Even though Sandia National Laboratory stated it could completely excavate the Mixed Waste Landfill, the New Mexico Environment Department replied that continued sampling and monitoring would be sufficient to address its potential risks.  Sandia stated that it would take ten years to excavate the radioactive and hazardous waste dump.  The unlined dump, sitting above Albuquerque’s drinking water aquifer is located five miles from the Albuquerque Sunport and one mile from Mesa del Sol.

In 2004, the Environment Department held a contentious public hearing about a proposed modification to Sandia’s hazardous waste permit to determine whether to clean up the dump or put a dirt cover on it.  https://www.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/snl-mwl-2/

Citizen Action New Mexico, Dr. Eric Nuttal, and others opposed the dirt cover because their research and analyses of the conditions on the ground and in the groundwater required that the waste should be excavated, treated and disposed of onsite or offsite in licensed facilities.  https://radfreenm.org/  and  https://radfreenm.org/index.php/sandia-national-laboratories-mixed-waste-lanfill/195-mixed-waste-landfill-facts

The hearing resulted in the Environment Department approving the installation of a dirt cover and requiring a Five-Year Review of the decision.

Nevertheless, despite a number of complicated delays and frustrating twists and turns, the Environment Department’s issued a 2016 Final Order for the dump that called for Sandia to meet one of two options.  The first was to install a landfill that meets hazardous waste management laws and regulations.  The waste would be excavated and placed in a licensed landfill with double liners and leachate collection systems beneath both the cover and the liners.  The second option was to excavate the radioactive and hazardous wastes, treat them and dispose of them onsite or ship them offsite.   2016-02-12 Final Order – MWL  The month, the Environment Department chose neither.

In January 2019, Sandia submitted the first Five-Year Review and stated:  “Complete excavation with offsite and onsite disposal are remedial alternatives that could be implemented, if necessary.”  Sandia explained that there have been significant changes over time that makes excavation of the 2.6 acre dump a reasonable option.  These include the decay of the radioactive cobalt-60 in the dump to levels where it no longer poses a threat to workers and the public; and use of conventional excavation approaches and streamlined waste management systems. Sandia MWL Five Year Rpt. Ex. Sum. 12-14-18 See p. iii of Executive Summary, pdf p. 8.  

In May 2019, the public had its opportunity to provide comments about the first Five Year Review.  Over 400 public comments were submitted, to which the Environment Department has provided written responses. 2021-07-09-MWL-RTC-table-5-yr-Review

On July 9th, 2021, the Environment Department approved the Five-Year Review without recommending either option outlined in its 2016 Final Order.  2021-07-09-NMED-approves-Five-Year-Report-for-Mixed-Waste-Landfill

For more information, please visit Citizen Action New Mexico at https://radfreenm.org/  and watch the new informative video about Sandia’s Mixed Waste Landfill Facts, with Eileen O’Shaughnessy of the Nuclear Issues Study Group, Dave McCoy of Citizen Action New Mexico, and hosted by Robin Seydel. https://radfreenm.org/index.php

Did You Know?  We are Podcasting! 

1.Every Friday from noon to 1 pm – Protest LANL signing a 10-year lease (for the former Descartes building) to establish itself “permanently” in Santa Fe at the corner of Guadalupe and W. Alameda. JOIN Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, and others.  We’ll have banners.  Please bring a sign.

2.  EVENT MAY BE CANCELED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER:  Thursday, July 22^nd from 5:30 to 7:30 pm:  In-Person Open House for Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB) Bulk Fuels Facility Remediation Project.  It will be held at the KAFB Groundwater Treatment System facility, located just inside the Ridgecrest Drive Gate near Bullhead Park.  Normal security procedures not required because this is a special event.  For more information, please contact Brannon Lamar, 377 Air Base Wing Public Affairs, at (505) 846-5991, or by email, brannon.lamar@us.af.mil.   GWTS22July2021OpenHouseINVITE.docx

3.  Wednesday, August 4^th from 6 to 7:15 pm Santa Fe County Nuclear Waste Emergency Response Town Hall Meeting, with Santa Fe County Commissioners Hank Hughes and Anna Hamilton. Hondo 2 Fire Station, 645 Old Las Vegas Hwy., Santa Fe.

Town Hall Flyer 2-1

4.  Saturday, August 7^th from 1 to 3 pm – Hiroshima/Nagasaki Commemoration Event in Los Alamos, NM at Ashley Pond.  A two-hour vigil at the site of the first a-bomb’s creation to commemorate the bombings that fundamentally changed the world.   We must remind ourselves and others of the living hell created by that bomb in hopes that we can avoid any future use of such devices of death.  For more information, contact kenmayers@vfp-santafe.org

 5.  Sunday, August 8^th from 2 – 9 pm – Taos August Peace Pilgrimage at Taos Community Auditorium, 145 Paseo del Pueblo Norte, Taos, NM. Free and open to the public – films, forum and ceremony.  For more information and to view the agenda, please visit https://tcataos.org/calendar/#event=67243093;instance=20210808140000

You are invited to three events to commemorate the long-lasting harm done by the first atomic bomb test at the Trinity site in south central New Mexico on July 16^th, 1945.  The Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium, who seeks justice for the unknowing, unwilling, and uncompensated innocent victims of the Trinity test, organized the events.  https://www.trinitydownwinders.com/

Tina Cordova, Co-founder of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium, described the fallout from the secret U.S. government test.  She said, “For days, radioactive ash fell from the sky and settled on everything – the soil, in the water, in the air, on the plants and on the skin of every living things.  It was a public health disaster of grand proportions.”

On Saturday, July 17^th, two important events will take place in Tularosa.  The first is an informative Town Hall Meeting, followed by the 12^th Annual Candlelight Vigil.

The Town Hall Meeting will take place at the Tularosa Community Center, located at 1050 North Bookout Road between 2 and 4 pm.  Refreshments will be provided.  The main topic will be the progress being made by the U.S. Congress to amend the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) to include the Trinity Downwinders and Post ’71 uranium workers.  It sunsets in 2022.  https://www.justice.gov/civil/common/reca    

RECA is a federal program to provide compensation to Downwinders of the aboveground nuclear weapons test at the Nevada Test Site who contracted one or more of 22 listed cancers.  Passed into law in 1990, RECA has paid out over  $1.2 billion to Downwinders residing in certain counties in Nevada, Utah, and Arizona, but nothing to the Trinity Downwinders.  In total, RECA has provided $2.5 billion in compensation to Downwinders, on-site nuclear weapons test participants, and uranium miners, millers and ore transporters.  https://www.justice.gov/civil/awards-date-07142021

The 12^th Annual Candlelight Vigil will begin at 8 pm at the Tularosa Little League Field, located at 1407 La Luz Avenue, west of the Tularosa High School.  Gates open at 7:30 pm.  The Tularosa Downwinders will memorialize loved ones who have lost their lives to cancer and honor those who are living with or who have survived cancer by lighting luminarias with individual names written on the paper bags.

The Reverend Warren L. Robinson, Pastor of the Owen Chapel AME, or African Episcopal Methodist, Church, in Alamogordo, will offer the invocation.  https://ame-aznmd.org/directory/new-mexico-ame-churches/owen-chapel-ame/

On Sunday, July 18^th, at 10:30 am, a special Mass dedicated to the Mescalero Downwinders will be held at St. Joseph Apache Mission Church, in Mescalero.  https://stjosephmission.org/

For more information, please visit trinitydownwinders.com.

Did You Know?  We are Podcasting!

1. Every Friday from noon to 1 pm – Protest LANL signing a 10-year lease (for the former Descartes building) to establish itself “permanently” in Santa Fe at the corner of Guadalupe and W. Alameda. JOIN Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, and others.  We’ll have banners.  Please bring a sign.

2. A new informative video about Sandia’s Mixed Waste Landfill and its threats to Albuquerque’s groundwater, with Eileen O’Shaughnessy of the Nuclear Issues Study Group, Dave McCoy of Citizen Action New Mexico, and hosted by Robin Seydel, is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfXwN2et6Dk   The IndyMedia Show produced the video.

3. Thursday, July 15^th from 6 pm to Friday, July 16^th around 6 pm, A Day of Prayer for Forgiveness and Protection, at the Stallion Gate Entrance to the White Sands Missile Range and the Trinity Site. July 16^th is the Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, as well as the 76^th year since the first atomic bomb test at the Trinity Site in New Mexico.

4. Thursday, July 22^nd from 5:30 to 7:30 pm: In-Person Open House for Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB) Bulk Fuels Facility Remediation Project.  It will be held at the KAFB Groundwater Treatment System facility, located just inside the Ridgecrest Drive Gate near Bullhead Park.  Normal security procedures not required because this is a special event.  For more information, please contact Brannon Lamar, 377 Air Base Wing Public Affairs, at (505) 846-5991, or by email, brannon.lamar@us.af.mil.

Flyer: GWTS22July2021OpenHouseINVITE.docx

If you live near or recreate on a New Mexico river, stream, or lake or irrigate from one, you may be concerned about its water quality.  The Clean Water Act requires states to review their surface water standards every three years to ensure they continue to protect water quality.  Thus the administrative process is called the Triennial Review.

On Tuesday, July 13^th, the virtual public hearing about New Mexico’s water quality standards begins.  The New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission is holding the hearing.  The Triennial Review process provides an opportunity for public input.  https://www.env.nm.gov/surface-water-quality/2020-triennial-review/

The Communities for Clean Water (CCW) and the Gila Resources Information Project (GRIP) have prepared a fact sheet, talking points, a backgrounder about the Triennial Review, and a sample comment letter for creating your own comments. To access these four documents, see below or visit these websites  http://ccwnewmexico.org/ , and https://gilaresources.info/ .

• CCW GRIP Triennial Review Fact Sheet 7-8-21
• CCW GRIP Talking Points 7-8-21
• CCW GRIP Triennial Review Backgrounder 7-8-21
• CCW GRIP Sample Public Comments 7-8-21

Links to participate in the virtual hearing are found in the fact sheet.

CCW and GRIP have submitted written rebuttal testimony to challenge several changes to the standards proposed by the New Mexico Environment Department, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the New Mexico Mining Association.

CCW and GRIP have put forward four rebuttal witnesses.  They are:  Elder Kathy Wan Povi Sanchez, the Sayain Project Coordinator and past Director of Tewa Women United; Pamela E. Homer, Environmental Scientist; Allyson Siwik, Executive Director of GRIP; and James R. Kuipers, Professional Engineer.  To review the rebuttal testimony, visit  https://www.env.nm.gov/water-quality-control-commission/wqcc-20-51-r/ and scroll down to Items 34 and 35.

In their rebuttal, CCW and GRIP suggested changes to the proposed Environment Department’s definition of “contaminants of emerging concern.”  CCW and GRIP have proposed that these contaminants, such as PFAS, be named “emerging contaminants” and the proposed definition be expanded to state, “emerging contaminants are chemical compounds that, although suspected to potentially have adverse effects, may not have regulatory standards, and the concentrations to which adverse effects are observed may not have been fully studied.”  If the Water Quality Control Commission adopts the proposed language, the definition will be included in the standards and allow the Environment Department to begin setting standards for the contaminants.

Public comments will be accepted from 5 to 6 pm each day of the hearing.  Beginning on Wednesday, July 14^th, public comment also will be accepted each day from 8 to 9 am. Use the chat function to sign up.  Five minutes have been allocated for each commenter.  Given the complexity of the issues, five minutes may not be enough time.  Please include this concern in your comments.  2021-06-24-WQCC-DRAFT-Agenda-for-2021-07-13-Triennial-Review-GC-1

CCW and GRIP are represented by Charlie deSaillan of the New Mexico Environmental Law Center.  https://nmelc.org

Did You Know?  We are Podcasting! 

1. Every Friday from noon to 1 pm – Protest LANL signing a 10-year lease (for the former Descartes building) to establish itself “permanently” in Santa Fe at the corner of Guadalupe and W. Alameda. JOIN Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, and others. We’ll have banners.  Please bring a sign.

2. Tuesday, July 13^th to Friday, July 16^th (and possibly beyond), Public Hearing about New Mexico’s Water Quality Standards. https://www.env.nm.gov/surface-water-quality/2020-triennial-review/ and http://ccwnewmexico.org/

3. Wednesday, July 14^th from 9 am to 12:20 pm and from 1 to 5 pm, New Mexico Interim Legislative Radioactive & Hazardous Materials Committee Meeting at NMSU Carlsbad. Topics include:  in the morning:  Proposed Consolidated Interim Storage in SE NM, Permit Modifications and the Future of WIPP, Carlsbad Env’l Monitoring and Research Center – Research Projects and Monitoring of WIPP, after lunch:  Produced Water Issues In and Out of the Oil Field, Updates on Remediation of the Carlsbad Brine Well, and Briefing on New Mexico v. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.  Public Comment at 3:30 pm for those present at the meeting.  Agenda and handouts available at:   https://nmlegis.gov/Committee/Interim_Committee?CommitteeCode=RHMC

4. Thursday, July 15^th from 6 pm to Friday, July 16^th around 6 pm, A Day of Prayer for Forgiveness and Protection, at the Stallion Gate Entrance to the White Sands Missile Range and the Trinity Site. July 16^th is the Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, as well as the 76^th year since the first atomic bomb test at the Trinity Site in New Mexico. Flyer- Day of Prayer July 15-16 2021 Invitation

5. Saturday, July 17^th – Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium (TBDC) Town Hall Meeting and Candlelight Vigil in Tularosa. From 2 to 4 pm, the TBDC will host a Town Hall meeting to discuss the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) at the old Community Center, 1050 N. Bookout Road, Tularosa, NM. At 8 pm, the TBDC will host the 12^th Annual Candlelight Vigil to memorialize loved ones who have lost their lives to cancer and honor those who are living with or who have survived cancer.  It will take place at the Tularosa Little League Field, 1407 LaLuz Avenue, Tularosa, NM.  Gates open at 7:30 pm.  https://www.trinitydownwinders.com/        

How many times do non-governmental organizations need to ask for the Department of Energy and its semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security Administration to follow the law before they file a lawsuit?  Six.

Since 2019, Nuclear Watch New Mexico, Savannah River Site Watch, and Tri-Valley Communities Against a Radioactive Environment, or Tri-Valley CARES, have contacted DOE about the need to prepare a new or supplemental programmatic environmental impact statement about its plans to quadruple production of plutonium pits at two of its sites.  Both Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Savannah River Site generate plutonium-contaminated wastes.  Both have plans to package, ship and dispose of that waste at the oversubscribed Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP).  DOE responded that it has met the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).  https://www.scelp.org/news/us-pit-production-why-we-can-wait-and-why-we-should-wait

This week, the Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition, https://gullahgeecheenation.com/gullahgeechee-sea-island-coalition/ , Nuclear Watch New Mexico, https://nukewatch.org/ , Savannah River Site Watch, https://srswatch.org/ , and Tri-Valley CARES, http://trivalleycares.org/ ,filed a lawsuit to compel DOE to prepare the required nationwide, or programmatic, Environmental Impact Statement, or PEIS, about its costly plans.  https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/5f2c352f324853b8b51c50db/60db415102377c2070fd3b19_Complaint.pdf  To view the press conference:  https://www.facebook.com/scelp.org/

The South Carolina Environmental Law Project represents the plaintiffs.  Its mission is to “use our legal expertise to protect land, water, and communities across South Carolina.”  https://www.scelp.org/ , https://www.scelp.org/cases/plutonium-pits

The complaint says, “DOE[]’s plan to drastically expand this production program both in total number of pits and in the number of production [] locations will saddle the already-burdened communities represented by Plaintiff groups with a significant amount of nuclear waste and pollution that is in complete contravention to the President’s Executive Order on Environmental Justice.”  https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/5f2c352f324853b8b51c50db/60db415102377c2070fd3b19_Complaint.pdf , ¶7, p. 4.

Queen Quet, the Chieftess and head of state for the Gullah/Geechee Nation and the founder of the Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition, one of the Plaintiffs, explained why the Coalition joined the lawsuit.  The Nation’s People and lands are recognized as a National Heritage Area spanning the offshore barrier islands and coastal lands in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.  The People are the descendants of Africans who were enslaved on the isolated islands, who created a unique culture with deep African roots.  The Savannah River flows across their lands to the Atlantic Ocean carrying DOE contaminants.  https://www.nps.gov/subjects/heritageareas/discover-nhas.htm

Queen Quet, said, “The Gullah/Geechee Nation is concerned about the further degradation at the Savannah River Site given that what takes place there has the potential of seeping not only into the waterway which eventually makes it way to the Gullah/Geechee Nation, but the pollutants that are produced by creating plutonium pits literally seeps into the bodies of people.  The people of South Carolina are more valuable than plutonium and we shouldn’t have to use our energy in being pitted against a government agency! We need to protect our communities and this is best done when there is transparency in the process concerning any land use. The public should be able to fully engage in determining what happens to the land and to the environment because this will have irreversible impacts on our quality of life.  We are digging for the truth about the impacts that this proposal will have on the environment, on us and our communities!”

1. Every Friday from noon to 1 pm – Protest LANL signing a 10-year lease (for the former Descartes building) to establish itself “permanently” in Santa Fe at the corner of Guadalupe and W. Alameda. JOIN Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, and others.  We’ll have banners.  Please bring a sign.

 2. Tuesday, July 13^th, Public Hearing about New Mexico’s Water Quality Standards. https://www.env.nm.gov/surface-water-quality/2020-triennial-review/

 3. Wednesday, July 14^th, New Mexico Interim Legislative Radioactive & Hazardous Materials Committee Meeting in Carlsbad, NM. https://nmlegis.gov/Committee/Interim_Committee?CommitteeCode=RHMC

4. MARK YOUR CALENDAR!  Saturday, July 17^th – Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium (TBDC) Town Hall Meeting and Candlelight Vigil in Tularosa.  From 2 to 4 pm, the TBDC will host a Town Hall meeting to discuss the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) at the old Community Center.  At 8 pm, the TBDC will host the 12^th Annual Candlelight Vigil to memorialize loved ones who have lost their lives to cancer and honor those who are living with or who have survived cancer.  It will take place at the Tularosa Little League Field.  Gates open at 7:30 pm.  Stay tuned for more details.  https://www.trinitydownwinders.com/

What power does a Governor have to address toxic chemicals found in her state?  In this case, PFAS chemicals detected at Department of Defense and Department of Energy sites in New Mexico.  State Governors have special statutory authority to petition the Administrator of the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to identify or list a material as a hazardous waste.  New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham did just that this week when she petitioned EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan to list per- and poly-fluorinated substances, or PFAS, as a class of toxic chemicals.  2021-06-23-Governor-letter-to-EPA-for-PFAS-petition

Her petition, filed under the federal hazardous waste law, declared, “PFAS chemicals present an imminent and substantial endangerment to human health and the environment.”  Importantly, under the law, EPA is required to respond to the petition within 90 days, or on or before September 21^st.

Governor Lujan Grisham referenced two highly technical petitions from the Environmental Law Clinic at the University of California, Berkeley and the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility that were also filed with the EPA Administrator.  UC Berkeley EJ Clinic pfas_petition_for_haz_waste_jan_2020_metadata_added and https://www.peer.org/groups-petition-epa-to-regulate-pfas-waste/

Here in New Mexico, Lake Holloman, about a mile from Holloman Air Force Base, near Alamogordo, is contaminated with two individual PFAS, called PFOA and PFOS.  EPA’s health advisory sets an exposure limit of 70 parts per trillion.  To comprehend the toxicity of PFAS chemicals, one part per trillion is equivalent to one second in 32,000 years.

Astronomical levels of PFOA were detected in Lake Holloman, as high as 5,900,000 parts per trillion, which is more than 84,000 times the EPA’s health advisory.  PFOS were detected at 1,600,000 parts per trillion, more than 22,000 times the EPA’s exposure limit.  Governor’s Petition, p. 3.

The Governor’s petition is an important step to protect and cleanup New Mexico’s waters.

In related news, the virtual public hearing before the New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission to review New Mexico’s Surface Water Quality Standards begins on Tuesday, July 13^th.  The Clean Water Act requires states to review their surface water standards every three years, thus the administrative process is called the Triennial Review.  Monitoring for PFAS chemicals is part of the review.  https://www.env.nm.gov/surface-water-quality/2020-triennial-review/

Significantly, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), through the Department of Energy and its contractor, Triad National Security, LLC, has petitioned the Water Quality Control Commission to limit the definition of “toxic pollutants.”  https://www.env.nm.gov/water-quality-control-commission/wqcc-20-51-r/  If approved, LANL would be allowed to evade all monitoring of PFAS chemicals, and would eliminate New Mexico’s authority to protect surface waters.  The Governor’s Environment Department opposes the LANL petition.

To learn more about the Triennial Review and how you can help protect New Mexico’s waters, please visit the Communities for Clean Water website at http://ccwnewmexico.org/

Did You Know?  We are Podcasting! 

1. TODAY! Th. June 24^th from 5:30 to 7 pm – NM Environmental Law Center Environmental Justice Series about Water Contamination in Northern New Mexico with the Communities for Clean Water (CCW).   CCW’s mission is to ensure that community waters impacted by LANL are kept safe for drinking, agriculture, sacred ceremonies, and a sustainable future.  CCNS is a founding member of CCW.  https://nmelc.org/  To register:  https://nmelc-ejseries-ccw.eventbrite.com  

 2. Every Friday from noon to 1 pm – Protest LANL signing a 10-year lease (for the former Descartes building) to establish itself “permanently” in Santa Fe at the corner of Guadalupe and W. Alameda.  JOIN Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, and others.  We’ll have banners.  Please bring a sign.

3. Sat. June 26^th from 9 to 11 am MDT webinar – Pressuring the Nuclear Weapons Profiteers with divestment, direct action, media, and international law. Speakers and Facilitators:  Susi Snyder, Don’t Bank on the Bomb, Nick Cantrell, Green Future Wealth Management, and Vicki Elson, Treaty Alignment Campaign.  CCNS is a co-sponsor of the webinar.  REGISTER HERE or https://masspeaceaction.org/event/pressuring-the-nuclear-weapons-profiteers/

4. MARK YOUR CALENDAR!  Saturday, July 17^th – Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium (TBDC) Town Hall Meeting and Candlelight Vigil in Tularosa.  From 2 to 4 pm, the TBDC will host a Town Hall meeting to discuss the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) at the old Community Center.  At 8 pm, the TBDC will host the 12^th Annual Candlelight Vigil to memorialize loved ones who have lost their lives to cancer and honor those who are living with or who have survived cancer.  It will take place at the Tularosa Little League Field.  Gates open at 7:30 pm.  Stay tuned for more details.  https://www.trinitydownwinders.com/

The presidents of the United States of America and Russia met for several hours on Wednesday, June 16^th, 2021, in Geneva, Switzerland.  They discussed a number of matters, including cyber security, human rights, and “strategic stability,” or arms control.  Strategic stability is defined as no first use of nuclear weapons and no build up of nuclear forces.  The two countries possess 91 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons.  https://fas.org/issues/nuclear-weapons/status-world-nuclear-forces/

Acknowledging the two countries’ progress towards arms control, including the recent five-year extension of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or New START Treaty, the two presidents agreed to create a bilateral Strategy Stability Dialogue.  The goal of the dialogue would lead to arms control and risk reduction measures.

Together, the two presidents released a three paragraph U.S. – Russia Presidential Joint Statement on Strategic Stability, which reads:

“We, President of the United States of America Joseph R. Biden and President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, note the United States and Russia have demonstrated that, even in periods of tension, they are able to make progress on our shared goals of ensuring predictability in the strategic sphere, reducing the risk of armed conflicts and the threat of nuclear war.

“The recent extension of the New START Treaty exemplifies our commitment to nuclear arms control. Today, we reaffirm the principle that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.

“Consistent with these goals, the United States and Russia will embark together on an integrated bilateral Strategic Stability Dialogue in the near future that will be deliberate and robust. Through this Dialogue, we seek to lay the groundwork for future arms control and risk reduction measures.”  https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/06/16/u-s-russia-presidential-joint-statement-on-strategic-stability/

During their individual press conferences following the meeting, the presidents committed to ongoing consultations and dialogue about what comes after New START and to control new and more dangerous nuclear weapons that by reducing response time, raises the risk of accidental war.  http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/65870 and  https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/06/16/remarks-by-president-biden-in-press-conference-4/

In response, Beatrice Fihn, of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, stated, “While we support this diplomatic initiative, we need to see more substantial progress from the leaders with the world’s two biggest nuclear arsenals on reducing their nuclear arsenals and moving to join the international Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.”  https://www.icanw.org/

Joni Arends, of CCNS, asked, in light of the presidents’ commitments, when, in Northern New Mexico, will a Strategic Stability Dialogue begin about how to transition from its dependence on nearly $3 billion a year to fabricate more plutonium triggers for nuclear weapons at Los Alamos National Laboratory.  She said, “It’s time.”  http://nuclearactive.org/

We are Podcasting! 

1. Every Friday from noon to 1 pm – Protest LANL signing a 10-year lease (for the former Descartes building) to establish itself “permanently” in Santa Fe at the corner of Guadalupe and W. Alameda.  JOIN Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, and others.  We’ll have banners.  Please bring a sign.

2. Th. June 24^th from 5:30 to 7 pm – NM Environmental Law Center Environmental Justice Series about Water Contamination in Northern New Mexico with the Communities for Clean Water (CCW). CCW’s mission is to ensure that community waters impacted by LANL are kept safe for drinking, agriculture, sacred ceremonies, and a sustainable future.  CCNS is a founding member of CCW.  https://nmelc.org/  To register:  https://nmelc-ejseries-ccw.eventbrite.com  

3. Sat. June 26^th from 9 to 11 am MDT webinar – Pressuring the Nuclear Weapons Profiteers with divestment, direct action, media, and international law. Speakers and Facilitators:  Susi Snyder, Don’t Bank on the Bomb, Nick Cantrell, Green Future Wealth Management, and Vicki Elson, Treaty Alignment Campaign.  CCNS is a co-sponsor of the webinar.  REGISTER HERE or https://masspeaceaction.org/event/pressuring-the-nuclear-weapons-profiteers/

 4. MARK YOUR CALENDAR! Saturday, July 17^th – Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium (TBDC) Town Hall Meeting and Candlelight Vigil in Tularosa.  In the afternoon, the TBDC will host a Town Hall meeting to discuss the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) at the old Community Center.  In the evening, the TBDC host the 12^th Annual Candlelight Vigil to memorialize loved ones who have lost their lives to cancer and honor those who are living with or who have survived cancer.  It will take place at the Tularosa Little League Field.  Stay tuned for more details.  https://www.trinitydownwinders.com/

As drought continues, the New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission will take up important regulatory water issues, including how to define the two phrases, contaminants of emerging concern and persistent toxic pollutants.  An unfortunate principle in water regulation is dilution is the solution to pollution.  During drought, when there is less water to dilute pollutants, concentrations increase and cause harm.

The Clean Water Act requires states to review their water quality standards every three years.  The process is called the Triennial Review.  Unfortunately, the Triennial Review process takes longer than three years to complete.  For example, the last Triennial Review took seven years to wrap up and the one before that took nine.  Such delays result in fewer reviews.  During this time, three more reviews could have been done.  Such delays benefit the regulated community because more protective regulations are not debated and possibly approved.

The next Triennial Review public hearing begins on Tuesday, July 13^th.  The industries challenging the proposed pollutant definitions are the New Mexico Mining Association, the San Juan Water Commission, and Los Alamos National Laboratory.  Those supporting the proposed definitions are Amigos Bravos, Communities for Clean Water, the Gila Resources Information Project, and the Buckman Direct Diversion Board.  There will be opportunities for the public to provide comments before and during the multi-day virtual hearing.  https://www.env.nm.gov/water-quality-control-commission/wqcc-20-51-r/

Emerging and persistent pollutants are suspected of causing harm to the ecology and human health, but have not been thoroughly studied to establish regulatory standards.  Contaminants of emerging concern include chemical compounds found in pharmaceuticals and personal care products.  https://www.env.nm.gov/water-quality-control-commission/wqcc-20-51-r/ See Pleading Log No. 6, NMED’s March 12, 2021 Notice of Amended Petition for proposed definition at 20.6.4.7.C(7), p. 3. Persistent toxic pollutants are those that resist degradation, easily bioaccumulate, and harm aquatic life and human health.  https://www.env.nm.gov/water-quality-control-commission/wqcc-20-51-r/  See Pleading Log No. 6, NMED’s March 12, 2021 Notice of Amended Petition for proposed definition at 20.6.4.7.P(3), p. 5.

One class of the persistent pollutants is PFASs, or per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances.  PFASs have been around since the 1940s and are found in Teflon and in military-grade fire retardants.  It is estimated there are between 5,000 and 10,000 individual PFASs.  https://www.env.nm.gov/pfas/main/

In New Mexico, there are large PFASs groundwater plumes at Cannon and Holloman Air Force Bases.  https://www.env.nm.gov/pfas/main/  Most New Mexicans rely on groundwater for their drinking water.   

This week the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a hearing about “PFAS:  The View from Affected Citizens and States” to learn what citizens and states need from the federal government to address them.  New Mexico Environment Department Cabinet Secretary James Kenney provided written and verbal testimony.  He stated that people must be protected from drinking contaminated water and urged the Environmental Protection Agency to establish national drinking water standards for PFASs.  The archived webcast and written testimony is available at:  https://www.epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2021/6/pfas-the-view-from-affected-citizens-and-states

Debate about whether New Mexico would adopt them could occur in the next Triennial Review.

Did You Know?  We are Podcasting! 

1.  Every Friday from noon to 1 pm – Protest LANL signing a 10-year lease (for the former Descartes building) to establish itself “permanently” in Santa Fe at the corner of Guadalupe and W. Alameda.  JOIN Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, and others.  We’ll have banners.  Please bring a sign.

2.  Wednesday, June 16^th from 2 to 4 pm – Individual Stormwater Permit for LANL Virtual Public Meeting. Presentations by Communities for Clean Water and N3B about Draft Permit Update and Monitoring Plan Overview, Proposal for Site-specific Copper Water Quality Criteria, and Enhanced Controls – 2021 Plans.  The last 30 minutes is devoted to Questions & Answers.  LANL is required under the Settlement Agreement with the Communities for Clean Water (CCW) to hold semi-annual public meetings about its implementation and compliance with the EPA permit.  https://ext.em-la.doe.gov/ips

3.  Th. June 24^th from 5:30 to 7 pm – NM Environmental Law Center Environmental Justice Series about Radiation Contamination in Northern New Mexico with the Communities for Clean Water. CCW’s mission is to ensure that community waters impacted by LANL are kept safe for drinking, agriculture, sacred ceremonies, and a sustainable future.  To register:  https://nmelc-ejseries-ccw.eventbrite.com  

On Friday evening, before the long three-day Memorial Day weekend, the Department of Energy (DOE) released its Fiscal Year 2022 congressional budget request for nuclear weapons activities, including production of plutonium triggers for nuclear weapons at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).  https://www.energy.gov/cfo/articles/fy-2022-budget-justification  The line item for Total Weapons Activities totals $15.48 billion, a slight increase over the congressional appropriation in Fiscal Year 2021 of $15.35 billion.  Of that, DOE requests $1.01 billion under the “Los Alamos Plutonium Modernization” line item for the nuclear bomb production plant. 

It is essential to note that for the past 28 years, the DOE’s programs for nuclear weapons and environmental management have appeared on the Government Accountability Office’s “High Risk List” for project mismanagement and waste of taxpayers’ hard earned dollars.  https://prod.drupal.gaotest.org/high-risk-list

Further, last month the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its 10-year review of the projected costs for nuclear forces administrated by the Department of Defense (DOD) and DOE.  Nuclear forces include ballistic missile submarines, intercontinental ballistic missiles, nuclear weapons laboratories and supporting activities.  CBO produces the legally required review every two years.

For the period 2019 to 2028, CBO projected a nuclear forces cost of $494 billion.  Two years later, for the period 2021 to 2030, CBO projects a 28 percent increase to $634 billion, or an increase of $140 billion.  https://www.cbo.gov/publication/57130

The previous administration increased LANL’s annual budget by about $1 billion for fabrication of 30 plutonium triggers in the next couple of years.  This funding remains in the Biden Administration’s budget request.  Even though these plans have been on the table for years, it is unlikely LANL will be able to accomplish this task.  As a reminder:  LANL is the only facility in the USA capable of fabricating plutonium triggers.

See also May 18, 2021 presentation by LANL Operations Manager Kelly Beierschmidt to the Los Alamos County Council (Agenda Item No. 7B) about recent construction and future plans.  https://losalamos.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=2377  – at 1:10:25 Beierschmidt states, “We’ve almost added an entire other national lab to the mission space of Los Alamos.”  Powerpoint slides at https://losalamos.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4955888&GUID=E033E97E-3563-4637-918F-5D912049C6F4&Options=&Search=

The previous administration proposed that a second facility be established at the Savannah River Site, located in South Carolina, for fabricating 50 plutonium triggers annually.  In 2018, DOE estimated the cost to be $4.6 billion.  As a clear example of why DOE is on the GAO’s High Risk List, the projected cost has more than doubled to over $11 billion.  https://srswatch.org/doe-admits-in-fiscal-year-2022-budget-request-that-cost-of-srs-plutonium-bomb-plant-soars-to-11-1-but-annual-funding-levels-not-enough-for-project-viability-billion/

Like administrations going back to President Clinton, the Biden administration has pledged to conduct a nuclear posture review, which is a review of whether the USA’s nuclear deterrent remains safe, secure and effective to protect the country, our allies, and deters adversaries.  It is unknown how the review will impact the nuclear weapons budget.  https://srswatch.org/new-nuclear-posture-review-npr-to-assess-need-for-new-nuclear-warheads-and-plutonium-pit-plan-including-proposed-srs-plutonium-bomb-plant/

Joni Arends, of CCNS, asks whether Congress will hear the nation’s pleas for funding social concerns over fabricating more nuclear weapons.

For more details, please visit our website at http://nuclearactive.org/ , Nuclear Watch New Mexico at https://nukewatch.org/ , and Los Alamos Study Group at http://www.lasg.org/

We are Podcasting! 

1. Every Friday from noon to 1 pm– Protest LANL signing a 10-year lease (for the former Descartes building) to establish itself “permanently” in Santa Fe at the corner of Guadalupe and W. Alameda.  JOIN Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, and others.  We’ll have banners.  Please bring a sign.

2. Monday, June 7^th from 9:30 am to 12:45 pm – First Virtual Meeting of the NM Legislature Interim Radioactive & Hazardous Materials Committee. Agenda items include a discussion of the 2021 Interim Work Plan & Meeting Schedule and a 75-minute presentation by NM Environment Department Secretary James Kenney – Overview of the NMED’s Regulation of Radioactive & Hazardous Materials.  Public comment is scheduled to begin at 12:15.  https://nmlegis.gov/Committee/Interim_Committee?CommitteeCode=RHMC

3. Wednesday, June 16^th from 2 to 4 pm – Individual Stormwater Permit for LANL Virtual Public Meeting. Presentations by Communities for Clean Water and N3B about Draft Permit Update and Monitoring Plan Overview, Proposal for Site-specific Copper Water Quality Criteria, and Enhanced Controls – 2021 Plans.  The last 30 minutes is devoted to Questions & Answers.  https://ext.em-la.doe.gov/ips

Last week the New Mexico Environment Department virtual public hearing on the new shaft to expand the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) took place over four days, from Monday through Thursday.  The public comment period ended on Friday.

[A special shout out to all those who submitted public comments.  THANK YOU!!!]

The hearing process continues until at least October with the filing of post-hearing documents by the Parties supporting the expansion, including the Hazardous Waste Bureau of the Environment Department https://www.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/ , the Department of Energy (DOE), and Nuclear Waste Partnership, LLC, the contractors at WIPP.  https://wipp.energy.gov/

The Parties opposing the expansion are:  Southwest Research and Information Center http://www.sric.org/ ; CCNS http://nuclearactive.org/ ; Nuclear Watch New Mexico https://nukewatch.org/ ; and individuals, including longtime activist Deborah Reade; former Environment Department Regulator for WIPP, Steve Zappe; and a former Environmental Evaluation Group (EEG) scientist, George Anastas.  Dr. James Channell, another former EEG scientist, testified in opposition to the new shaft and WIPP’s physical expansion.  http://www.sric.org/nuclear/eeg.php

CCNS anticipates the Hearing Officer’s report and the Parties’ comments will end up on the Environment Department Secretary’s desk in mid-September.

Between now and then, many filings will be submitted to the Hearing Clerk.  But unlike the documents submitted by the public during the previous comment periods, these may not be posted on the Department’s website, but are kept at the Department’s Office of Public Facilitation, located in Santa Fe.

Here is a possible timeline for documents that will be filed in the post-hearing period, as required by the New Mexico Permit Procedures.  20.1.4 New Mexico Administrative Code.  https://www.srca.nm.gov/parts/title20/20.001.0004.html

During the week of June 7^th, the hearing transcript is expected to be filed with Hearing Clerk.

Within 60 days after the transcript is filed, or possibly during the week of August 9^th, the Parties will file their findings of fact, conclusions of law, and closing argument with the Hearing Clerk.

Under the regulations, unless the timeframes are extended, within 30 days of those filings, or during the week of September 6^th, the Hearing Officer’s report, with findings of fact and conclusions of law, as well as a recommended decision and proposed final order, will be released to the Parties for a 15-day review and comment period.

During the week of September 20^th, the Parties may submit comments on Hearing Officer’s report, and ask for oral argument before the Secretary.

The Secretary has 30 days, or until the week of October 18^th to issue his final order.  Until that time, additional shaft construction is prohibited.

The Secretary’s decision is considered a final agency action.  His decision starts a 30-day clock in which the Parties disagreeing with the decision have the right to appeal directly to the New Mexico Court of Appeals.

Did You Know?  We are Podcasting!  

1. Every Friday from noon to 1 pm – Protest LANL signing a 10-year lease (for the former Descartes building) to establish itself “permanently” in Santa Fe at the corner of Guadalupe and W. Alameda.  JOIN Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, and others.  We’ll have banners.  Please bring a sign.

2. May 20^th to May 30^th – Online for free – 10^th International Uranium Film Festival Rio de Janeiro. “The 10th International Uranium Film Festival Rio de Janeiro remembers the still unsolved nuclear accident in Fukushima 10 years ago and the UN treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons, which has been in force since January of this year. Due to the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions, it will be the festival’s first online edition with support by the Cinematheque (link is external) of Rio de Janeiro’s prestigious Modern Art Museum (MAM Rio) (link is external).”  For more information:  https://uraniumfilmfestival.org/en/rio-2021

Legal maneuvering by the New Mexico Environment Department and the Department of Energy (DOE), and decisions made by the Hearing Officer, have limited the scope of the virtual public hearing about whether the plan to dig a new $197 million shaft at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) will be approved.   Discussing the DOE’s plans to double the size of WIPP was prohibited.  Discussing the Temporary Authorization that allowed WIPP to begin digging the shaft in April 2020 was prohibited after the Environment Department presented its witness in support.  No discussion was allowed about the denial to reissuance the Temporary Authorization in October 2020.  During the time the Temporary Authorization was in effect, DOE dug down 116 feet into the underground.  The shaft diameter is 30 feet.  https://www.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/wipp/ , scroll down to March 10, 2021 entries.

Despite the limitations, seven individuals and non-governmental organizations persist in opposing the change to the WIPP Permit.  These Parties are the Southwest Research and Information Center http://www.sric.org/ , Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety http://nuclearactive.org/ , Nuclear Watch New Mexico https://nukewatch.org/ , longtime WIPP activist Deborah Reade, former Environment Department WIPP regulator Steve Zappe, and two scientists from the former Environmental Evaluation Group, George Anastas and Dr. James Channell.

These Parties argue that the proposed change should be denied because DOE has not met the legal requirements.  DOE has not disclosed that the new shaft and associated drifts, or hallways, in the underground mine 2,150 feet below the surface in salt beds are needed for WIPP to operate for decades longer than allowed by the Permit.  DOE wants to change the Permit incrementally to avoid disclosing all of its real plans that violate laws and agreements with New Mexico.  DOE argues that the shaft is needed for ventilation.

But WIPP has operated for over 30 years with four shafts that provide the necessary airflow through the waste repository.  https://wipp.energy.gov

Other government agencies, such as the Government Accountability Office (GAO) [Nuclear Waste Disposal:  Better Planning Needed to Avoid Potential Disruption at WIPP, GAO-21-48, November 2020, gao-21-48 ] and the National Academies of Science [Review of the Department of Energy’s Plans for Disposal of Surplus Plutonium in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, 2020, https://www.nap.edu/catalog/25593/review-of-the-department-of-energys-plans-for-disposal-of-surplus-plutonium-in-the-waste-isolation-pilot-plant ], have reviewed DOE’s plans that cannot be discussed at the hearing.  In fact, the GAO created a new diagram of the WIPP underground, based on DOE interviews and review of documents, that shows that up to nine new panels, each containing eight rooms, would be connected to the new shaft.    

Many members of the public have raised the issue that a new shaft is not needed because the Permit states that WIPP will close after 25-years of operations, or in 2024.  A 10-year closure period, where the panels, drifts, and shafts would be filled, would begin after disposal operations end.  https://www.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/wipp-permit-page/

The public hearing is on Zoom and is currently scheduled to end on Friday, May 21^st.  You can make public comments beginning at noon and 6 pm each day.  Please be prompt.  You can register to speak through the Zoom chat function.  You can also watch or listen to the hearing.

Written comments may be submitted to the Hearing Clerk at Madai.Corral@state.nm.us .  Please add the following language to the subject line:  HWB 21-02 WIPP SHAFT .

ARRANGEMENTS FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
Any person having a disability and requiring assistance or auxiliary aid to participate in this process should contact Suzette Porter, NMED Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator, by phone at (505) 827-2109, or via email at: suzette.porter1@state.nm.us.
Toll-free numbers are available for TDD or TDY users to access the New Mexico Relay Network at 1-800-659-1779 (voice); TTY users: 1-800-659-8331.

LANGUAGE SERVICES
Any person needing language services (e.g., an interpreter at a public meeting or hearing, document translation) should contact Ricardo Maestas at (505) 476-6000 or by e-mail at: ricardo.maestas@state.nm.us.
Please note that Spanish interpretation services will be provided during this proceeding. The Zoom platform provides an option to listen to, ask questions, and provide comments at the public hearing in Spanish. The following are instructions for listening to language interpretation on the Zoom platform:

For Windows/macOS:
1. In your meeting/webinar controls, click Interpretation.
2. Click the language that you would like to hear.
3. (Optional) To hear the interpreted language only, click Mute Original Audio.

For Android/iOS:
1. In your meeting controls, tap the ellipses icon (…).
2. Tap Language Interpretation.
3. Tap the language you would like to hear.
4. (Optional) Tap the toggle to Mute Original Audio.
5. Click Done.

In addition, NMED is providing a call-in conference line for persons without the ability to access Zoom:
Spanish Call-In Conference Line: 800-747-5150
When prompted, enter Access Code: 3453860

Did You Know?  We are Podcasting! 

1.  Every Friday from noon to 1 pm – Protest LANL signing a 10-year lease (for the former Descartes building) to establish itself “permanently” in Santa Fe at the corner of Guadalupe and W. Alameda.  JOIN Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, and others.  We’ll have banners.  Please bring a sign.

2. Mon. May 17^th – Fri. May 21 – Virtual Public Hearing about Proposed Shaft for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). For more information in English and Spanish:

*  NM Environment Department at https://www.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/wipp/ (scroll down to March 10, 2021 entry),

*  Stop Forever WIPP Coalition at https://stopforeverwipp.org/ ,  https://www.facebook.com/StopfvrWIPP/ ; and

*  CCNS at http://nuclearactive.org/

CALL TO ACTION! 

SUBMIT YOUR ORAL, WRITTEN and VISUAL PUBLIC COMMENTS

ABOUT THE PROPOSED NEW SHAFT AND DRIFTS AT WIPP!

Please see the five-part Stop Forever WIPP Coalition newsletters about the proposed shaft, the public hearing, how you can participate, and sample comment letters you can use.  Newsletter No. 4 available in Spanish!

https://www.facebook.com/StopfvrWIPP/ ; and http://nuclearactive.org/

Create your own short video about your concerns for putting more plutonium on the roads resulting in increased exposures to radiation to their neighborhood and communities.  Sample videos are available at the Stop Forever WIPP Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/StopfvrWIPP/ and YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClofjc-x5YwtXHqg5hUh0AA also; on YouTube you will find animations, “Broken Promises, Parts 1, 2, 3, 4,” as well as recent radio interviews on KUNM, and KSFR, KNIZ.

Four short sample videos are available here:  “New Mexico is Not the Nation’s Nuclear Toilet;” https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClofjc-x5YwtXHqg5hUh0AA ; “This is My Neighborhood,” https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClofjc-x5YwtXHqg5hUh0AA ;  “These are Our Neighborhoods,” https://youtu.be/Iwm6o-XP58s ;  and “Why I’m Concerned for OUR Neighborhoods,” https://youtu.be/KeotZ_dutqA.

3. May 20^th to May 30^th – Online for free – 10^th International Uranium Film Festival Rio de Janeiro. “The 10th International Uranium Film Festival Rio de Janeiro remembers the still unsolved nuclear accident in Fukushima 10 years ago and the UN treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons, which has been in force since January of this year. Due to the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions, it will be the festival’s first online edition with support by the Cinematheque (link is external) of Rio de Janeiro’s prestigious Modern Art Museum (MAM Rio) (link is external).”  For more information:  https://uraniumfilmfestival.org/en/rio-2021