Santa Claus came early this year and granted the Department of Energy what it wanted – approval to excavate and use new Shaft No. 5 and its associated drifts in the WIPP underground.

Late on Wednesday afternoon, the New Mexico Environment Department Secretary James C. Kenney granted DOE and its contractor, Nuclear Waste Partnership, LLC, the latest approval they wanted to expand the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) and keep it open for decades, essentially forever.  https://wipp.energy.gov/

The Secretary approved the excavation and operation of new Shaft No. 5 and its drifts, or corridors, all located west of the existing underground disposal site, 2,150 feet below the surface.  Approval of the new shaft is a key step for doubling the size of the WIPP underground disposal area, implicitly allowing WIPP to stay open forever.   NMED_Sec_WIPP_Shaft5_FinalOrder102721_rev

And who received coal in their stockings?  The People of New Mexico.  DOE has not made its plans public.  Other agencies, including the National Academies of Science and Government Accountability Office (GAO), reviewed DOE’s plans in two reports released in 2020.  Disposal of Surplus Plutonium in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant,  https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/disposal-of-surplus-plutonium-in-the-waste-isolation-pilot-plant and Nuclear Waste Disposal:  Better Planning Needed to Avoid Potential Disruptions at Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-21-48

Using interviews and document reviews, GAO created a new conceptual map of the WIPP underground.  The map reveals nine new waste disposal panels, each containing eight rooms.  The new panels would be connected to the 30-foot in diameter new Shaft No. 5.

For decades, even before WIPP accepted its first shipment of plutonium-contaminated waste from nuclear weapons fabrication on March 26, 1999, DOE told the People of New Mexico that WIPP would operate for 25 years and then close.  Accordingly, the WIPP Permit provides that the site would stop receiving waste in 2024 and begin an estimated 10-year period where the four existing shafts and underground drifts would be filled in and closed.  https://www.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/wipp-permit-page/

During the May 2021 Environment Department’s public hearing about permitting the proposed new shaft, Deborah Reade and CCNS addressed the lack of translated information and the lack of proper public notification about the shaft, among other issues.

The demographics of Southeastern New Mexico required that key information be translated into Spanish, but most was not.  Radio announcements in English and Spanish were made from radio stations that had no signal in the WIPP area.  These defective notices and other problems mean that New Mexicans were denied meaningful involvement in the permitting process. 2021-8-16_ HWB 21-02 WIPP CCNS-Reade_CLOSING-ARGUMENT

Summarizing this situation, Deborah Reade said, “Spanish speakers had far less access to information about this permit than English speakers had. The Secretary could have denied the permit on civil rights grounds alone, but he did not do so.”

To get involved, please join the Stop Forever WIPP, una coalición dedicada a detener la expansión de WIPP, effort at https://stopforeverwipp.org/.  There are three action items:  (1) Sign the petition to NM Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham; (2) Send NM Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham a personalized email urging her to take action against the expansion of WIPP; and (3) donate to this effort.  Thank you!

We are Podcasting! 

Government agencies have scheduled a number of IMPORTANT meetings in the next two weeks.  As a result, the Did You Know? is longer than usual.     

1. Thank you for your contributions to CCNS!!! We are grateful for your continuing support so we can produce the weekly CCNS News Update.  Since 1988, CCNS has produced the Update to keep you informed about the latest nuclear news and distribute it through social media.  We could use your financial support right now to continue this service.

2. Tues. Nov. 2^nd from 6:30 – 8:30 pm and Wed. Nov. 3^rd from 10 am to noon – U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will host two live virtual meetings about the San Juan – Chama Return Flow Project. The City of Santa Fe and Santa Fe County are proposing to “fully consume” San Juan Chama Project (SJCP) waters.  Currently “unconsumed” SJCP waters from the Paseo Real Water Reclamation Facility wastewater treatment plant (near 599 bypass and Airport Road) are used to water parks and are discharged to the Santa Fe River.  The City and County are proposing to build a $20 million, 17-mile pipeline from Paseo Real to the Rio Grande near the Buckman Direct Diversion Project.  Comments due by close of business on Nov. 19, 2021.  https://www.santafenm.gov/san_juan_chama_return_flow_pipeline

3. Th. Nov. 4^th at 1 pm MDT webinar The Past and Future of Armistice / Remembrance Day: A Global Webinar, by World Beyond War, and co-sponsored by RootsAction.org. https://worldbeyondwar.org/

4. Tues. Nov. 9^th from 3:30 to 5 pm – LANL will host a virtual public meeting to discuss the permit modification request to Remove 19 Corrective-Action Complete Sites in the Pueblo Canyon Aggregate Area (including old septic tanks in the town site and contaminated areas in Acid Canyon). The comment period ends Dec. 5, 2021.  For more information, go to https://n3b-la.com/outreach/ or contact Lee Bishop, DOE-EM, at (505) 257-7902.

5. Tues. Nov. 9^th from 4:30 – 5:30 pm – DOE/Triad/N3B/LANL will host Public Training for the Electronic Public Reading Room. For questions or to register, please email envoutreach@lanl.gov or call 505 551-4514.    

6. Tues. Nov. 9^th from 5 to 7 pm –WIPP virtual public meeting about its Class 2 permit modification request to the NMED Hazardous Waste Bureau to Update the Volatile Organic Compound Room-Based Limits in Panel 8. Comments are due to NMED by Dec. 20, 2021.  To register:   https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcrf-Crqj0rGNVU_mUK3pBlGg_Pv5_59hMd        DraftPublicNotice_Panel8VOCUpdate

Due to on-going maintenance problems in the underground disposal facility, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) requested an extension of time from the New Mexico Environment Department to store waste in the Waste Handling Building.  https://wipp.energy.gov/ The request for a 45-day extension to store 13 shipments of plutonium- contaminated waste comes on the heels of on-going maintenance problems at WIPP. DOE 45-Day Ext of Time Storage Request to NMED 10-13-21 On October 14th, 2021, the Environment Department approved the extension to November 30th, 2021.  2021-10-14_HWB_WIPP_Approval_WHB_Extension_Request(Final)  All waste shipments to WIPP had previously been stopped from August 25^th until September 30^th.

Maintenance problems include ventilation problems on the surface in the Waste Handling Building and managing the floors in the underground.  The salt can heave and create uneven surfaces where waste is transported for disposal.

Other maintenance problems are so similar to those that caused the February 2014 salt truck fire in the underground, that one questions why preventive maintenance is not the priority.  In 2014, oily rags were left on a hot motor and caught fire, resulting in evacuation of all workers from the underground.  Less than a week later, one or more waste drums exploded and contaminated the underground.  WIPP was closed down for almost three years at a cost of at least $2 billion.

On October 8th, 2021, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board reported a leak of nearly 100 gallons of hydraulic fluid from a bolter.  https://www.dnfsb.gov/ As a preventive maintenance measure, the bolter is used to install long bolts into the ceilings to keep the salt from falling onto the waste containers.  DNFSB WIPP Monthly Ending September 2021 10-8-21

The Board reported that the WIPP contractor knew about a small leak in the hydraulic lines as early as August 20^th.  Attempts to repair the leak were done with fittings that were not rated for the pressure in the hydraulic lines.  The Board stated, Nuclear Waste Partnership, the WIPP contractor, “did not document the leak or the repair and did not tag the bolter as out of service,” and “[t]his event appears to be similar to issues with the maintenance of underground equipment documents in a letter the Board sent to the Department of Energy on September 24, 2018.” At that time three years ago, the Board wrote, “[t]hese problems could affect the performance and reliability of various safety systems.”  DNFSB WIPP Monthly Ending September 2018 10-5-18

Joni Arends, of CCNS, said, “As early as November 2013, Nuclear Waste Partnership, LLC, began to physically expand the WIPP underground.  The fire and explosion shutdown that work.  It remains evident that NWP is more interested in doubling the size of the WIPP underground and keeping it open forever than doing preventive maintenance.”

Please contact the New Mexico Governor and New Mexico Environment Department to express you concerns and the need for NMED to issue Notice(s) of Violation to WIPP.  Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, https://www.governor.state.nm.us/contact-the-governor/ , Stephanie Stringer, Deputy NMED Cabinet Secretary, stephanie.stringer@state.nm.us , and Ricardo Maestas, Acting Chief of the NMED Hazardous Waste Bureau, ricardo.maestas@state.nm.us .

We are Podcasting! 

1. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to CCNS!!! We are grateful for your continuing support so we can produce the weekly CCNS News Update.  Since 1988, CCNS has produced the Update to keep you informed about the latest nuclear news and distribute it through social media.  We could use your financial support right now to continue this work.

2. Fri. Oct. 29^th – virtual 13^th Official Cold War Patriots National Day of Remembrance. To register, visit https://coldwarpatriots.org/about-us/national-day-remembrance-2021/ or call  866-311-5760.

3. Th. Nov. 4^th at 1 pm MDT webinar The Past and Future of Armistice / Remembrance Day: A Global Webinar, by World Beyond War, and co-sponsored by RootsAction.org.

4. Tues. Nov. 9^th from 4:30 – 5:30 pm – DOE/Triad/N3B/LANL will host Public Training for the Electronic Public Reading Room. For questions or to register, please email envoutreach@lanl.gov or call  505 551-4514.     

Join me today from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Nancy Rodriguez Community Center

Please join Santa Fe County Commissioner Anna Hansen (D-2), Santa Fe County Fire Chief Jackie L. Lindsey, NM State Representative Tara Lujan (D-48), and Cynthia Weehler at this town hall and hear about the Department of Energy’s proposal to transport plutonium along NM 599 and the County’s emergency preparedness and response in the unlikely event of a toxic and radioactive waste incident. Attendees will have an opportunity to express concerns and ask questions. View the agenda. The event starts at 6 p.m. at the Nancy Rodriguez Community Center, 1 Prairie Dog Loop in Santa Fe. Please arrive at least 15 minutes early to complete a COVID-screening and wear your mask. Pre-registration is highly encouraged, please RSVP here.

  Commissioner Anna Hansen
505-986-6329
ahansen@santafecountynm.gov

Sara Smith
Constituent Services Liaison
505-986-6263
ssmith@santafecountynm.gov

In response to community concerns about the proposed increased shipments of more dangerous forms of plutonium along New Mexico State Road 599, Santa Fe County District 2 Commissioner Anna Hansen will host a Nuclear Waste Emergency Response Town Hall on Tuesday, October 19^th from 6 to 7:30 pm.  Town Hall Nuclear Waste Flyer 10-19-21 The Department of Energy (DOE) has made elaborate plans to transport plutonium nuclear weapons triggers to Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) for processing. The triggers are currently stored at the Pantex facility, north of Amarillo, Texas.  Questions and comments from the public are encouraged during the Town Hall. Town Hall Nuclear Waste Meeting Agenda 10-19-21

The proposed route is approximately 3,300 miles.  Interstate 40 at Clines Corners would be the primary route to U.S. Route 285.  The shipments would then head north to Interstate 25, past the Eldorado communities, before connecting with the 599 Bypass around Santa Fe.  Much of the bypass is located within Commissioner Hansen’s district.  From the bypass, the shipments would travel north on 285 to Pojoaque, then west on 502 to LANL.  After processing, the shipments would follow the reverse route to Interstate 40 and east to the Savannah River Site in South Carolina for further processing.  The shipments would once more head west to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), near Carlsbad, New Mexico.  Up to 47 metric tons of what is called “surplus” plutonium could be shipped, processed and disposed at WIPP.

In response to constituent concerns, Santa Fe County Commissioners Hank Hughes and Anna Hamilton held a similar Town Hall at the Arroyo Hondo Fire Station in August.  https://www.sfreporter.com/news/2021/08/10/waste-on-wheels/

During the October 19^th Town Hall, Cynthia Weehler, citizen activist and former chemistry teacher, will present highlights of the DOE’s proposal to expand the WIPP repository, including the transportation of additional weapons-grade plutonium throughout Santa Fe County.  https://www.kob.com/new-mexico-news/new-mexico-weighs-changes-to-permit-for-nuclear-waste-dump/6119251/ , https://www.santafenewmexican.com/opinion/my_view/speak-out-on-the-future-of-wipp/article_c45eca72-b43a-11eb-bf29-cf1bd8295f0a.html

Santa Fe County Fire Chief Jackie L. Lindsey will give a presentation about Santa Fe County’s emergency preparedness and response in the unlikely event of a toxic and radioactive waste incident.  https://www.santafecountynm.gov/fire/fire_chief_and_command_staff

New Mexico State Representative Tara Lujan will also be in attendance.  https://nmlegis.gov/Members/Legislator?SponCode=HLUTA

The Town Hall will be held at the Nancy Rodriguez Community Center, at One Prairie Dog Loop, in Santa Fe, which is off County Road 62 between the Agua Fria Fire Station and La Familia Medical Center.

Attendees are asked to arrive 15 minutes early to complete a COVID-screening.  Masks will be required.

For more information, please contact Anna Hansen, Santa Fe County Commissioner, at 505-986-6329, or ahansen@santafecountynm.gov.  https://www.santafecountynm.gov/county_commissioners/anna_hansen

We are Podcasting! 

1. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to CCNS!!! We are grateful for your continuing support so we can produce the weekly CCNS News Update.  Since 1988, CCNS has produced the Update to keep you informed about the latest nuclear news and distribute it through social media.

2. If you missed WIPP’s 47-minute Oct. 12^th virtual public meeting about changing the VOC levels in Panel 8, thanks to the work of Nick Maxwell, you can view DOE’s technically challenging meeting and the chat on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxUDBBuceC0

This week DOE announced that Panel 8 has been completed.  https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/us-nuclear-repository-completes-key-mining-project/ar-AAPttZ4

3. Fri. Oct. 15, 1990 – 31 years ago – President H.W. Bush signed the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. It did not include the New Mexico Downwinders and the Post’71 Uranium Workers.  Get involved!  Contact your congressional members to support the proposed amendments to RECA to include Post’71 Uranium Workers and New Mexico Downwinders – Senate Bill 2798 and House Bill 5338.

4. Th. Oct. 21^st at 6 pm – Kirtland AFB virtual public meeting about groundwater contamination and proposed changes to the NM Environment Department hazardous waste permit. https://www.kirtland.af.mil/Home/Environment/

For the first time in three years, the New Mexico Governor’s WIPP Task Force met October 6^th to discuss possible negotiations with the federal government about radioactive waste disposal facilities in New Mexico, such as the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.  The federal Department of Energy (DOE) owns the WIPP, a deep geologic repository for nuclear weapons wastes located 26 miles east of Carlsbad.

Forty years ago when Governor Bruce King and DOE Secretary James Edward signed the Consultation and Cooperation Agreement, or the “C and C,” the Task Force was established to ensure that DOE lives up to its part of the Agreement.  Consultation and Cooperation Agreement as of August 1988cut

The Task Force includes cabinet secretaries from a wide range of state departments, including Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources; Health; Environment; Public Safety; Transportation; and State Fire Marshall. These departments provide staff to a “WIPP Working Group,” under Eletha Trujillo, who summarized the recent work of the WIPP Transportation Safety Program.  https://www.emnrd.nm.gov/wipp-transportation-safety-program/the-radioactive-waste-consultation-task-force/

In public comments, Santa Fe County Commissioner Anna Hansen thanked the Task Force for holding the meeting.  She spoke to the concerns of her constituents in District 2, which includes shipment of more dangerous forms of plutonium to and from Los Alamos National Laboratory on the New Mexico 599 Bypass around Santa Fe.  Since DOE’s proposed expansion includes these shipments, many of her constituents are concerned about emergency preparedness. Commissioner Hansen comment RWCTF 10-6-21[1]        https://www.santafecountynm.gov/county_commissioners/anna_hansen

Cindy Weehler, co-chair of 285-ALL, which monitors community issues along Highway 285 south of I-25, said that the public is in the dark about DOE’s plans to double the size of WIPP and transport of more dangerous forms of plutonium.

Don Hancock and former Environment Department Secretary Judith Espinosa, representatives of Southwest Research and Information Center, urged the Task Force to use the C and C Agreement to discuss with DOE the impact of an expanded WIPP on the public health, safety and well being of New Mexicans.  SRIC Task Force letter 100421     http://www.sric.org/

Hancock cited two reports that detail DOE’s plans to expand WIPP:  the 2020 National Academies of Science (NAS) report and the 2020 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report.  https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/disposal-of-surplus-plutonium-in-the-waste-isolation-pilot-plant and Nuclear Waste Disposal:  Better Planning Needed to Avoid Potential Disruptions at Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-21-48

Scott Kovac, of Nuclear Watch New Mexico, spoke about a less well-known issue:  Fifty waste drums, from the same waste stream that exploded in the WIPP underground on February 14, 2014 remain at the Waste Control Specialists site on the Texas-New Mexico border, five miles east of Eunice.  That site does not have the capabilities to remediate those drums and they may be stranded there.  DOE is planning to bring new waste streams to WIPP, including tons of “surplus” plutonium from the Savannah River Site.  https://nukewatch.org/

John Wilkes, Vice President of the Albuquerque chapter of the Veterans for Peace, urged the Task Force to ensure that WIPP must close in 2024.  If not, then only plutonium-contaminated waste from LANL and Sandia National Laboratory should be allowed to be disposed at WIPP.  https://vfp-abq.com/ 

Other states have legal agreements with DOE to reserve space at WIPP for their wastes.  New Mexico has those rights, but has not flexed those rights.  Hancock encouraged the Task Force to look at that issue as well.

Janet Greenwald, of Citizens for Alternatives to Radioactive Dumping (CARD), expressed her disappointment at the recent public hearings about whether the New Mexico Environment Department should approve DOE’s elaborate expansion plans.  She was shocked that no testimony was allowed regarding the unacknowledged expansion.  She said, “The suppression of speech was almost unbearable.”

The Task Force may invite DOE to provide testimony at its next meeting.  Joni Arends, of CCNS, encourages it to also invite the NAS, GAO and the independent Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) https://www.dnfsb.gov/ to provide testimony at that meeting to enhance the testimony of the DOE. http://nuclearactive.org/

We are Podcasting! 

1. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to CCNS!!! We are grateful for your continuing support to produce the weekly CCNS News Update – which we have been producing for 33 years to keep you informed about the latest nuclear news and distribute it around the world.

2. Wed. Oct. 13^th –Comments due on increasing the number of Air Tours over Bandelier National Monument to National Park Service and Federal Aviation Administration. Due to errors, the comment period has been extended to Oct. 13^th.  For more information, visit https://tewawomenunited.org/2021/09/action-alert-no-commercial-air-tours-over-bandelier

3. Fri. Oct. 15^th – President G.H.W. Bush signed the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. It did not include the New Mexico Downwinders and the Post’71 Uranium Workers.  Get involved!  Contact your congressional members to support the proposed amendments to RECA to include Post’71 Uranium Workers and New Mexico Downwinders – Senate Bill 2798 and House Bill 5338.

4. Tues. Oct. 19^th from 6 to 7:30 pm – Santa Fe County Nuclear Waste Emergency Response Town Hall at the Nancy Rodriguez Community Center, One Prairie Dog Loop in Santa Fe. For more information, please contact Santa Fe County Commissioner Anna Hansen at ahansen@santafecountynm.gov

At what point will the New Mexico Environment Department acknowledge the Department of Energy’s proposals for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) for what they are – EXPANSION of the underground geologic repository for national defense related radioactive and hazardous waste?

The Stop Forever WIPP Coalition, of which CCNS is a member, formed to educate and encourage public involvement in DOE’s proposed expansion plans.  The Coalition envisions a future of fairness and safety where New Mexicans are informed and involved in protecting public health and the environment.  You are invited to join the efforts to stop the expansion of the nuclear waste dump site in New Mexico.

One step you can take right now is to submit a public comment to the Environment Department about DOE’s proposal to mine three new access drifts to the west of the existing disposal site and construct and use two waste disposal Panels 11 and 12.  https://www.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/wipp/ , scroll down to the August 3, 2021 post.

DOE plans to begin mining October, after the start of the federal Fiscal Year 2022.  A one-click public comment letter is available at https://stopforeverwipp.org/ and a word version is available at http://nuclearactive.org/ .

The public comment letter also requests that the Environment Department proceed with the WIPP Permit Renewal, which should consider all of the proposed expansions at one time.  Many people believe that the Permit Renewal, which has been delayed for 18 months, should proceed before any further permit modifications are considered.  https://www.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/wipp/, scroll down to Vpost.

In total, DOE plans five “West Wing” access drifts, each parallel to one another and approximately 2,400 feet long.  From the southern-most drift, the proposed Panels 11 and 12 are planned to be constructed directly to the south of the proposed Shaft No. 5, which is under permitting consideration by the Environment Department.

The Environment Department can prevent the mining of three of the access drifts and Panels 11 and 12 until such time as there is a final decision on the permit modification, which could take at least 18 months.  Due to the significant public interest in DOE’s expansion plans, a public hearing would be held.

On Wednesday, October 6^th from 3 to 5 pm, the New Mexico Radioactive Waste Consultation Task Force, sometimes called the “Governor’s WIPP Task Force,” will hold an online and telephonic public meeting.  There will be time for public comment to discuss WIPP expansion.  A primary duty of the Task force is to negotiate with the federal government about WIPP.  For more information, please visit:  https://www.emnrd.nm.gov/wipp-transportation-safety-program/the-radioactive-waste-consultation-task-force/   Please use link in the Public Notice (which is attached to the Update) to register for the Task Force meeting. RadioactiveWasteTaskForcePublicNotice  Task-Force-Meeting-Agenda-Final

We are podcasting!

1. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to CCNS!!! We are grateful for your continuing support to produce the CCNS News Update and distribute it around the world.

2. Wed., Sept. 29^th from 5:30 to 7:30 pm virtual LANL Cleanup Contractor, N3B, Cleanup Forum. For meeting information including login details, visit www.n3b-la.com/outreach.

3. Sat. October 2^nd from 9 am to 1 pm – Join the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium (TBDC) at its 8^th Annual Trinity Site Peaceful Demonstration at the Stallion Gate Entrance to the Trinity Site, east of San Antonio, NM, off Hwy. 380. Please bring your own water, snacks, sunscreen, chair, hat, posters, etc.  Portable facilities will be available on-site.  For more information, please visit:  https://www.trinitydownwinders.com/   

            Check it out!  7-minute podcast with NPR’s Leila Fadel and Lesley Blume, reporter for National Geographic, about 1945 Trinity Atomic Test.  www.npr.org/2021/09/27/1040983335/survivors-of-the-trinity-nuclear-test-werent-warned-then-were-lied-to-after
Locals were not given warnings prior to the 1945 Trinity Nuclear Test, and their resulting health issues were largely ignored.

4. Sun. Oct. 3^rd:
   DEADLINE FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS: OCT 3
   The National Park Service (NPS) and Federal Aviation Administration have prepared a draft Air Tour Management Plan (ATMP) to define “acceptable” levels of commercial air tours over Bandelier National Monument — ancestral Tewa land. Under the draft ATMP, 101 annual commercial air tours would be authorized. You can read more about the proposal and the process here.
   Commercial air tours have already been happening over Bandelier since 2003 (up to 126 flights a year at 800–1000 ft above the ground), so the ATMP draft is not a proposal to ‘allow’ these flights to happen but to regulate frequency, duration, altitude, and routes. Therefore, we are not asking you to oppose the ATMP as it’s a step in the right direction to address the situation.
   CALL TO ACTION
   • We are calling for this inclusion in the plan: restricting any commercial/for-profit flights over this area, as this is ancestral Tewa land. (We recognize that there may be times when search-and-rescue and emergency flights may be necessary.) The airway frequency of these planes has a dire impact on elk, deer, turkey, and other beings who live on this land. From an environmental standpoint, these unnecessary flights are just that — unnecessary — and contribute to environmental violence. These “pleasure” tours are a violation of rights to clean air and sacred space, which extends above and below. We Tewa have never left.
   • We are calling for tribal voices to be centered in every part of this process, and for the NPS to recognize that Bandelier is not only an historical site but a current site of great cultural importance to Indigenous people.
   We ask you to stand with us and advocate against commercial air tours over Bandelier, and help us to amplify the above points.
   From now until October 3, the NPS is accepting comments from the public.
   You may submit your written comments via postal mail to the following address, or use this link to submit a comment through the NPS website. Please note the NPS is not accepting comments via email.
   National Park Service
   Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division
   BAND ATMP
   1201 Oakridge Dr., Suite 100
   Fort Collins, CO 80525

5. Mon., October 4^th: Public comments are due to NM Environment Department about the proposed construction and use of hazardous waste disposal Units 11 and 12.  This is DOE’s plan to “replace” the panels that were contaminated due to years of mismanagement (also known as “DOE’s mismanagement panels”).  For more information see http://nuclearactive.org/does-latest-plan-for-expanding-wipp-three-new-drifts-and-two-new-waste-disposal-panels/ ,  https://nuclearactive.org/doe-continues-its-push-for-wipp-expansion/  and https://wipp.energy.gov/wipp_news_20210810.asp   A sample public comment letter you can use is available here. here

A deadline of July 10^th, 2022 is looming for continuing the federal Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) and associated programs.  In New Mexico, the Trinity Downwinders and Post ’71 Uranium Workers have been working for decades to ensure RECA continues and will include them in the programs.

RECA was signed into law on October 15^th, 1990 by President George H. W. Bush, but did not include the Trinity Downwinders and Post ’71 Uranium Workers.

On Wednesday, September 22^nd, under the bipartisan leadership of Senator Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico and Senator Mike Crapo of Idaho, Senate Bill 2798 was introduced to extend and expand RECA.  https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/2798?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22radiation+exposure+compensation+act%22%5D%7D&s=2&r=1  On the same day, Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez, who is a New Mexico Downwinder, led the effort to introduce a companion bill, H.R. 5338, in the U.S. House of Representatives.  https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/5338?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22radiation+exposure+compensation+act%22%5D%7D&s=2&r=2  Both bills include the Trinity Downwinders and Post ’71 Uranium Workers and add health coverage.  https://www.lujan.senate.gov/press-releases/lujan-crapo-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-to-strengthen-reca/ , https://www.crapo.senate.gov/media/newsreleases/bipartisan-bicameral-reca-expansion-bill-introduced , https://fernandez.house.gov/media/press-releases/leger-fernandez-introduces-bipartisan-reca-expansion-bill

RECA covers Downwinders in certain counties located downwind of the Nevada Test Site in Arizona, Nevada, and Utah.  Between 1945 and 1962, the U.S. conducted nearly 200 atmospheric nuclear weapons tests.  RECA also covers Onsite Participants at the tests at the Nevada Test Site, the Pacific Test Sites, the South Atlantic Site and the Trinity Test Site in New Mexico.  https://www.justice.gov/civil/common/reca

The first atomic test was a dirty bomb that took place at the Trinity Site on July 16, 1945.  https://thebulletin.org/2019/07/trinity-the-most-significant-hazard-of-the-entire-manhattan-project/  Those living downwind of that test are known as the “Trinity Downwinders.”

National Geographic:  “U.S. lawmakers move urgently to recognize survivors of the first atomic bomb test:  The 1945 Trinity test produced heat 10,000 times greater than the surface of the sun and spread fallout across the country,” by Lesley M.M. Blume. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/lawmakers-move-urgently-to-recognize-survivors-of-the-first-atomic-bomb-test and

Axios’ special “Hard Truths” series on the environment, by Russell Contreras.  https://www.axios.com/hard-truths-deep-dive-environment-trinity-test-529e4437-9305-4ba3-ba31-6989a4719efe.html?deepdive=1 and The Trinity Test and its lingering impact on Hispanics, Mescalero Apache – Axios

The new bills expand Downwinder coverage to then-residents of Colorado, Idaho, Montana, and New Mexico.

At present, RECA covers uranium miners, millers and ore transporters, but not those who drilled into the rock to obtain core samples.  The core drillers are included in the new bills.

Since 1990, the RECA program has provided partial restitution to over 38,000 people in the amount of nearly $2.5 billion dollars to those eligible to receive compensation and who submitted successful claims.  https://www.justice.gov/civil/common/reca, see Awards to Date near the bottom of the page.

Senator Lujan questions why RECA covers people in certain counties, but not “the community where the first nuclear bomb was tested on American soil.  There’s not been a good answer given to me nor to the [D]ownwinders in New Mexico.  There’s no question of the exposure that resulted from the Trinity test.”

Senator Lujan said, “For over a decade, I’ve been fighting alongside impacted communities to extend and expand RECA.  This is about justice and doing what’s right, and there’s no time to waste.”

To learn how you can support these efforts, please visit https://www.trinitydownwinders.com/ and https://swuraniumimpacts.org/ .

We are Podcasting! 

1. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to CCNS!!! We are grateful for your continuing support to produce the CCNS News Update and distribute it across the world.

2. Sunday, Sept. 26^th: International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons at the United Nations.  https://www.un.org/en/observances/nuclear-weapons-elimination-day and information about the UN High Level Meeting on September 28^th: https://mailchi.mp/1bf979821cce/sep-26-international-day-for-nuclear-weapons-elimination-5353876?e=01890264d2

3. Wed., Sept. 29^th from 5:30 to 7:30 pm virtual
   

   wjohnson@abqjournal.com

   LANL Cleanup Contractor, N3B, Cleanup Forum

Where: Virtual meeting, via WebEx platform at https://n3b-la.webex.com/n3b-la/j.php?MTID=m0da5ec5c2343faffa048d6e23784dc69   Meeting password: N3BbWVcTu36

Phone: (415) 527-5035  Meeting number: 1993511775

Background: This virtual event will feature discussions on the Environmental Management mission at LANL, recent progress, and future cleanup priorities.

The community discussion/Q&A that will follow a short presentation will provide one of many opportunities for public input into legacy cleanup activities and upcoming decisions.

For meeting information including login details, visit www.n3b-la.com/outreach.

4. Mon., October 4^th: Public comments are due to NM Environment Department about the proposed construction and use of hazardous waste disposal Units 11 and 12.  This is DOE’s plan to “replace” the panels that were contaminated due to years of mismanagement (also known as “DOE’s mismanagement panels”).  For more information see http://nuclearactive.org/does-latest-plan-for-expanding-wipp-three-new-drifts-and-two-new-waste-disposal-panels/ ,  https://nuclearactive.org/doe-continues-its-push-for-wipp-expansion/  and https://wipp.energy.gov/wipp_news_20210810.asp   A sample public comment letter you can use is available here. Comment Ltr to NMED re WIPP Permit Renewal-Oppose Panels 11 & 12 

In a rare bi-partisan effort this month, the Texas state legislature passed a nearly unanimous bill prohibiting the future storage or disposal of high-level radioactive waste. After the Texas Senate voted unanimously and the House passed the bill (House Bill No. 7) by a vote of 119-3, Governor Greg Abbott signed it on Thursday, September 9th.  It became law that day and prohibits the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) from issuing related water and construction permits.  https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=872&Bill=HB7

However, on Monday, September 13^th, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) licensed the construction and operation of a Consolidated Interim Storage Facility for high-level radioactive waste in Andrews County, Texas.  The license was issued to Interim Storage Partners, LLC (ISP), which includes Waste Control Specialists, LLC, and their partner, Orano, to expand its existing facility located on the Texas – New Mexico border, five miles east of Eunice, New Mexico.   https://interimstoragepartners.com/ and https://www.nrc.gov/waste/spent-fuel-storage/cis/waste-control-specialist.html

Interim Storage Partners proposes temporary storage of up to 40,000 metric tons of high-level radioactive nuclear power plant waste on concrete pads.

The State of Texas may consider court challenges to the NRC licensing.   Those already involved in federal litigation over the license proceedings are four non-governmental organizations:  Beyond Nuclear – for all the details and new fact sheets, please visit:  http://www.beyondnuclear.org/home/2021/9/14/beyond-nuclear-press-release-nrc-approves-texas-nuclear-wast.html , Sierra Club https://www.sierraclub.org/ , the Austin-based Sustainable Energy and Economic Development (SEED) Coalition https://www.seedcoalition.org/ , and Don’t Waste Michigan, et al. national coalition of watchdog groups https://www.dontwastemichigan.org/index.html   Those cases are on appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia.

Fasken Oil and Ranch, Limited, of Midland, Texas, which is located in the Permian Basin, joined the federal case.

Tommy Taylor, the Fasken assistant general manager, said, “We think [the ISP operation] is a crazy idea.  If there’s a release, it’s going to contaminate the air and be a hazard for all the oil field workers and surface water in the area.”

The non-governmental organizations and Fasken also oppose the licensing of the proposed Holtec Consolidated Interim Storage Facility in New Mexico, located in the Permian Basin about 35 miles west of the ISP site.  An NRC decision is expected in early 2022.  https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/new-mexico-files-lawsuit-to-block-holtec-nuclear-waste-facility-cites-risk-to-oil-and-gas/ar-BB1f5YJk

The opponents have argued in separate cases that both the proposed ISP and Holtec plans violate federal law.

Karen Hadden, with the Austin-based SEED Coalition, stated, “We’ll keep fighting, continuing our legal challenges and community organizing.  The NRC has licensed other facilities that never got built, including two nuclear reactors planned for the South Texas Project site and the Private Fuel Storage facility in Utah for storage of high-level radioactive waste.”

Rose Gardner, of Alliance for Environmental Strategies, a declarant in the federal court challenges, and a resident of Eunice, New Mexico, stated,  “I am thankful that the Texas Legislature voted to stop this dangerous nuclear waste from coming to their state.  I live less than five miles from the site, yet my community in New Mexico has no vote and no choice, and gave no consent for nuclear waste to be stored at the facility. I have long been concerned about [Interim Storage Partners] and its voracious appetite for bringing more and more nuclear waste to my area, claiming it now needs a license for high-level radioactive waste because the waste disposal business wasn’t making enough money.  I hope my concerns will be heard by a higher court than the NRC.”  https://www.facebook.com/Alliance-for-Environmental-Strategies-1959311804080514/

We are podcasting!

1. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to CCNS!!! We are grateful for your continuing support!

2. Mon., Sept. 20 at 9 am – In-person [subject to change] NM Interim Legislative Radioactive & Hazardous Materials Committee meeting at Student Services & Technology Center 200, UNM-Gallup, 705 Gurley Avenue, Gallup, NM. The first panel discussion will be about The Legacy of Uranium Mining, Community Impacts, Cleanup and Challenges.  The second panel discussion will be about Compensation for Downwinders and Uranium Mine Workers.  A 30-minute public comment period will begin at approximately 12:15 pm.  There will be a third panel after lunch updating the Committee on the Gold King Mine Spill and Restoration Project Program.  The final session will be a report from the State Emergency Response Commission.  For more information:   https://nmlegis.gov/Committee/Interim_Committee?CommitteeCode=RHMC

3. Mon., October 4^th: Public comments are due to NM Environment Department about the proposed construction and use of hazardous waste disposal Units 11 and 12.  This is DOE’s plan to “replace” the panels that were contaminated due to years of mismanagement (also known as “DOE’s mismanagement panels”).  For more information see http://nuclearactive.org/does-latest-plan-for-expanding-wipp-three-new-drifts-and-two-new-waste-disposal-panels/ ,  https://nuclearactive.org/doe-continues-its-push-for-wipp-expansion/  and https://wipp.energy.gov/wipp_news_20210810.asp   A sample public comment letter you can use is available here.  Comment Ltr to NMED re WIPP Permit Renewal-Oppose Panels 11 & 12

Were you wondering about the next step in the Department of Energy’s piecemeal approach to expanding the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)?  You don’t have to wait any longer.  Last week DOE held a virtual public meeting on a new permit modification request to the New Mexico Environment Department.  https://www.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/wipp/ , scroll down to August 3, 2021 post.  That request includes mining three new access drifts to the west of the existing underground disposal site, starting next month.  In total, DOE plans five new west access drifts, approximately 2,400 feet long.  From the new drifts, two new waste disposal panels would be constructed directly to the south of the proposed Shaft 5.

When asked what regulatory agency gave DOE permission to begin mining before the public comment period ends on October 4th, it responded that it gave itself permission.  So here we go again, DOE trying to move forward with construction before the required public comment period ends.  However, the New Mexico Environment Department can prevent the mining now, until there is a final decision on the permit modification, which could take at least 18 months.

You may be asking yourself, “What is WIPP?”  And “Why should I care?”  WIPP is the country’s only underground disposal site for waste generated from the production of nuclear weapons.  The waste is contaminated with radioactive plutonium that must be isolated from the environment.  WIPP is located in a salt formation 2,150 feet below ground surface about 26 miles east of Carlsbad, New Mexico.  https://wipp.energy.gov/

WIPP was supposed to stop receiving waste in 2024 after 25 years of operation.

Although WIPP is not supposed to be the only disposal site, DOE has made no attempts to find another site, rather it is spending tax dollars to double the disposal space and keep WIPP open forever.  https://stopforeverwipp.org/ , check out Current News.

DOE says the proposed panels are “replacement” panels 11 and 12, claiming they are needed because of space lost, including from the radiological release on February 14^th, 2014.  Twenty-two workers were exposed and 8,000 feet of the underground were contaminated.  https://nuclearactive.org/doe-inspector-general-releases-report-about-failure-of-waste-procedures-resulting-in-indefinite-wipp-shut-down/

Some observe that the proposed panels should be named the “mismanagement” panels because of the large amount of space that was left unfilled or contaminated.  Each new panel would have seven rooms, each 300 feet in length, 33 feet wide and 14 feet high.

A local community group of which CCNS is a member, the Stop Forever WIPP Coalition, has prepared a sample public comment letter you can find at https://stopforeverwipp.org/ or download right here: Comment Ltr to NMED re WIPP Permit Renewal-Oppose Panels 11 & 12 Comments are due by 5 pm Mountain Daylight Time on Monday, October 4^th.

Did You Know?  We are Podcasting! 

1. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to CCNS!!! We actively participated in the groundwater discharge permit public hearing Tuesday and Wednesday.  We’ll start working on the post-hearing filings soon to support an Information Repository that DOE will manage on the WIPP website. 

          In the meantime, DOE is leapfrogging a new permit modification to construct and use three new drifts and two new panels in the ”west wing.”  DOE plans to start mining next month.  See today’s Update.  CCNS would appreciate your financial support right now as we continue to oppose FOREVER WIPP. Your tax-deductible donation is greatly appreciated!  Please go to http://nuclearactive.org/ to make your greatly needed contribution or mail it to:  CCNS, P. O. Box 31147, Santa Fe, NM  87594-1147.  Thank you!

2. Fri., Sept. 10 by 5 pm MDT – If you didn’t get your comments in about the groundwater discharge permit for WIPP (DP-831), there’s still a little bit of time. The Hearing Officer is keeping the record open until 5 pm on Friday, Sept. 10^th at 5 pm MDT.  Every comment counts!   f DP-831 (WIPP GWDP) Comment Ltr 8-30-21

3. Mon., Sept. 20 at 9 am – In-person [subject to change] NM Interim Legislative Radioactive & Hazardous Materials Committee meeting at Student Services & Technology Center 200, UNM-Gallup, 705 Gurley Avenue, Gallup, NM. The first panel discussion will be about The Legacy of Uranium Mining, Community Impacts, Cleanup and Challenges.  The second panel discussion will be about Compensation for Downwinders and Uranium Mine Workers.  A 30-minute public comment period will begin at approximately 12:15 pm.  There will be a third panel after lunch updating the Committee on the Gold King Mine Spill and Restoration Project Program.  The final session will be a report from the State Emergency Response Commission.  For more information:   https://nmlegis.gov/Committee/Interim_Committee?CommitteeCode=RHMC

4. Mon., October 4^th: Public comments are due to NM Environment Department about the proposed construction and use of hazardous waste disposal Units 11 and 12.  This is DOE’s plan to “replace” the panels that were contaminated due to years of mismanagement (also known as “DOE’s mismanagement panels”).  For more information see https://nuclearactive.org/doe-continues-its-push-for-wipp-expansion/ and https://wipp.energy.gov/wipp_news_20210810.asp   CCNS will prepare talking points and sample public comments you can use.  Stay tuned!

Beginning at noon on Tuesday, September 7^th, the New Mexico Environment Department will hold a virtual public hearing for a groundwater discharge permit that includes the construction and use of a Salt Cell 5 and Salt Storage Pond 5, which are integral to the expansion of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP).  Allowing construction and use of those two new surface facilities would directly support the proposed plans of the Department of Energy (DOE) to excavate the Shaft 5 and associated underground drifts. The public overwhelmingly opposes permitting the “5’s” – the proposed Shaft 5, the Salt Cell 5, and the Salt Storage Pond 5.

Breaking News:  On September 2, 2021, the Environment Department, Ground Water Quality Bureau, posted its September 29 – 30, 2020 Inspection Report at the WIPP site.  On p. 2 of 8, the public learns – despite the information released to the public to prepare for the public hearing – that the Salt Cell 5 and Salt Storage Pond 5 have been constructed!!!

More Breaking News:  On September 2, 2021, the public also learns that Environment Department staff, “Inspected the newly constructed Salt Cell 5 and Salt Storage Pond 5. Salt Cell 5 will have to be recompacted due to the extended period between construction and it being utilized. Fencing and signage around Salt Storage Pond 5 still need to be installed.”

Meeting Information:

https://www.env.nm.gov/events-calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D153319292

or

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CCNS now asks:  Where did DOE put the overburden from the first 116 feet from digging Shaft 5? 

The Stop Forever WIPP Coalition, formed to oppose WIPP expansion, has prepared a sample public comment letter you can use to oppose the inclusion of Salt Cell 5 and Salt Storage Pond 5 in the groundwater discharge permit.  It is available at https://stopforeverwipp.org/ , with a one-click comment option.  Please include your personal concerns.  The comment letter is also available on CCNS’s webpage at http://nuclearactive.org/

If Shaft 5 excavation were approved, it would facilitate DOE’s plans to double the size of WIPP, the underground mine for the disposal of plutonium-contaminated waste from nuclear weapons production.  http://nuclearactive.org/doe-continues-its-push-for-wipp-expansion/  During the public hearing in May, CCNS, Southwest Research and Information Center, Nuclear Watch New Mexico, Citizen Action New Mexico, and individual Deborah Reade opposed Shaft 5.  As of September 3^rd, no decision on Shaft 5 has been made.

Excavation of Shaft 5 would require a place to store the salt mined from a 30-foot diameter hole down into the waste facility 2,150 feet below ground.  The salt would be stored in a new Salt Cell 5.  Storm water runoff from the Cell would be collected in a new Salt Storage Pond 5, which would have a capacity of 1.3 million gallons.

On Tuesday, at the virtual public hearing on zoom, CCNS and Southwest Research and Information Center will oppose the permitting of Salt Cell 5 and Salt Storage Pond 5.  https://www.env.nm.gov/events-calendar/

Click link to go to the Zoom meeting: https://zoom.us/j/97150104794?pwd=SU10MXdJQWxWeHV1OGRSb1hKdU1SQT09

CCNS also will argue that the Environment Department’s public notification process was defective and does not meet the basic regulatory requirements.

Further, CCNS discovered in the administrative record that key monitoring equipment, including pressure gages and flow meters, have been out of service for 2 ½ years or more.  In another case, a control panel alarm does not light up and has not been repaired making it difficult to identify the danger.  DP-831 Monitoring Rpt 6-24 to 6-30-19

This reminds us that negligent maintenance caused the salt truck fire underground at WIPP in 2014.  https://nuclearactive.org/salt-hauling-vehicle-catches-fire-in-wipp-underground/  and https://nuclearactive.org/wipp-worker-harmed-by-vehicle-fire-sues-operators-for-negligence/

Did You Know?  We are Podcasting! 

1. CCNS could really use your financial support right now as we prepare testimony to oppose the “5’s,” Shaft 5, Salt Cell 5 and Salt Storage Pond 5 at WIPP during the Sept. 7^th DP-831 groundwater discharge permit public hearing. It is a laborious technical process.  Your tax-deductible donation would be greatly appreciated!  Please go to http://nuclearactive.org/ to make your greatly needed contribution or mail it to:  CCNS, P. O. Box 31147, Santa Fe, NM  87594-1147.  Thank you!

2. Monday, October 4^th: Public comments are due to NM Environment Department about the proposed construction and use of hazardous waste disposal Units 11 and 12.  This is DOE’s plan to “replace” the panels that were contaminated due to years of mismanagement (also known as “DOE’s mismanagement panels”).  For more information see https://nuclearactive.org/doe-continues-its-push-for-wipp-expansion/ and https://wipp.energy.gov/wipp_news_20210810.asp   CCNS will prepare talking points and sample public comments you can use.  Stay tuned!

3. Mon. Sept. 20 – Virtual NM Interim Legislative Radioactive & Hazardous Materials Committee meeting in Gallup, NM. More information about the agenda and invited presenters will be posted here prior to the meeting:  Tina Cordova, of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium, will present about the proposed amendments to the federal Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA).  https://nmlegis.gov/Committee/Interim_Committee?CommitteeCode=RHMC