings.   DOE explained that the presentation and the opportunity to comment would be the same at both meetings.

If you are wondering whether to participate in a scoping meeting, here are some questions you may ask:  Why did DOE hide the 2021 Campus Master Plan? What else is DOE hiding?

1. Friday, September 9^th from noon to 1 pm – Join the weekly peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament on the corners of Alameda and Guadalupe in downtown Santa Fe. Join us to discuss next steps toward nuclear disarmament!

2. Saturday, September 10^th at 10 am MDT – John Wilks. VFP Chapter No. 63, will be interviewed by Don Kimball of Friendly Fire: A Voice for Veterans about “A Monster on Top of a Monster” on 89.1 Silver City and on the web at https://gmcr.org/.  A rebroadcast of the interview will be aired on Sunday, September 11^th at 6 pm. 

3. Saturday, September 10^th at noon MDT – The Singing Revolution: How Estonians Sang the Soviet Union Out – screening and discussion with the filmmakers.  Sponsored by World Beyond War.org – a global movement to end all wars.  For more information:  https://actionnetwork.org/ticketed_events/the-singing-revolution-screening-and-discussion-with-the-filmmakers?clear_id=true

4. Tuesday, September 13^th around 2 pm – Santa Fe County Commission considers:  Agenda No. 3  A Resolution Recognizing September 21, 2022, as The International Day of Peace and Urging the United States Congress to Reduce Funding to the United States Department of Defense and Reallocate Those Funds to Domestic Needs. (Commissioner Anna Hansen).  To read the Resolution and Resolution Memo:  https://go.boarddocs.com/nm/sfc/Board.nsf/vpublic?open    Please contact your county commissioner and ask for their support of the resolution.  https://www.santafecountynm.gov/county_commissioners

5. Tuesday, October 4^th – Public Comments due to the NM Environment Department about Remedy Selection for Area of Concern: The Tijeras Arroyo Groundwater at the DOE Sandia National Laboratory.  For more information:  https://www.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/sandia-national-laboratories/ , scroll down to Tijeras Arroyo Groundwater (TAG).

Tags: 115 NGOs and individuals, 2021 LANL Campus Master Plan, alternatives, DOE, expanded plutonium pit production, extension request, FOIA, four million gross square feet, Freedom of Information Act, Kelly Beierschmitt, LANL SWEIS, Los Alamos Reporter, Maire O’Neill, NGOs, non-governmental organizations, scoping, Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for Continued Operations of Los Alamos National Laboratory, two virtual scoping meetings, U.S. Department of Energy, What else is DOE hiding?