The privileges of the rich and powerful Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and its plans to expand the fabrication of plutonium pits, or triggers, for nuclear warheads continue.  After 115 non-governmental organizations and individuals requested a two-month extension of time for preparation of informed scoping comments for a long-delayed draft sitewide environmental impact statement (SWEIS), LANL granted a whopping 15-day extension.  Scoping comments are now due by Tuesday, October 18^th.  If you plan to email your comments, submit them before 11:59 pm Mountain time.

CCNS attended the two virtual scoping meetings this week to make comments and to renew the request for a longer extension of the comment period.

Broad and diverse comments were made about the impacts of expanded operations to frontline communities, equity, environmental and social justice, environment, health, water, wildfire, cleanup and related issues.  Some commenters said LANL was no longer welcome.

Comments were made about the proposed transportation of 48 metric tons of plutonium pits from the Pantex site north of Amarillo, Texas to LANL for processing into powdered plutonium.

Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), LANL is required to examine all the alternatives to its preferred course of action.  We learned that LANL has inserted its program of fabricating 30 plutonium pits per year into its proposed No Action Alternative. What does this mean?  It may mean that LANL will proceed according to the last SWEIS, finalized in 2008.  We’ll have to wait and see what’s in the draft SWEIS.

Over the last 14 years, many changes have occurred.  Below is a short list and does not include the issues raised by the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board ( https://www.dnfsb.gov/ ):

• shutdown of the Plutonium Facility for three years,
• shutdown of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant for disposal of transuranic waste from plutonium pit production (2014 – 2017) caused by the defective packaging of the waste by LANL,
• shipping waste containers to WIPP without filter vents (August 9, 2022),
• renegotiation of the protective and thorough 2005 New Mexico Environment Department Consent Order to a shadow of its former requirements (2016),
• wildfires and threats of wildfires (Las Conchas in 2011, Cerro Pelado in 2022),
• surface water and groundwater contamination (hexavalent chromium, radionuclides, heavy metals, VOCs, etc.) across the Pajarito Plateau (2008 to present),
• plans to vent tritium into the air from four Flanged Tritium Waste Containers, and possibly more containers (2022),
• plans to leave Cold War waste in place at Material Disposal Area C, located between the Plutonium Facility and the Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility (2022), and
• plans to install new power lines and build a bridge across the Rio Grande from the Caja del Rio (to the east) to White Rock Canyon (to the west).

Commenters struggled to orient themselves in the virtual zoom meeting.  The view and chat functions were disabled, leaving the viewer unable to do more than to view the presentation.  CCNS and others argued against only holding virtual meetings.  It should have been a hybrid with people being able to be seen on the screen and in person.  By disabling the view and chat, people were unable to communicate as would have been done during an in-person meeting.

While the 30-minute LANL presentation was not recorded, the powerpoint is available at https://www.energy.gov/nepa/doeeis-0552-site-wide-environmental-impact-statement-continued-operation-los-alamos-national-0 . The public comment portion was recorded, but when asked, LANL explained that it would not be publicly available.

CCNS asked in the Q&A function whether the public would have to request the transcript through the Freedom of Information Act.  There was no response.

CCNS and other NGOs are preparing sign-on letters for NGOs and sample public comments you can use as a model for your scoping comments.  Stay tuned!

1. Serit Kotowski was presented with the Gallery Curator’s Educator Choice Award for her piece Sacred Trust: BROKEN at the Ink & Clay 45 show at Cal Poly Pomona last weekend!  Congratulations, Serit!!!  https://www.cpp.edu/kellogg-gallery/exhibitions/2021-ink-clay-45/index.shtml and http://nuclearactive.org/kotowskis-sacred-trust-broken-at-ink-clay-45-exhibit-at-cal-poly-pomona/

2. Friday, September 16^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, including local recognition activities for the 60^th anniversary of 13 Days in October 1962 – The Cuban Missile Crisis.  https://defusenuclearwar.org/

3. Today LANL posted its 2021 Master Campus Plan to the LANL Electronic Public Reading Room. https://permalink.lanl.gov/object/tr?what=info:lanl-repo/eprr/ESHID-603721  Is it because CCNS highlighted the hidden Plan in last week’s Update?  http://nuclearactive.org/lanl-virtual-nepa-scoping-meetings-september-13th-and-14th-release-of-lanl-campus-master-plan/

4. Wednesday, September 21^st International Day of Peace. Do something for peace.  One suggestion:  Santa Fe Board of County Commissioners’ 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.  It passed unanimously on September 13, 2022.  https://www.santafecountynm.gov/documents/ordinances/Resolution__2022-070.pdf   Send a note of thanks to your County Commissioner!

5. Friday, September 23^rd from 3 to 7 pm – New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) will host an Open House / Los Alamos Community Engagement Meeting Notice at the NMED Oversight Bureau Office, located at 1183 Diamond Drive, Suite B, Los Alamos, NM. There will be NMED staff demonstrations and information areas throughout the office with opportunities to ask questions about activities at LANL within the Oversight Bureau purview. 2022-09-15 – COMMS NMED hosts Los Alamos Community Engagement Meeting and Open House (Final)

6. September 24^th from 4 to 8 pm. Celebration of community activist Allen Cooper’s life, from 4 to 8 pm at the Albuquerque Peace and Justice Center, 202 Harvard Drive SE, Albuquerque, NM.  “Come to this community celebration of our dear friend Allen’s life.  Bring A Potluck dish to share, & a mask to protect yourself & others. Feel free to share your stories, memories, & photos if you have any!”   https://www.abqpeaceandjustice.org/events

7. 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).

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).

This week 63 non-governmental organizations and 52 individuals requested that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) grant a two-month extension of time to provide informed public comments about the scope of the Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for Continued Operations of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL SWEIS).  On August 19^th, DOE announced in its Notice of Intent to Prepare a Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for the Los Alamos National Laboratory a 45-day comment period.  Currently, comments are due on Monday, October 3^rd, 2022.  https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/nnsa-nepa-reading-room

In their August 30^th letter, the groups and individuals asked that the DOE Secretary Granholm and her staff extend the comment period to Monday, December 5, 2022.  No response has yet been received.  LANL SWEIS 2022 Scoping Extension Request 8-30-22

The NGOs and individuals justified their extension request by noting, among other items, that the last LANL SWEIS was finalized in 2008 – 14 years ago.  Generally DOE conducts a SWEIS every 10 years.  DOE proposes that this LANL SWEIS will cover “approximately the next 15 years” of operations, or to approximately 2038 and beyond.

DOE identified 21 preliminary environmental issues that they plan to analyze in the study.  DOE explained in the August 19, 2022 Federal Register notice:

The following issues have been identified for analysis in the SWEIS. The list is tentative and intended to facilitate public comment on the scope of the SWEIS. It is not intended to be all inclusive, nor does it imply any predetermination of potential impacts. The NNSA specifically invites
suggestions for the addition or deletion of items on this list.  [Emphasis added.]

• Potential effects on the public and workers from exposures to radiological and hazardous materials during normal operations, construction, reasonably foreseeable accidents (including from natural phenomena hazards), and intentional destructive acts
• Impacts on surface and groundwater, floodplains and wetlands, and on water use and quality
• Impacts on air quality from potential releases of radiological and nonradiological pollutants and greenhouse gases
• Impacts to plants and animals and their habitats, including species that are federally or state-listed as threatened or endangered, or of special concern
• Impacts on physiography, topography, geology, and soil characteristics
• Impacts to cultural resources, such as those that are historic, prehistoric, archaeological, scientific, or paleontological
• Socioeconomic impacts to affected communities
• Environmental justice impacts, particularly whether or not activities at the Laboratory have a disproportionately high and adverse effect on minority and/or low-income populations
• Potential impacts on land use and applicable plans and policies
• Impacts from traffic and transportation of radiological and hazardous materials and waste on and off the Laboratory campus
• Pollution prevention and materials, and waste management practices and activities
• Impacts on visual aesthetics and noise levels of Laboratory facilities on the surrounding communities and ambient environment
• Impacts to community services, including fire protection, police protection, schools, and solid waste disposal to landfills
• Impacts from the use of utilities, including water and electricity consumption, fuel use, sewer discharges, and resource conservation
• Impacts from site contamination and remediation
• Unavoidable adverse impacts
• Environmental compliance and inadvertent releases
• Short-term uses and long-term productivity
• Irreversible and irretrievable commitment of resources
• Cumulative effects of past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions
• Mitigation commitments

https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2022-08/noi-eis-0552-lanl-site-wide-2022-08.pdf

In response the groups and individuals declared DOE’s list, “barely scratches the surface of issues that need to be analyzed” and created their own list.  They wrote:

Here are examples of other issues that must be included:

• The slow pace of cleanup, which prompted the NMED to sue DOE to terminate a 2016 Consent Order that governs environmental remediation at LANL.
• Truly comprehensive cleanup that will permanently protect precious water resources instead of the “cap and cover” that LANL proposes, leaving some 200,000 cubic yards of radioactive and toxic wastes buried in unlined pits, shafts and trenches.
• The growing threat of wildfires caused by climate change, including the May 2022 Cerro Pelado fire, which unfortunately New Mexico is growing all too familiar with.
• LANL’s chronic track record of nuclear safety inc In the past this forced a three-year suspension of major operations at LANL’s main plutonium facility, now the site for expanded plutonium pit production.
• Yet more generation of plutonium contaminated radioactive wastes that NNSA believes it may dispose of in the already oversubscribed WIPP.
• Environmental and social justice impacts on frontline communities, recognizing that New Mexico is a majority minority state. DOE plans to spend $9.4 billion in FY 2023 in New Mexico (71% for core nuclear weapons research and production programs), substantially greater than the state’s entire budget of $8.5 billion. The inequitable economic impacts of such funding must be thoroughly evaluated.
• Massive construction projects due to expanded pit production plans, including new power lines and a bridge across the Rio Grande.
• Seismic impacts must be updated.

LANL SWEIS 2022 Scoping Extension Request 8-30-22

Many changes have occurred at LANL since 2008, including the proposals to increase the production of plutonium pits, or the triggers, for nuclear weapons, from 20 to 30 per year – a 50 percent increase.  This means that if the proposed expansion of production goes into effect, there will be 50 percent more radioactive and hazardous waste will be generated, more water will be used, and more emissions into the air.

Also this week, DOE announced it will hold two virtual scoping meeting that will be accessible online and by telephone.  At these virtual meetings the public is invited to learn about the scoping process and how the public may provide comments on the DOE’s proposed activities and any alternatives to them.

The first meeting is set for Tuesday, September 13^th from 2 to 4 pm Mountain Daylight Time.

Access by Internet: https://tinyurl.com/LANLSCOPING1

Access by Telephone: (719) 359-4580

Webinar ID: 854 9276 5831

The second meeting is set for Wednesday, September 14^th from 5 to 7 pm Mountain Daylight Time.

Access by Internet at: https://tinyurl.com/LANLSCOPING2

Access by Telephone: (719) 359-4580

Webinar ID: 897 9221 6008

For more information, visit: https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/nnsa-nepa-reading-room

CCNS is working on talking points you can use as the basis for your comments.  Please support this work with your financial contribution.  Thank you!

1. Friday, August 26^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. Tuesday, September 6^th – live and webcasted New Mexico Interim Radioactive and Hazardous Materials Legislative Committee at NM State University at Grants, NM. See agenda for details about the webcast.    https://nmlegis.gov/Committee/Interim_Committee?CommitteeCode=RHMC

3. Saturday, September 10^th at noon Mountain Daylight Time – 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. Monday, October 3^rd [subject to change] Scoping Comments due to DOE/NNSA/LANL about the Notice of Intent to Prepare a Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for Continued Operations of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/nnsa-nepa-reading-room

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).

Taos ceramic artist Serit Kotowski’s beautiful Sacred Trust:  BROKEN is an educational installation that focuses on the impact of the nuclear weapons industry in New Mexico.  Using a traditional potter’s repertoire Kotowski created two sets of dinnerware to demonstrate that, if ingested, radioactive substances are harmful, if not deadly. The plates and cups are labeled “NOT FOOD SAFE.”  http://inkclay45.com/statements-a-m.html , scroll down to “Kotowski.”

One set of plates and cups is glazed in hues of yellow to represent a form of milled uranium, called yellow cake, which was mined on Native Peoples’ lands.  The other set of dinnerware is glazed in hues of iron greens to represent the creation of trinitite during the first atomic bomb test at the Trinity Site on July 16, 1945.

Kotowski further demonstrates the harm done to frontline communities by modifying the “Water, Air, and Land:  A SACRED TRUST” map, created by Deborah Reade Designs.  http://nuclearactive.org/ , scroll down the right side of page.  On the map Kotowski emphasizes the nuclear weapons industry’s cradle to grave operations in New Mexico – from uranium mining to disposal of nuclear weapons waste.

Kotowski has etched the word “restorative” into the Plexiglas covering of the map and printed the word “justice” multiple times into the map’s background to convey the demand for restorative justice now.

Kotowski’s piece was selected in a national competition for an exhibit titled, “Ink & Clay 45:  The Art of Type,” now showing at the Kellogg University Art Gallery at Cal Poly Pomona until November 18^th.

In 2002, concerned about the fallout from the May 2000 Cerro Grande fire, which burned 7,000 acres of Los Alamos National Laboratory, Kotowski formed the Embudo Valley Environmental Monitoring Group.  She worked with the New Mexico Environment Department and LANL to establish air-monitoring stations downwind of LANL in the Embudo and Rio Grande watersheds.  http://nuclearactive.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/NMED-Comment_Response_Matrix_11-30-2010_revised.pdf

In her Artist Statement, Kotowski refers to Marie Antoinette’s noted indifference to the deadly suffering of the common people by altering her famous words to “Let them eat yellow cake.”

Kotowski explains, “The pathways to exposure to radioactive and hazardous substances are the same, through the most basic requirements for life.  People living self-sufficient lifestyles were heavily reliant on the food they grew or gathered, the livestock being raised, and the animals hunted, for the water collected from rainfall and the water gathered from streams and rivers.  All of these basics to life were and remain contaminated by the nuclear weapons industry and its lack of regard for the health and safety of the people and the land that supports life.”  http://inkclay45.com/kotoski-full-statement.html

1. Friday, August 26^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. Celebrate the successful historic First Meeting of State Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference negotiations at the United Nations (Aug. 1 to 26, 2022).  Attend to discuss next steps toward nuclear disarmament!

2. Monday, October 3^rd Scoping Comments due to DOE/NNSA/LANL about the Notice of Intent to Prepare a Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for Continued Operations of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/08/19/2022-17901/notice-of-intent-to-prepare-a-site-wide-environmental-impact-statement-for-continued-operation-of    CCNS and Nuclear Watch NM prepared a sign-on letter requesting a two-month extension of time until Monday, December 5, 2022, to submit scoping comments.  To sign on, please email ccns@nuclearactive.org and request the letter for your review.  Thanks!

3. Tuesday, September 6^th – New Mexico Interim Radioactive and Hazardous Materials Legislative Committee in Grants, NM. https://www.nmlegis.gov/Committee/Interim_Committee?CommitteeCode=RHMC

4. Wednesday, November 16, 2022 Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) four-part Public Hearing at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center, 201 West Marcy, Santa Fe, NM.

• First part: “Nuclear Safety at Area G, “ from noon to 2:30 pm;
• Second part: “National Security Missions and Nuclear Safety Posture,” from 4 pm to 6 pm;
• Third part: “Improving Safety systems, Safety Management Programs, and Oversight,” from 6:30 to 8:30 pm; and
• Fourth part: “Public Comments and Wrap-up,” from 8:45 to 9:45 pm.

For more information:  https://www.dnfsb.gov/public-hearings-meetings/november-16-2022-public-hearing

5. Pro Publica’s story and video of “New Mexico’s Death Map: Uranium and Nuclear Energy in the U.S.” are available at https://www.propublica.org/article/new-mexico-uranium-homestake-pollution?utm_source=sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=event&utm_term=20220816_Uranium%20Event%20Registrant%20List and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u0o48EWO-E

New scientific work demonstrates that even a “limited” nuclear war would cause abrupt climate disruption and global starvation.  A limited nuclear war is defined as a conflict confined to one region and involving a small fraction of the world’s nuclear arsenals. But such a conflict would be neither limited nor regional and despite statements to the contrary, it would be an event on a planetary scale of death and destruction.  Global food insecurity and famine from reduced crop, marine fishery and livestock production due to climate disruption from nuclear war soot injection.  https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-022-00573-0

The Nobel Peace Prize awardee in 1985 was the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War.  https://www.ippnw.org/  The Physicians summarized the new report by the Rutgers-led international research team, headed by Lili Xia, which clearly demonstrates that there is no such thing as a minor or small nuclear war.  The damage would be catastrophic.  https://ippnweupdate.files.wordpress.com/2022/08/nuclear-famine-2022.pdf

The researchers established six possible scenarios for a limited nuclear war in an urban area based on a 2010 world population of 6.7 billion people.  The number of weapons used in the scenarios varied from 100 to 4,400 with an explosive range of 15 to 100 kilotons resulting in five to 150 million metric tons of fallout soot, which would cool the planet.  The scientists estimate that 27 million to 360 million people would die directly from the bomb blasts.  After two years of famine, the number of people in danger of death would range from 255 million to over 5 billion – or three out of four people.  https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-022-00573-0

In their summary, the Physicians concluded by saying, “In the case of a nuclear war, there is no possible treatment after the fact.  We must focus on prevention.  And the only way to ensure that nuclear weapons are never used is to eliminate them completely.  The United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on July 7, 2017, and which entered into force on January 22, 2021, provides the legal and moral foundation for the eradication of nuclear weapons. https://www.un.org/disarmament/wmd/nuclear/tpnw/

In the interest of public health, [the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War] thus present this summary of important new data about a potential species-level threat to humanity.  The cure for this is prevention.  The prevention is to renounce and abolish nuclear weapons.”  https://ippnweupdate.files.wordpress.com/2022/08/nuclear-famine-2022.pdf

If you haven’t contacted the White House to urge the Biden Administration to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, please do so today at https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ ; the Switchboard at 202-456-1414; Comment Line at 202-456-1111; TTY/TTD Visitor’s Office at 202-456-2121; and TTY/TTD Comment Line at 202-456-6213.

To get involved, check out the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) at https://www.icanw.org/

1. Friday, August 5^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. Celebrate the successful historic First Meeting of State Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference negotiations at the United Nations (Aug. 1 to 26, 2022).  Attend to discuss next steps toward nuclear disarmament!

2. Friday, August 19^th, Federal Register publishes Notice of Intent to Prepare a Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for Continued Operations of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The notice states there will be a 45-day comment period about the “scope” of the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

“This document is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on 08/19/2022 and available online at federalregister.gov/d/2022-17901, and on govinfo.gov”  https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2022-17901.pdf

Mark your Calendar with these upcoming events! 

3. Tuesday, September 6^th – New Mexico Interim Radioactive and Hazardous Materials Legislative Committee in Grants, NM. https://www.nmlegis.gov/Committee/Interim_Committee?CommitteeCode=RHMC

4. Wednesday, November 16, 2022 Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) four-part Public Hearing at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center, 201 West Marcy, Santa Fe, NM.

• First part: “Nuclear Safety at Area G, “ from noon to 2:30 pm;
• Second part: “National Security Missions and Nuclear Safety Posture,” from 4 pm to 6 pm;
• Third part: “Improving Safety systems, Safety Management Programs, and Oversight,” from 6:30 to 8:30 pm; and
• Fourth part: “Public Comments and Wrap-up,” from 8:45 to 9:45 pm.

For more information:  https://www.dnfsb.gov/public-hearings-meetings/november-16-2022-public-hearing

Did you know that the current hazardous waste permit for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) states that waste disposal operations will end in 2024, followed by a ten-year period to close the underground waste disposal site?  https://www.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/wipp/

WIPP is located 26 miles east of Carlsbad, New Mexico, in bedded salt 2,150 feet below ground surface.  https://www.wipp.energy.gov/

But the owner-operator of WIPP, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), recently reported to the New Mexico Environment Department that “final facility closure could begin no earlier than [calendar year] 2083.” https://hwbdocuments.env.nm.gov/Waste%20Isolation%20Pilot%20Plant/220626.pdf , p. 2 of 11.  That statement contradicts promises made and legal agreements signed by DOE when it proposed operating WIPP for disposal of plutonium-contaminated wastes from the production of nuclear weapons.  DOE emphasized it would operate WIPP for 25 years and then close in 2024 as the permit requires.

The final closure date was one of the many topics discussed at the August 5^th meeting of the New Mexico Legislature’s Radioactive and Hazardous Materials Committee meeting in Clovis.  https://www.nmlegis.gov/Committee/Interim_Committee?CommitteeCode=RHMC  The meeting agenda and the handouts are posted there.

The bipartisan committee made up of state senators and representatives questioned the WIPP manager, Reinhard Knerr, about the DOE’s plans to extend the operating permit for WIPP, to bring new plutonium wastes, and to more than double the size of the underground mine to the west of the existing operations and closer to the WIPP boundary, which is surrounded by oil and gas operations.  https://www.nmlegis.gov/handouts/RHMC%20080522%20Item%201%20DOE.pdf

State Representative Debra Sariñana, of Bernalillo County, asked Knerr about extending the operations for 59 more years.  She said, “I just think as a [legislative] body and a state we need to get some answers on this.  There has to be a stop.  There has to be a limit to this.”

She added, “We’re not the dumping ground.  You can’t continue to do this.”  https://www.nmlegis.gov/members/Legislator?SponCode=HSARI

Don Hancock, of Southwest Research and Information Center, provided testimony to the committee based on his 45 years of experience as a watchdog of the DOE and its operations at WIPP.  http://www.sric.org/  He summarized the three public requests for action.

They are:  First, DOE must openly and regularly discuss plans for existing waste, future waste generation, surplus plutonium, plutonium pit waste, and the need for additional waste repositories.  Second, in the WIPP permit renewal, the Environment Department must include limits for disposal operations, improvements to safety requirements, and limit future expansion.  And finally, state officials must take actions to ensure that WIPP limits are upheld and DOE begins siting another waste repository.  https://www.nmlegis.gov/handouts/RHMC%20080522%20Item%201%20SRIC%20presentation.pdf and https://www.nmlegis.gov/handouts/RHMC%20080522%20Item%201%20SRIC%20Testimony.pdf

The Committee voted to send a letter to DOE asking for its plan for other waste repositories.

For more information, please visit  https://stopforeverwipp.org/ .

1. Friday, August 5^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. Celebrate the successful historic First Meeting of State Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference negotiations at the United Nations (Aug. 1 to 26, 2022).  Attend to discuss next steps toward nuclear disarmament!

2. Articles about recent events:

a. A Uranium Ghost Town in the Making, by by Mark Olalde and Maya Miller, video by Mauricio Rodríguez Pons and Ed Ou, photography by Ed Ou.

Time and again, mining company Homestake and government agencies promised to clean up waste from decades of uranium processing. It didn’t happen. Now they’re trying a new tactic: buying out homeowners to avoid finishing the job.

b. Faith Not Bombs

Interfaith Mass, discussion commemorates 77th anniversary of US bombing Nagasaki; archbishop offers prayers for slain Muslim men in Albuquerque

By Annabella Farmer, Santa Fe Reporter
August 09, 2022 at 8:48 pm MDT

https://www.sfreporter.com/news/2022/08/09/faith-not-bombs/

c. Message from Jay Coghlan, Nuclear Watch NM:

For those who may be interested, attached is Santa Fe Archbishop John Wester’s homily commemorating the 77th anniversary of the Nagasaki atomic bombing.

It can also be viewed as he delivered it in his Mass on youtube at youtu.be/M4SnixeGwyE (beginning at 15:00).

The interfaith panel discussion that followed can be viewed at youtu.be/U88tJwq7yNsm

All the speakers were excellent. I particularly recommend Regis Pegos, ex-Governor of Cochiti Pueblo and ex-Chairman of the All Pueblo Council of Governors. Among others things, he urge that all adversely affected by nuclear weapons research and production in New Mexico (Trinity Test downwinders, uranium workers, sick Lab workers, anti-nuclear weapons activists) collectively “tell their stories” in order to build a movement toward nuclear disarmament.

On Tuesday, August 9^th the New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission will hear virtually a petition for review of the groundwater discharge permit, DP-1132, filed by non-governmental organizations CCNS and Honor Our Pueblo Existence (HOPE).  DP-1132 allows Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to handle, store and discharge treated radioactive and hazardous waters from the Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility into Effluent Canyon, a tributary of Mortandad Canyon.  Noting procedural errors in the permitting process, the NGOs request the Commission to send the permit back to the New Mexico Environment Department Secretary James Kenney for the required administrative action on his part.  Further, the NGOs state the Secretary was required to find that the facility manages hazardous waste, and so it must be regulated under the Hazardous Waste Act, instead of the Water Quality Act.

ACTION ALERT

To download the August 9^th agenda, which can be revised up to the meeting time, please visit https://www.env.nm.gov/opf/water-quality-control-commission/ .  To read the pleadings, please visit https://www.env.nm.gov/opf/docketed-matters/ and scroll down to WQCC 22-21, Petition for Review of DP-1132. 

Please consider submitting the attached comment letter – with your concerns – to the WQCC in support of the Petition for Review of DP-1132 submitted by CCNS and HOPE.  Contact information on letter.  220803 DP-1132 public comment to WQCC

CCNS first raised concerns about the discharge from the Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility in 1994 – that’s right – 28 years ago.  In the interim, there have been many errors in the permitting process.

For example, a public hearing about a draft permit was held in November 2019 before a Hearing Officer.  Following a hearing, a report by the Hearing Officer to the Secretary is required.  The Secretary then has 30 days to make his decision.

On March 4, 2020, the Hearing Officer delivered his report to the Secretary and recommended issuance of DP-1132.  The Secretary did not act within 30 days.  Instead, on June 24, 2020 the Secretary issued a non-final order, sending the matter back for consideration of financial assurance.  He directed the Hearing Officer to submit a revised report after the hearing, which has not been presented to the Secretary.  Further, the Secretary has not expressed his position on the March 4, 2020 report, in any revised Report, nor did he provide a response to the voluminous public comments.  https://www.env.nm.gov/opf/docketed-matters/ , scroll down to Ground Water Quality Bureau 19-24 – Proposed Discharge Permit No. 1132 for RLWTF at Los Alamos National Labs.

On May 5^th, 2022, the Environment Department issued DP-1132 under the New Mexico Water Quality Act, with no reference to the Hearing Officer’s March 4, 2020 Report. 2022-05-05 – WPD GWQB DP-1132 FinalDP

A complete Administrative Record must contain the Hearing Officer’s report to the Secretary, the action by the Secretary that includes such a report, and the Secretary’s responses to all significant public comments.  Without these elements, the Administrative Record is incomplete.

CCNS and HOPE respectfully request that the Commission return DP-1132 back to the Secretary to complete the administrative processes.  They also request the Secretary determine that the Hazardous Waste Act is the proper regulatory vehicle for the Facility, not the Water Quality Act.

Lindsay A. Lovejoy, Jr., represents CCNS and HOPE in this matter.

1. Friday, August 5^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. Celebrate the successful historic First Meeting of State Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference negotiations going on right now at the United Nations (Aug. 1 to 26, 2022).  Attend to discuss next steps toward nuclear disarmament!

2. Friday, August 5^th at 9 am to 5 pm MT – Live and Virtual NM Interim Radioactive & Hazardous Materials Committee meeting at Clovis Civic Center, 801 Schepps Blvd., Clovis. See agenda for links to view and make public comments.  Agenda includes WIPP, PFASs, Holtec, Produced Water Act, Carlsbad Brine Well Remediation Authority, State Emergency Response Commission.   https://www.nmlegis.gov/committee/Interim_Committee?CommitteeCode=RHMC

3. Saturday, August 6^th from noon to 2 pm in the historic shelter on the southside of Ashley Pond in Los Alamos. The Santa Fe Chapter of Veterans for Peace, Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety, Nuclear Watch NM, Nonviolent Santa Fe and others will host the 77^th commemoration of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945. 

Please bring signs, banners, and other pro-peace displays.  Also bring water and protection from the sun and/or possible rain.  Encourage your friends and family to join the commemoration.  Wage Peace and Nuclear Abolition!  http://nuclearactive.org/august-6th-and-9th-live-and-virtual-events-to-commemorate-the-u-s-bombings-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki-in-1945/

4. Tuesday, August 9^th at 5:15 pm Live and Virtual Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi and Virtual and Live Panel Discussion with Prominent Interfaith Leaders at 6:15 pm. Join Most Rev. John C. Wester, Archbishop of Santa Fe.  The 5:15 pm Mass will be live streamed at https://youtu.be/M4SnixeGwyE

His homily will be centered on his pastoral letter on nuclear disarmament, “Living in the Light of Christ’s Peace:  A Conversation Toward Nuclear Disarmament.”  https://archdiosf.org/living-in-the-light-of-christs-peace

At 6:15 pm, a panel discussion with prominent interfaith leaders about the growing need for nuclear disarmament will be held followed by a question and answer session.  The 6:15 pm panel discussion will be livestreamed at https://youtu.be/U88tJwq7yNs

For more information,  https://archdiosf.org/living-in-the-light-of-christs-peace  or contact the Office of Social Justice & Respect Life at (505) 831-8205.  http://nuclearactive.org/august-6th-and-9th-live-and-virtual-events-to-commemorate-the-u-s-bombings-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki-in-1945/

5. Monday, August 8^th at 1 pm to 2:30 pm MT – Webinar with Roger Waters (Pink Floyd) about matters of war, peace, art, and activism, followed by questions and answers. For more information, https://actionnetwork.org/events/webinar-with-roger-waters

The war in Ukraine and Russia’s repeated nuclear threats are a painful reminder that nuclear weapons pose a catastrophic risk to humanity every day.

But this weekend, on the 77th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we all have the opportunity to share a powerful message that a more peaceful future is possible—one where the world is no longer vulnerable to the threat of nuclear destruction.

Between August 5 and 9, we invite you to join people around the world: Fold an origami crane and share it on your social media with the hashtag #CranesForOurFuture.

To learn how, go to: https://www.cranesforourfuture.org/fold

Last August, the #CranesForOurFuture campaign inspired thousands of people to mark the Hiroshima and Nagasaki anniversaries, reaching millions worldwide. This August, diplomats from around the world will gather at the United Nations to make progress on reducing nuclear risks. It is more important than ever to show these leaders that we are united around a shared hope for a more joyful, peaceful world.

That’s why, in your #CranesForOurFuture post, we also ask you to share a short message about what a future without nuclear weapons means to you. Is it a more peaceful world for your children or grandchildren? A global system built on mutual respect and not fear and terror? Does that world focus on funding basic needs instead of weapons of war?

The origami crane has become a symbol of peace around the world thanks to Sadako Sasaki, a victim of the Hiroshima atomic bombing who folded more than a thousand paper cranes and was memorialized in the Children’s Monument at the Hiroshima Peace Park. Together, we can honor Sadako and all those who perished 77 years ago in the bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki and work for a future where no one faces the threat of a nuclear weapon again.

The power to craft a safer future is truly in our hands. Your crane, taken along with others around the world, will spread our shared vision for a more peaceful world and help make nuclear weapons a relic of the past.

Thanks for everything you do!

August 6^th and 9^th were the days in 1945 when the U.S. bombed the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with atomic bombs 77 years ago.  Every year community members gather at to commemorate those events, to recognize the harm done, and to recommit to working for peace.  You are invited to participate in these commemoration events.

On Saturday, August 6^th from noon to 2 pm, join members of the Veterans For Peace https://www.veteransforpeace.org/ , Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety http://nuclearactive.org/ , Nuclear Watch New Mexico https://nukewatch.org/ , Nonviolent Santa Fe https://nonviolentsantafe.org/ and others in a gathering at Ashley Pond in Los Alamos to commemorate the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima, Japan.

The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is located in Los Alamos County.   Under the auspices of the Manhattan Project, LANL was established in 1943 as the secret “Y” site for the sole purpose of developing nuclear weapons.  Now LANL is the only U.S. nuclear weapons facility with the capability to fabricate the plutonium triggers, or pits, for nuclear weapons.

The groups will vigil at the shelter on the south side of Ashley Pond.  Please bring signs, banners, and other pro-peace displays.  Also bring water and protection from sun and/or possible rain.  Encourage your friends and family to join the commemoration.

Also on Saturday, August 6^th at noon Mountain Time, Roshi Joan Halifax will be speaking virtually about “The Buddhist Path of Peace and Nonviolence.”  Registration deadline is Monday, August 1^st to receive the zoom link.  https://beatitudescenter.org/programs/

On Tuesday, August 9th the Most Rev. John C. Wester, Archbishop of Santa Fe, will hold a mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, followed by a panel discussion with interfaith leaders.  https://archdiosf.org/documents/2022/7/Final_Save%20the%20Date_Aug%209%202022%20Pastoral%20Letter%20Mass-1.pdf

The mass will begin at 5:15 pm in the Cathedral.  It will be live streamed at https://youtu.be/M4SnixeGwyE

The Archbishop’s homily will center on his pastoral letter on nuclear disarmament, “Living in the Light of Christ’s Peace:  A Conversation Toward Nuclear Disarmament.”  https://archdiosf.org/living-in-the-light-of-christs-peace

In his pastoral letter, Archbishop Wester reflects upon his trip to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the history of Catholic social teaching on nuclear weapons, the history of the development and production of nuclear weapons in New Mexico, and Jesus’ example of nonviolence.  https://www.ncronline.org/news/justice/archbishop-wester-embarks-long-path-end-nuclear-threat  He encourages you to download the pastoral letter on the Archdiocese website, read it and engage with the reflection questions and suggestions for action.  https://archdiosf.org/living-in-the-light-of-christs-peace

At 6:15 pm, a panel discussion with prominent interfaith leaders about the growing need for nuclear disarmament will be held followed by a question and answer session.  It will be livestreamed at https://youtu.be/U88tJwq7yNs

Confirmed interfaith leaders include

• Talitha Arnold,Senior Minister of the United Church of Santa Fe, a United Church of Christcongregation, https://www.unitedchurchofsantafe.org/
• Rabbi Neil Amswych, Temple Beth Shalom in Santa Fe, https://www.sftbs.org/, and the President of the Interfaith Leadership Alliance of Santa Fe, https://ilasantafe.org/ , and
• Roshi JoanHalifax, Buddhist teacher, Founder and Head Teacher of Upaya Zen Centerin Santa Fe, New Mexico. https://www.upaya.org/

For more information, please call the Office of Social Justice and Respect Life at (505) 831-8205.  https://archdiosf.org/social-justice

1. Friday, July 22^nd from noon to 1 pm – Join the weekly peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament on the corners of Alameda and Guadalupe in downtown Santa Fe. Celebrate the successful historic First Meeting of State Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and talk about next steps!

2. Friday, August 5^th at 9 am to 5 pm MT – Live and Virtual NM Interim Radioactive & Hazardous Materials Committee meeting at Clovis Civic Center, 801 Schepps Blvd., Clovis. See agenda for links to view and make public comments.  Agenda includes WIPP, PFASs, Holtec, Produced Water Act, Carlsbad Brine Well Remediation Authority, State Emergency Response Commission.   https://www.nmlegis.gov/committee/Interim_Committee?CommitteeCode=RHMC

3. Monday, August 8^th at 1 pm to 2:30 pm MT – Webinar with Roger Waters (Pink Floyd) about matters of war, peace, art, and activism, followed by questions and answers. For more information, https://actionnetwork.org/events/webinar-with-roger-waters

Did you know the hazardous waste permit for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is up for its ten-year renewal?  In August, the New Mexico Environment Department may release a draft permit for public review and a 60-day comment period.  https://www.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/wipp/ , scroll down to March 17, 2022 entry about the Updated Redline/Strikeout Permit Renewal Application [AR 220321].

One of the big issues is the date WIPP will stop receiving radioactive and hazardous waste generated by the fabrication of plutonium triggers for nuclear weapons for disposal in the underground mine located 26 miles east of Carlsbad, New Mexico.  The current permit states waste shipments would end in 2024 with closure of the site expected to take ten years, until 2034 or so.  Closure includes filling the 2,200-foot deep shafts into the underground facility.  https://www.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/wipp/  and  https://hwbdocuments.env.nm.gov/Waste%20Isolation%20Pilot%20Plant/220200/220200%20WIPP%20Permit%20PDF/Attachment%20G%2002-2022.pdf

In 1999, the federal Department of Energy (DOE), the owner of WIPP, promised the People of New Mexico that it would clean up all the plutonium contaminated, or transuranic, waste throughout the national nuclear weapons complex in 25-years and close WIPP.  https://www-archive.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/wipp-archived-news/

The U.S. Congress and DOE have always known that WIPP’s limited capacity cannot handle all the nuclear weapons waste.  But DOE has no plans and has taken no action to find and build other regional repositories so that the burdens of nuclear weapons fabrication would be shared across the country.

On May 13, 2022, the Environment Department issued a Technical Incompleteness Determination (TID) for the Permit Renewal Application.  May 13, 2022 Permit Renewal TID [AR 220512]   On June 27^th, 2022, DOE stated to the Environment Department that it plans to continue to dispose of waste at WIPP until at least 2083. June 27, 2022 45-Day TID Response [AR 220626]  On July 12^th, DOE also stated that it objects to any discussion of other repositories in the permit renewal process.  July 12, 2022 60-Day TID Response [AR 220709]

What would a 60-year extension mean to you?  It means that waste could continue to be transported through much of New Mexico for decades, putting health, safety and property at risk.  It means that New Mexico does not have the same rights to say “enough” as Colorado, Idaho, South Carolina, and Nevada did, which prevented those states from being the only repository.

DOE’s “forever” WIPP is not inevitable.  If you’ve been involved with WIPP before, please make public comments on the draft permit.  You can also support organizations that are working to prevent that future and oppose major provisions of DOE’s renewal application.

If you haven’t been involved with WIPP, it’s time to get involved!  Please visit the Stop Forever WIPP website.  https://stopforeverwipp.org/

Please also watch the recent YouTube video by Bob Aly, of Available Media, of the July 7^th WIPP Community Forum and Open House “fiasco” in Santa Fe.  Aly juxtaposes events at the meeting with the unpublished letter to the editor by long-time WIPP activist, Sasha Pyle.  https://stopforeverwipp.org/videos-and-documents and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4Xr_pPnGtM

1. You have heard about it or read about it, now you can view it: The July 7th Fiasco DOE/WIPP “Community Forum and Open House” presentation and video recording at https://wipp.energy.gov/presentations.asp

2. Available Media’s informative version of the July 7^th Fiasco – The Meeting that Wasn’t a Meeting – at https://stopforeverwipp.org/videos-and-documents and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4Xr_pPnGtM

3. Thursday, July 21^st from 6 to 8 pm – Kirtland Air Force Base Bulk Fuels Facility Open House – in person event. For more information, please contact Brannon Lamar at 377 Air Base Wing Public Affairs at (505) 846-5991 or by email at 377ABW.PA@us.af.mil

4. Friday, July 22^nd from noon to 1 pm – Join the weekly peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament on the corners of Alameda and Guadalupe in downtown Santa Fe. Celebrate the successful historic First Meeting of State Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and talk about next steps!

5. Saturday, August 6^th from noon to 2 pm at Ashley Pond in Los Alamos – the Santa Fe Chapter of Veterans for Peace will host the 77^th commemoration of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945. Wage Peace and Nuclear Abolition!  Stay tuned here for more details.     

6. Tuesday, August 9^th at 5:15 pm Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi and Panel Discussion with Prominent Interfaith Leaders at 6:15 pm. Join Most Rev. John C. Wester, Archbishop of Santa Fe.  His homily will be centered on his pastoral letter on nuclear disarmament, “Living in the Light of Christ’s Peace:  A Conversation Toward Nuclear Disarmament.”  For more information,  https://archdiosf.org/living-in-the-light-of-christs-peace  or contact the Office of Social Justice & Respect Life at (505) 831-8205.