You are invited to join the Global Day of Action Against Nuclear Weapons on Sunday, November 26^th at 2 pm on the Santa Fe Plaza.  Come with your friends, family and colleagues and call for an end to nuclear weapons by bringing attention to the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, the TPNW.  Sing anti-nuclear and anti-war lyrics to familiar tunes with the Raging Grannies of New Mexico.  Bring signs, drums or tambourines.  To show our solidarity with others around the world, we’ll take photos and make videos to share on the website of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, or ICAN, the initiator of the Global Day of Action.  https://www.icanw.org/joniarends/global_day_of_action_of_against_nuclear_weapons_on_santa_fe_plaza

Sunday’s events are followed by other international actions to abolish nuclear weapons.  On Monday, November 27^th, the 69 States Parties to the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons will begin meeting all week at the United Nations in New York City.  This is the second time the parties to the Treaty will have convened since the Treaty became international law in January 2021.  It is oddly fitting to hold the meetings on U.S. soil because the United States is not a party to the Treaty and refuses to comply with it.  We need to encourage the United States to join with nearly half the nations of the world taking concrete steps to eliminate nuclear weapons.  https://disarmament.unoda.org/wmd/nuclear/tpnw/

ICAN encourages everyone to be loud and proud that the TPNW has been in effect for nearly three years.  Around the world, people will hold vigils and rallies calling for the elimination of nuclear weapons in solidarity with the delegations of the States Parties at the United Nations.  https://www.icanw.org/events

Please join with the New Mexico Peace Fest, Veterans for Peace Albuquerque and Santa Fe Chapters, Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety, the Raging Grannies New Mexico, Taos Environmental Film Festival, Nuclear Watch New Mexico, Stop the War Machine, Party for Socialism and Liberation, Green Party ABQ Metro Area, Unity Spiritual Center, A.N.S.W.E.R., the New Mexico Peace Choir, Albuquerque Peace and Justice Center and people of faith at 2 pm on Sunday the 26^th on the Santa Fe Plaza.  Let’s amplify the international call for the abolition of nuclear weapons.

Check out the ICAN website for more information.  https://www.icanw.org/ You can find online and in person events at https://www.icanw.org/events

Check out the Artists Against the Bomb for visuals you can download and bring to the Sunday gathering.  https://artistsagainstthebomb.org/  Check out Santa Fe artist Kaitlin Bryson’s piece there.  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uVi04r3694lz9R5lnfDY6sngXhNidOhZ/view

To watch the proceedings on UN Web TV, go to https://webtv.un.org/en/schedule

For a quick 15 minute overview of what is happening at the United Nations twice a day, sign-up to watch MSP-TV at https://www.icanw.org/msp_tv  At 9 am and 3 pm Mountain (11 am and 5 pm Eastern) ICAN’s MSP-TV will provide a summary, highlights and insights from the Nuclear Ban Week events from Monday 27 November until 1 December 2023.

Together we are making a difference!    

1. Friday, November 24th from noon to 1 pm MT ***  NEW LOCATION DUE TO RECONSTRUCTION OF GUADALUPE BRIDGE.  ***  Join the weekly peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament on the corners of Alameda and Sandoval in downtown Santa Fe with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, Pax Christi, Nonviolent Santa Fe, and others.

2. Monday, November 27^th to Friday, December 1^st – Second Meeting of States Parties (MSP) to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (2MSP) at UN Headquarters in New York City. https://www.icanw.org/tpnw_second_meeting_of_states_parties and https://meetings.unoda.org/tpnw/tpnw-msp-2023       See this week’s Update for more details.

3. Tuesday, November 28^th from 11 am to 12:30 pm Mountain Time – hybrid presentation about the Humanitarian Impacts of Nuclear Weapons and Signs of Hope for a Nuclear Weapons-Free World at Baha’i International Center at UN Plaza and on zoom. Registration is required at:  https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZckceuqpjspHdxOSycn61Xb7QFAticgAlfC#/registration   For more information and other events:  https://www.genderandradiation.org/2023events

4. Friday, December 15^th – Holloman 5 Anti-Drone Trial begins in Otero County, NM. https://www.veteransforpeace.org/our-work/working-groups/drones-robots-and-future-weapons-working-group http://www.shutdowndronewarfare.org/   https://www.codepink.org/shutdowndrone

5. Wednesday, January 17, 2024 –Public Comments due about Los Alamos National Laboratory Electrical Power Capacity Upgrade Project Draft Environmental Assessment (DOE/EA-2911) for construction and operation of a new 115 kilovolt (kV) power transmission line and upgrading LANL’s existing infrastructure. CCNS will be working on sample public comments for you to use soon. The Draft EA is available in the NNSA NEPA Reading Room at: https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/nnsa-nepa-reading-room or directly at https://energy.gov/nepa/doeea-2199-los-alamos-national-laboratory-electrical-power-capacity-upgrade-project 

What would happen to the fields of amber waves of grain in Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, Montana and North Dakota that feed so many, as well as the area’s population, should a concerted nuclear attack occur in those same fields housing silos of intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs?

New research by Princeton University’s Program on Science and Global Security in collaboration with others presents the risks associated with the new U.S. Sentinel nuclear-armed land-based ICBMs.  The new research is published in the December issue of Scientific American under the title, The New Nuclear Age in the December 2023 issue.  https://www.scientificamerican.com/report/the-new-nuclear-age/ , https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YUnWmRRrfsQye5fv8F5x9bRUijJPvqrnOldpXN82eAc/edit

For those familiar with the Department of Energy nuclear weapons complex, or those that want to learn about it, the series provides a concise, yet multi-level review of the relationships between the military industrial complex, nuclear weapons and missile silo sites, and the potential harm from replacing 400 Minuteman III ICBMs with the new, more powerful Sentinel ICBMs.  Replacing Minuteman IIIs with the Sentinels draws a larger target with larger environmental and public health consequences, including from radioactive fallout.  https://missilesonourland.org/ ,  https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/inside-the-1-5-trillion-nuclear-weapons-program-youve-never-heard-of/ , https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/behind-the-scenes-at-a-u-s-factory-building-new-nuclear-bombs/ ,  https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/who-would-take-the-brunt-of-an-attack-on-u-s-nuclear-missile-silos/

Sebastien Philippe, with Princeton’s program, described just how severe those environmental and public health consequences would be.  He said, “According to my models, a concerted nuclear attack on the existing U.S. silo fields [] would annihilate all life in the surrounding regions and contaminate fertile agricultural land for years. Minnesota, Iowa and Kansas would also probably face high levels of radioactive fallout. Acute radiation exposure alone would cause several million fatalities across the U.S.—if people get advance warning and can shelter in place for at least four days. Without appropriate shelter, that number could be twice as high. Because of great variability in wind directions, the entire population of the contiguous U.S. and the most populated areas of Canada, as well as the northern states of Mexico, would be at risk of lethal fallout—more than 300 million people in total. The inhabitants of the U.S. Midwest and of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario in Canada could receive outdoor whole-body doses of radiation several times higher than the minimum known to result in certain death.”

The multi-media format of Missiles on Our Land:  Confronting the risks of America’s land-based nuclear missiles includes a five-part investigative podcast by Ella Weber, entitled “The Missiles on Our Rez,” about the only Native American tribal nation hosting nuclear weapons.  Photos (credits to Nina Berman) are available at:  https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1u8S7a-dTT5FNqyzjFAvVJXU5lR6X43n3?usp=drive_link  Maps (credits to (credits to Sebastien Philippe, Svitlana Lavrenchuk, Ivan Stepanov): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1u93cNckL5vHHbOqFXmx11YLJkD7ToXHR?usp=sharing

To learn more, visit The Missiles on Our Land:  Confronting the risks of America’s land-based nuclear missiles at https://missilesonourland.org/

1. Friday, November 17th from noon to 1 pm MT *** NEW LOCATION DUE TO RECONSTRUCTION OF GUADALUPE BRIDGE.  ***  Join the weekly peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament on the corners of Alameda and Sandoval in downtown Santa Fe with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, Pax Christi, Nonviolent Santa Fe, and others.

2. Thursday, November 16^th from 5:30 – 8 pm – virtual and in-person public meeting about the Kirtland AFB Bulk Fuels Facility Project at New Mexico Veterans Memorial, 1100 Louisiana Blvd. SE.

 Community members may review Air Force Environmental Restoration Program documents by visiting the Kirtland AFB website at https://www.kirtland.af.mil/Home/Environment/ or the U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Center Administrative Record website AF Administrative Record. If you would like additional information, please contact 377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs at (505) 846-5991 or by email, 377ABW.PA@us.af.mil

3. Friday, November 17^th – Saturday, November 18^th – New Mexico Acequia Association 24^th Annual Congreso de las Acequias at the Sagebrush Inn, Taos. https://lasacequias.org/congreso/

4. Sunday, November 26^th – Global Day of Action Against Nuclear Weapons – Message from the Int’l Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN):

“As governments, experts and campaigners get ready for a week of building on the treaty banning nuclear weapons, join the international day of action to call for an end to nuclear weapons and bring attention to the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW)! All around the world, people will be taking action to show the delegations in New York that we expect them to be bold, courageous and use the TPNW to dismantle nuclear deterrence, and make sure the rest of the world is paying attention to this crucial opportunity.”

Funding may be available.  Add your action to the international calendar at:  https://www.icanw.org/2msp_global_day_of_action

5. Monday, November 27^th to Friday, December 1^st – Second Meeting of States Parties (MSP) to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (2MSP) at UN Headquarters in New York City. https://www.icanw.org/tpnw_second_meeting_of_states_parties and https://meetings.unoda.org/tpnw/tpnw-msp-2023   

Sign-up to watch MSP-TV at https://www.icanw.org/msp_tv  Don’t have time to watch the Nuclear Ban Week events play out minute-by-minute? ICAN’s  “MSP-TV” will provide you a summary, highlights and insights from the Nuclear Ban Week events – at the UN, in New York and those organized by partners around the world- twice a day at 11:00 and 17:00 ET (at 9 am and 5 pm Mountain Time) from Monday 27 November until 1 December 2023.

6. Tuesday, November 28^th from 11 am to 12:30 pm Mountain Time – hybrid presentation about the Humanitarian Impacts of Nuclear Weapons and Signs of Hope for a Nuclear Weapons-Free World at Baha’i International Center at UN Plaza and on zoom. Registration is required at:  https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZckceuqpjspHdxOSycn61Xb7QFAticgAlfC#/registration   For more information and other events:  https://www.genderandradiation.org/2023events

7. Friday, December 15^th – Holloman 5 Anti-Drone Trial begins in Otero County, NM. https://www.veteransforpeace.org/our-work/working-groups/drones-robots-and-future-weapons-working-group http://www.shutdowndronewarfare.org/   https://www.codepink.org/shutdowndrone

From Monday, November 27^th to Friday, December 1^st, the States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons will meet at the United Nations in New York to review progress on the treaty’s implementation and agree on further action to strengthen it.  https://disarmament.unoda.org/wmd/nuclear/tpnw/

This will be the second meeting of the States Parties.  https://meetings.unoda.org/tpnw/tpnw-msp-2023; https://www.icanw.org/tpnw_second_meeting_of_states_parties; and https://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/disarmament-fora/nuclear-weapon-ban/2msp

The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, or ICAN, is encouraged by the 97 States that have already signed, ratified or acceded to the Treaty.  https://www.icanw.org/eu_today_tpnw  It continues its work for more States to join the Treaty.  In 2017, ICAN was awarded Nobel Peace Prize.  CCNS is a member of ICAN.

The Treaty is also commonly known as the Nuclear Ban Treaty.

The States Parties have urged the nuclear-armed states and their allies to engage with the Nuclear Ban Treaty by being observers at the second meeting of the States Parties.  At the first meeting last year, several North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, members did attend.  They included representatives from Belgium, Germany, Norway, and The Netherlands.  Australia also attended as an observer.

Please encourage the Biden Administration to send a delegation of U.S. observers to the second meeting and to initiate negotiations with all the nuclear weapons states for a verifiable, time-bound agreement to eliminate all nuclear weapons.  https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N23/269/26/PDF/N2326926.pdf?OpenElement

During this second meeting, a call will be made for all States to abandon the nuclear deterrence theory as an unacceptable threat to humanity and all life on Planet Earth and to end deployment of nuclear weapons in third states under the so-called nuclear sharing agreements.

ICAN states that deterrence is an unproven gamble, based on the implicit threat to use nuclear weapons.  That theory has brought the world close to nuclear war on a number of occasions.  Nuclear sharing agreements are a dangerous practice that further exacerbates the risks of proliferation and nuclear use.  The Nuclear Ban Treaty prohibits both of these activities.

Alongside the meetings at the United Nations, at least 40 in-person and virtual events will take place during Nuclear Ban Week.  There will be marches, rallies, art exhibits, concerts, debates, and presentations.  A full list of events is available on the ICAN website at https://www.icanw.org/2msp_events

The United Nations Side Event Calendar is available at https://docs-library.unoda.org/Treaty_on_the_Prohibition_of_Nuclear_Weapons_-SecondMeeting_of_States_Parties_(2023)/20231107_TPNW_2MSP_Side_events_calendar.pdf

Twice daily at 9 am and 5 pm Mountain Time from Monday, November 27^th until Friday, December 1^st, MSP-TV will provide 15-minutes of summaries, highlights and insights from the Nuclear Ban Week events.  To receive a reminder, RSVP here:  https://www.icanw.org/msp_tv?locale=en

The second meeting of the State Parties where the end of nuclear weapons is being designed stands in direct contrast to the beginning of the Manhattan Project in the late 1930s to develop nuclear weapons.

1. Friday, November 10th from noon to 1 pm MT ***  NEW LOCATION DUE TO RECONSTRUCTION OF GUADALUPE BRIDGE.  ***  Join the weekly peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament on the corners of Alameda and Sandoval in downtown Santa Fe with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, Pax Christi, Nonviolent Santa Fe, and others.

2. Saturday, November 11^th Armistice Day (also known as Veterans’ Day) in Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

In Albuquerque:  The Albuquerque Veterans For Peace will celebrate Armistice Day at the New Mexico Veterans Memorial at 1100 Louisiana Blvd. SE in Albuquerque, New Mexico, typically from 9:00 to 11:00 AM.

In Santa Fe:  Join VFP, colleagues and allies on the Santa Fe Plaza at 10:45 a.m.  The Archdiocese will ring the Cathedral bells 11 times beginning at 11 a.m.  Other bell ringing is planned along with moments of silence.

For more information:  http://nuclearactive.org/join-veterans-for-peace-to-celebrate-armistice-day-on-saturday-november-11th/

3. Thursday, November 16^th from 5:30 – 8 pm – virtual and in-person public meeting about the Kirtland AFB Bulk Fuels Facility Project at New Mexico Veterans Memorial, 1100 Louisiana Blvd. SE.

Community members may review Air Force Environmental Restoration Program documents by visiting the Kirtland AFB website at https://www.kirtland.af.mil/Home/Environment/ or the U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Center Administrative Record website AF Administrative Record. If you would like additional information, please contact 377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs at (505) 846-5991 or by email, 377ABW.PA@us.af.mil

4. Friday, November 17^th – Saturday, November 18^th – New Mexico Acequia Association 24^th Annual Congreso de las Acequias at the Sagebrush Inn, Taos. https://lasacequias.org/congreso/

5. Sunday, November 26^th – Global Day of Action Against Nuclear Weapons – Message from the Int’l Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN):

“As governments, experts and campaigners get ready for a week of building on the treaty banning nuclear weapons, join the international day of action to call for an end to nuclear weapons and bring attention to the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW)! All around the world, people will be taking action to show the delegations in New York that we expect them to be bold, courageous and use the TPNW to dismantle nuclear deterrence, and make sure the rest of the world is paying attention to this crucial opportunity.”

Funding may be available.  Add your action to the international calendar at:  https://www.icanw.org/2msp_global_day_of_action

6. Monday, November 27^th to Friday, December 1^st – Second Meeting of States Parties (MSP) to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (2MSP) at UN Headquarters in New York City. https://www.icanw.org/tpnw_second_meeting_of_states_parties and https://meetings.unoda.org/tpnw/tpnw-msp-2023   

 Sign-up to watch MSP-TV at https://www.icanw.org/msp_tv  Don’t have time to watch the Nuclear Ban Week events play out minute-by-minute? ICAN’s  “MSP-TV” will provide you a summary, highlights and insights from the Nuclear Ban Week events – at the UN, in New York and those organized by partners around the world- twice a day at 11:00 and 17:00 ET (at 9 am and 5 pm Mountain Time) from Monday 27 November until 1 December 2023.

7. Friday, December 15^th – Holloman 5 Anti-Drone Trial begins in Otero County, NM. https://www.veteransforpeace.org/our-work/working-groups/drones-robots-and-future-weapons-working-group http://www.shutdowndronewarfare.org/   https://www.codepink.org/shutdowndrone

Over one hundred years ago, in 1918, the world celebrated peace as a universal principle.  The first World War had just ended and nations mourning their dead collectively called for an end to all wars.  Armistice Day was born and was designated as “a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated.”

After World War II, the U.S. Congress decided to rebrand November 11^th as Veterans Day.  Honoring the warrior quickly morphed into honoring the military and glorifying war.  Armistice Day was flipped from a day for peace into a day for displays of militarism.

Veterans For Peace has taken the lead to lift up the original intent of November 11^th as a day for peace.  Veterans know that a day that celebrates peace, not war, is the best way to honor the sacrifices of veterans.  They want future generations never to encounter the destruction war has wrought on people and the earth.

Veterans For Peace call on everyone to stand up for peace this Armistice Day.  More than ever, the world faces a critical moment.  Tensions are heightened around the world and the United States is engaged militarily in multiple countries, without an end in sight.

Here at home Veterans For Peace have seen the increased militarization of police forces, brutal crackdowns on dissent and uprisings against state power.  They recommend the government end reckless military interventions that endanger the entire world.  They support building a culture of peace.

This Armistice Day, Veterans For Peace call on the public to say “No” to more war and to demand justice and peace at home and abroad.  They know “Peace Is Possible” and call for an end to all oppressive and violent policies and for equality for all people.

Veterans For Peace has suggestions for actions on Saturday, November 11^th.   

Locally,  

Additional actions to take:

Educate yourself on the history and importance of Armistice Day.  https://www.veteransforpeace.org/take-action/armistice-day

Download and hang the Armistice Day Poster in your front window or anywhere else you feel it would be most visible to others.   https://www.veteransforpeace.org/files/9216/0088/6147/Final_AD_Poster_PDF.pdf

Host a silent vigil.  Invite others to join you to stand in silence for eleven minutes at 11 a.m. at a highly trafficked area in your city.

Ring Bells for Peace.  Ask local churches, community centers and schools to ring their bells at 11 a.m.

Read Poems and Stories.  Host an event and ask speakers to share their favorite poem or story about peace.

Send Letters to the Editor.  Write from the heart and tell them why you think November 11th must be a day for peace.

Contact your local elected officials to create a city or county proclamation in support of Armistice Day.

Share on Social Media.  Share your photos with the hashtag #ReclaimArmisticeDay.

Take action to end forever wars.  Updated calls to action are listed at www.veteransforpeace.org.

Find more suggestions on the Veterans For Peace website.  https://www.veteransforpeace.org/take-action/armistice-day

Below is an extensive list of upcoming events that you may want to participate in or take action during this busy time of the year.  Please mark your calendars!

1. Friday, November 3rd from noon to 1 pm MT ***  NEW LOCATION DUE TO RECONSTRUCTION OF GUADALUPE BRIDGE.  ***  Join the weekly peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament on the corners of Alameda and Sandoval in downtown Santa Fe with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, Pax Christi, Nonviolent Santa Fe, and others.

2. Monday, November 6^th by 5 pm MT – Get your comments in to support the New Mexico Environment Department’s recommendation to excavate the LANL dump, MDA C. For more information and to access sample public comment letters you can use and modify, go to:  http://nuclearactive.org/comments-to-nmed-needed-in-support-of-excavation-of-lanl-dump-c-by-november-6th/ and http://nuclearactive.org/new-mexico-environment-department-recommends-excavation-of-lanls-material-disposal-area-c/

3. Wednesday, November 8^th virtual conference on Nuclear Weapons and International Law – The Renewed Imperative in Light of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine from 9 am to 6 pm ET. Sponsored by the New York Bar Association, International Section.  https://nysba.org/events/nuclear-weapons-and-international-law-the-renewed-imperative-in-light-of-the-ukraine-war/

4. Thursday, November 9^th by 5 pm MT – Comments due on the draft Community Relations Plan for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). https://wipp.energy.gov/community-outreach.asp

5. Saturday, November 11^th Armistice Day (also known as Veterans’ Day) in Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

In Albuquerque:  The Albuquerque Veterans For Peace will celebrate Armistice Day at the New Mexico Veterans Memorial at 1100 Louisiana Blvd. SE in Albuquerque, New Mexico, typically from 9:00 to 11:00 AM.

In Santa Fe:  Join VFP, colleagues and allies on the Santa Fe Plaza at 10:45 a.m.  The Archdiocese will ring the Cathedral bells 11 times beginning at 11 a.m.  Other bell ringing is planned along with moments of silence.

6. Thursday, November 16^th from 5:30 – 8 pm – virtual and in-person public meeting about the Kirtland AFB Bulk Fuels Facility Project at New Mexico Veterans Memorial, 1100 Louisiana Blvd. SE. Community members may review Air Force Environmental Restoration Program documents by visiting the Kirtland AFB website at https://www.kirtland.af.mil/Home/Environment/ or the U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Center Administrative Record website AF Administrative Record. If you would like additional information, please contact 377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs at (505) 846-5991 or by email, 377ABW.PA@us.af.mil

7. Friday, November 17^th – Saturday, November 18^th – New Mexico Acequia Association 24^th Annual Congreso de las Acequias at the Sagebrush Inn, Taos. https://lasacequias.org/congreso/

8. Sunday, November 26^th – Global Day of Action Against Nuclear Weapons – Message from the Int’l Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN):

“As governments, experts and campaigners get ready for a week of building on the treaty banning nuclear weapons, join the international day of action to call for an end to nuclear weapons and bring attention to the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW)! All around the world, people will be taking action to show the delegations in New York that we expect them to be bold, courageous and use the TPNW to dismantle nuclear deterrence, and make sure the rest of the world is paying attention to this crucial opportunity.”

Funding may be available.  Add your action to the international calendar at:  https://www.icanw.org/2msp_global_day_of_action

9. Monday, November 27^th to Friday, December 1^st – Second Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (2MSP) at UN Headquarters in New York City. https://www.icanw.org/tpnw_second_meeting_of_states_parties and https://meetings.unoda.org/tpnw/tpnw-msp-2023   

10. Friday, December 15^th – Holloman 5 Anti-Drone Trial begins in Otero County, NM. https://www.veteransforpeace.org/our-work/working-groups/drones-robots-and-future-weapons-working-group http://www.shutdowndronewarfare.org/   https://www.codepink.org/shutdowndrone

Please join the effort to submit public comments in support of the excavation of a 12-acre unlined dump at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).  Public comments are due to the New Mexico Environment Department by Monday, November 6^th at 5 pm Mountain Time.   Email your comments to neelam.dhawan@env.nm.gov or use the NMED Public Comment Portal at https://nmed.commentinput.com/comment/search for the NMED Statement of Basis Material Disposal Area C at Los Alamos National Laboratory. 

According to LANL logbooks, the dump called Material Disposal Area C, or MDA C, first received radioactive, toxic and hazardous liquid, gaseous and solid wastes in 1948.  Disposal operations ended in 1974.  There are six disposal pits, one chemical disposal pit, and 108 shafts.  All are unlined, which allows the buried wastes to migrate into water, air, and soil.  For the past 75 years, contaminated waste has been migrating towards regional drinking water supplies.

As required by the New Mexico Hazardous Waste Act, in September the Department released a Statement of Basis in support of its decision to excavate MDA C.  230907 HWB_LANL_Statement-of-Basis-MDA-C  Citing examples of excavation of other alphabetically-named MDAs, including B and P, NMED made the case that excavation is the most protective alternative.  Please support the NMED decision by submitting your comments.

For more information go to:  https://nmed.commentinput.com/comment/search and scroll down to Material Disposal Area (MDA) C, SWMU 50-009, Remediation for the Public Notice, Statement of Basis, June 30, 2021 DOE/LANL Corrective Measures Evaluation Rev. 1 for MDA C, and the Index to the Administrative Record for MDA C Statement of Basis.

The Department explained that volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, are present directly below the dump at depths of approximately 600 feet below ground surface, demonstrating an estimated travel time of 8 feet per year.  Some VOCs can cause cancer; others react to form air pollutants once they are in the air.

The Department stated, “For maximum protection of public and environmental health and safety, and to ensure that the drinking water resource can be conservatively protected, [the Department] has determined that … excavation, plume monitoring, and institutional controls, along with a passive and active soil-vapor extraction system at MDA C to remove the waste and eliminate the VOC contaminate source detected in soil … is the most appropriate cleanup measure.” 

LANL’s preferred plan included installation of an evapotranspiration, or ET, cover over the dump.  The Department raised concerns that burrowing animals and deep roots have penetrated other ET covers and opened pathways for contaminants to escape.  Even with LANL’s “institutional controls” to monitor groundwater for 100 years, during that time the contamination would migrate 800 feet deeper into the regional drinking water aquifer.

Public comments are due to the Environment Department on Monday, November 6^th by 5 pm Mountain.  CCNS has prepared sample public comments you can use to support the Environment Department’s recommendation to protect drinking water through the excavation of the MDA C dump.  231026 MDA C sample comment letter to NMED

1. Friday, October 27th from noon to 1 pm MT ***  NEW LOCATION DUE TO RECONSTRUCTION OF GUADALUPE BRIDGE.  ***  Join the weekly peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament on the corners of Alameda and Sandoval in downtown Santa Fe with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, Pax Christi, Nonviolent Santa Fe, and others.

2. Saturday, October 28^th from 2 – 5 pm – Halloween Skate Jam! At Valdez Park, 720 Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park Road, Española. This free event is open to everyone and is organized by Tewa Women United’s Gender Justice Program and A’Gin Healthy Sexuality & Body Sovereignty Project.  https://tewawomenunited.org/events/halloween-skate-jam

3. Monday, October 30^th at 8 am MT, 10 am ET – 15th Official Cold War Patriots National Day of Remembrance, a 15-minute virtual ceremony that recognizes those who worked in the nuclear weapons and uranium industries and honors those who are no longer with us. Register at https://app.livestorm.co/cold-war-patriots/2023cwpndr?utm_source=cwp%20website&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ndr%202023&utm_term=ndra

4. Wednesday, November 8^th virtual conference on Nuclear Weapons and International Law – The Renewed Imperative in Light of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine from 9 am to 6 pm ET. Sponsored by the New York Bar Association, International Section.  https://nysba.org/events/nuclear-weapons-and-international-law-the-renewed-imperative-in-light-of-the-ukraine-war/

5. Thursday, November 9^th by 5 pm MT – Comments due on the draft Community Relations Plan for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). https://wipp.energy.gov/community-outreach.asp

6. Thursday, November 16^th from 5:30 – 8 pm – virtual and in-person public meeting about the Kirtland AFB Bulk Fuels Facility Project at New Mexico Veterans Memorial, 1100 Louisiana Blvd. SE.

 Community members may review Air Force Environmental Restoration Program documents by visiting the Kirtland AFB website at https://www.kirtland.af.mil/Home/Environment/ or the U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Center Administrative Record website AF Administrative Record. If you would like additional information, please contact 377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs at (505) 846-5991 or by email, 377ABW.PA@us.af.mil

7. Friday, November 17^th – Saturday, November 18^th – New Mexico Acequia Association 24^th Annual Congreso de las Acequias at the Sagebrush Inn, Taos. https://lasacequias.org/congreso/

8. Monday, November 27^th to Friday, December 1^st – Second Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (2MSP) at UN Headquarters in New York City. https://www.icanw.org/tpnw_second_meeting_of_states_parties and https://meetings.unoda.org/tpnw/tpnw-msp-2023   

9. Friday, December 15^th – Holloman 5 Anti-Drone Trial begins in Otero County, NM. https://www.veteransforpeace.org/our-work/working-groups/drones-robots-and-future-weapons-working-group http://www.shutdowndronewarfare.org/   https://www.codepink.org/shutdowndrone

Holtec International, a corporation with a license for a consolidated interim storage facility in southeastern New Mexico for 173,600 metric tons of irradiated nuclear fuel from atomic power plants, submitted a secret application to the Department of Energy seeking at least $2 billion dollars to restart Palisades, a closed nuclear reactor in Michigan.  Holtec’s request also includes plans to build small nuclear modular reactors, or SMRs, with electric generation capacity of 160 Megawatts, on site.

In response to a Freedom of Information Act request (FOIA) made by Beyond Nuclear the public learned that Holtec also plans to restart the reactors not only at Palisades, but other shutdown nuclear power plants at Oyster Creek in New Jersey; Pilgrim in Massachusetts; Indian Point in New York, and another shutdown reactor in Michigan at Big Rock Point. Holtec acquired the shutdown reactors under the false pretense to decommission them using ratepayer money, while at the same time submitting applications to DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy for taxpayer funding.  https://beyondnuclear.org/5775-2/

Kevin Kamps, radioactive waste specialist at Beyond Nuclear based in Takoma Park, Maryland, and a member of the Don’t Waste Michigan board of directors, filed the FOIA with the State of Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.  The 967-page response included Holtec’s application to DOE.

The application shows that Holtec never intended to decommission Palisades, despite repeatedly telling the public that was its objective in taking ownership of the atomic power plant.  The introduction to the application makes Holtec’s intent clear:

“Despite the success in decommissioning, we are not loath to admit that we are unabashed promoters of nuclear energy…In fact, one of the principal reasons Holtec has been acquiring aging nuclear plants is because such sites are near-perfect locations for building the SMR-160 reactors that the company has been developing for over a decade.”

In fact, in one application to DOE, entitled the “Palisades Resurrection Grant Request” states, “We believe that with a strong spirit of collaboration this project, with each party performing its role, can well become a shining talisman for the global nuclear industry.”

Holtec holds a Nuclear Regulatory Commission license, issued in 2023, to construct and operate a consolidated interim storage facility in New Mexico on lands 16 miles north of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.  https://www.nrc.gov/cdn/doc-collection-news/2023/23-031.pdf  and https://www.swalliance.org/

Joni Arends, of CCNS, said, “Given new revelations about Holtec’s clandestine plans and falsehoods, as New Mexicans, it is critical that we remain vigilant in our opposition to Holtec’s plans here and everywhere.”

1. Friday, October 20th from noon to 1 pm MT ***  NEW LOCATION DUE TO RECONSTRUCTION OF GUADALUPE BRIDGE.  ***  Join the weekly peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament on the corners of Alameda and Sandoval in downtown Santa Fe with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, Pax Christi, Nonviolent Santa Fe, and others.

2. Saturday, October 21^st from 9 am to 12 noon – Community Morning in the Garden at the Española Healing Foods Oasis (EHFO) with Tewa Women United Environmental Justice staff and EHFO garden caretakers! This is the last volunteer work day of the year!  Lend a hand to the caretaking of the Healing Foods Oasis and learn more about the plants and growing practices.  https://tewawomenunited.org/espanola-healing-foods-oasis     All tools will be supplied, as well as light refreshments and water.  For more information and to RSVP, please contact kayleigh@tewawomenunited.org or call (505) 927-4376.

3. Thursday, October 26^th at 6 pm MT – U.S. Department of Energy, Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), and Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB) semi-annual public meeting virtual joint meeting about their environmental programs. Please see attached flyer for more information and links to join the meeting.  DOE SNL KAFB AGENDA Public Meeting October 2023

4. Monday, October 30^th at 8 am MT, 10 am ET – 15th Official Cold War Patriots National Day of Remembrance, a 15-minute virtual ceremony that recognizes those who worked in the nuclear weapons and uranium industries and honors those who are no longer with us. Register at https://app.livestorm.co/cold-war-patriots/2023cwpndr?utm_source=cwp%20website&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ndr%202023&utm_term=ndra

5. Friday, December 15^th – Holloman 5 Anti-Drone Trial begins in Otero County, NM. https://www.veteransforpeace.org/our-work/working-groups/drones-robots-and-future-weapons-working-group http://www.shutdowndronewarfare.org/   https://www.codepink.org/shutdowndrone

There are two measurements the Department of Energy (DOE) uses for the waste shipped for disposal in the deep underground repository at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), located 26 miles east of Carlsbad, New Mexico.  The first measurement is the most important, which is the volume of waste measured in cubic meters.  A cubic meter fits into a cube measuring 39 inches in width, depth and height.  The second measurement is the number of waste shipments.

In fiscal year, or FY, 2022, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) shipped 513 cubic meters of plutonium-contaminated wastes from nuclear weapons production for disposal at WIPP.   In FY 2023, there was a 5 percent increase to 538 cubic meters.

While in FY22 LANL shipped almost 34 percent of the total waste emplaced, in FY23, only 16.5 percent was from LANL.  Every other site had a much larger increase.  Thus, LANL’s priority compared with all the other shipping sites decreased in FY23.

Overall during this two-year period, LANL shipped the second highest amount of waste behind the Idaho National Laboratory, which sent more than 63 percent of all the waste.  Following LANL was the Savannah River Site, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

A fiscal year begins on October 1^st of one year and ends on September 30^th of the following year.

In addition to expecting LANL waste to be a higher priority in the future because of new provisions in the WIPP Renewal Permit, New Mexicans want to know the type and amount of plutonium-contaminated waste that was shipped to WIPP.  Was it waste generated before 1999, called “legacy waste,” or was it post-1999 waste, called “newly generated waste” from ongoing fabrication of plutonium triggers for nuclear weapons?

These are important questions because WIPP was built to dispose of plutonium-contaminated legacy waste, which LANL defines as waste generated prior to 1999, the year WIPP opened for disposal. Additionally, legacy waste is buried at LANL in unlined pits, trenches and shafts dug into the volcanic geology of the Pajarito Plateau.  Plutonium has been detected in the deep regional drinking water aquifer below unlined LANL legacy waste dumps where it migrates towards the Rio Grande.

Despite numerous requests from CCNS about the breakdown of the LANL waste types and amounts shipped to WIPP, DOE has not been forthcoming.

Please contact your congressional members and ask that DOE make this information publicly available and easily accessible.

1. Friday, October 23th at 11 am MT – Nuclear-Free Future Award winners announced at Beyond Nuclear online awards ceremony. Awardees are:  Anthony Lyamunda (Tanzania) for Resistance; Libbe HaLevy (USA) for Education; and Malte Göttsche (Germany) for Solution.  Register at:  https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_nxZDuzIoQj6tT-B7igxKjg#/registration

2. Friday, October 13th from noon to 1 pm MT ***  NEW LOCATION DUE TO RECONSTRUCTION OF GUADALUPE BRIDGE.  ***  Join the weekly peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament on the corners of Alameda and Sandoval in downtown Santa Fe with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, Pax Christi, Nonviolent Santa Fe, and others.

3. Saturday, October 14^th from 10 to noon MT – Massachusetts Peace Action Online Forum: Warheads to Windmills – Abolishing Nuclear Weapons and Fossil Fuels:  What will it take?  Register at MassPeaceAction.org: https://masspeaceaction.org/event/abolishing-nuclear-weapons-and-fossil-fuels-what-will-it-take/

4. Sunday, October 15^th at 6 pm MT – World Premiere of San Onofre Syndrome (SOS) – Nuclear Power’s Legacy. For more information about the film and to purchase tickets:  https://sanonofresyndrome.com/

5. Wednesday, October 18^th from 4:30 to 6:30 pm – Public Training for LANL’s Electronic Public Reading Room and IntellusNM. For more information:  https://permalink.lanl.gov/object/tr?what=info:lanl-repo/eprr/ESHID-603792  

6. Thursday, October 26^th at 6 pm MT – U.S. Department of Energy, Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), and Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB) semi-annual public meeting virtual joint meeting about their environmental programs. Please see attached flyer for more information and links to join the meeting.  DOE SNL KAFB AGENDA Public Meeting October 2023

Increasing numbers of workers at Los Alamos National Laboratory have tested positive for radiation exposure both at LANL and on foreign soil.   

Six employees and the equipment they used tested positive for exposures to radioactive Iodine-125 following official foreign travel to an unknown location in March.  They traveled on commercial airlines and in personal vehicles.

Iodine-125 is a gamma ray emitter.  The workers did not detect Iodine-125 before returning home because they used a detector for alpha and beta radiation.  One gamma detection was 5,600,000 disintegrations per minute (dpm), which is 11,000 times the Department of Energy’s total reportable limit of 500 dpm.

The six workers all tested positive for Iodine-125 uptake to their thyroids.  A DOE spokesperson said, “As a prudent step to manage risks, experts from the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Radiological Assistance Program visited the residences of some of the impacted team members to conduct testing on their belongings and made recommendations to the involved individuals, laboratory management, and the Department.”  She emphasized that DOE is committed to the health and safety of its employees as well as the general public.  https://losalamosreporter.com/2023/09/25/six-lanl-employees-tested-positive-for-iodine-125-in-march-following-foreign-travel-as-part-of-multi-laboratory-team/

Escalation in the number of reports of exposures to different radionuclides at various LANL facilities continues.  Most recently eight electrical workers were exposed to beryllium dust at Technical Area 8 https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/eight-workers-exposed-to-toxic-dust-at-lanl-a-recurring-problem/article_03440f98-5c9c-11ee-b28f-13dfb02871c7.html ; a worker was exposed to heat source plutonium at the Plutonium Facility at Technical Area 55 https://www.dnfsb.gov/sites/default/files/document/29026/Los%20Alamos%20Week%20Ending%20September%208%202023.pdf ; and four Triad employees working in a Technical Area 53 linear accelerator area that was not posted as a High Radiation Area were exposed and ordered to evacuate the area immediately.  https://www.energy.gov/ea/articles/enforcement-letter-triad-national-security-llc-1 [“Issuance of this Enforcement Letter reflects DOE’s decision not to pursue further enforcement activity against Triad at this time.”]

Joni Arends, of CCNS, said, “In its effort to meet the ‘mission’ to fabricate plutonium triggers for nuclear weapons, over 2,000 people have been hired.  Have they been properly trained to work in radiation environments?  The number of exposures indicates that they have not.  As a result, the health and safety of the workers is being sacrificed.  The number of incidents require the shutdown of these operations until safety is Mission Number One.”

In support of her statement, Arends referenced the unprecedented 2005 emergency shutdown of operations by LANL Director Vice Admiral Peter Nanos when a student suffered an eye injury from a laser beam the same week classified computer disks were reported missing.

Nanos wrote in an internal e-mail,  “In no case will I authorize a restart until I’m absolutely convinced that each organization will not risk further compromise of safety, security and environment.”  He continued in an email to LANL employees, ‘”This willful flouting of the rules must stop, and I don’t care how many people I have to fire to make it stop. If you think the rules are silly, if you think compliance is a joke, please resign now and save me the trouble.”  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Nanos

1. Friday, October 6th from noon to 1 pm MT ***  NEW LOCATION DUE TO RECONSTRUCTION OF GUADALUPE BRIDGE.  ***  Join the weekly peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament on the corners of Alameda and Sandoval in downtown Santa Fe with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, Pax Christi, Nonviolent Santa Fe, and others.

2. Saturday, October 7^th at 11 am – White Mesa Ute Community Spiritual Walk & Protest: Protecting Our Communities, Health, Environment & Indigenous Sacred Landscapes.  For more information, call White Mesa Concerned Community at (435) 459-2461.

3. Sunday, October 15^th at 6 pm MT – World Premiere of San Onfre Syndrome (SOS) – Nuclear Power’s Legacy. For more information and to buy tickets:  https://sanonofresyndrome.com/

The comment period is open for the public to review the New Mexico Environment Department’s recommendation to excavate the 11.8 acre unlined dump, called Material Disposal Area C, or MDA C, at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).  Public comments are due Monday, November 6^th.  https://www.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/lanl/ , scroll down to September 7, 2023 entry for MDA C, SWMU 50-009, Remediation entry.

According to LANL logbooks, MDA C first received radioactive, toxic and hazardous liquid, gases and solid wastes in 1948.  Disposal operations ended in 1974.  There are six disposal pits, one chemical disposal pit, and 108 shafts – all unlined allowing the buried wastes to migrate into the water, air, and soil.  Id., September 7, 2023 – NMED Statement of Basis MDA C.

In the ensuing 49 years, the contaminated waste has been migrating towards regional drinking water supplies.  The Department explained that volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, are present directly below the dump at depths of approximately 600 feet below ground surface.  Some VOCs can cause cancer; others can react with other gases and form air pollutants once they are in the air.

As required by the New Mexico Hazardous Waste Act and its regulations, the Department prepared a Statement of Basis to show how excavation will protect human health and the environment.

The Department stated, “For maximum protection of public and environmental health and safety, and to ensure that the drinking water resource can be conservatively protected, [the Department] has determined that … excavation, plume monitoring, and institutional controls, along with a passive and active soil-vapor extraction system at MDA C to remove the waste and eliminate the VOC contaminate source detected in soil [], is the most appropriate cleanup measure.”  Id., p. 15.

LANL successfully excavated its oldest radioactive waste dump that operated from 1944 to 1948 on DP Road in Los Alamos, called MDA B.  It was excavated when LANL received $110 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.  A large moveable tent under negative air pressure and with HEPA filtration was installed over the dump.  Earthmovers and other large equipment operated inside to carefully remove the waste from the deep trenches.  It was sorted, characterized and properly disposed.

One cleanup report described the extensive planning that was done.  The report concluded, “The one area where planning did not fail to meet reality was safety.  There were no serious worker injuries and the minor injuries recorded were those common to construction type activities.”  Oppenheimer’s Box of Chocolates:  Remediation of the Manhattan Project Landfill at Los Alamos National Laboratory.  https://inis.iaea.org/search/search.aspx?orig_q=RN:45115088

Public comments are due to the Environment Department on Monday, November 6^th by 5 pm Mountain.  CCNS has prepared sample public comments you can use in support of excavation of MDA C.  230928 MDA C sample comment letter to NMED

1. Friday, September 29th from noon to 1 pm MT ***  NEW LOCATION DUE TO RECONSTRUCTION OF GUADALUPE BRIDGE.  ***  Join the weekly peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament on the corners of Alameda and Sandoval in downtown Santa Fe with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, Pax Christi, Nonviolent Santa Fe, and others.

 Come and visit with us about the Back from the Brink campaign. https://preventnuclearwar.org/   

2. Tuesday, September 26^th – United Nations International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons Day. Achieving global nuclear disarmament is the highest disarmament priority of the United Nations.  It was the subject of the General Assembly’s first resolution in 1946, which established the Atomic Energy Commission (dissolved in 1952), with a mandate to make specific proposals for the control of nuclear energy and the elimination of atomic weapons and all other major weapons adaptable to mass destruction.  To learn more:  https://www.un.org/en/observances/nuclear-weapons-elimination-day

3. Help reach 2,500 petition signatures! Sign the Tewa Women United petition to Protect Vulnerable NM Communities:  Halt Radioactive Tritium Release from LANL.  LANL is proposing to vent four flanged tritium waste containers (FTWCs) by September 30, 2023 (the end of the fiscal year).  https://tewawomenunited.org/2023/08/its-happening-again-petition-to-halt-lanls-planned-tritium-release

4. Tuesday, October 3^rd from 5:30 to 7:30 pm – WIPP in-person and virtual Community Forum and Open House at the Skeen-Whitlock Building, 4021 National Parks Hwy, Carlsbad, NM.

REGISTRATION:

In-Person Registration:  https://form.jotform.com/222836798629172

Virtual Registration:  https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEsceqhpzMqHN3FQG2bhS8ac3_agjLmLjEE#/registration

QUESTIONS:  For questions regarding this meeting and open house please contact the WIPP Information Center at infocntr@wipp.ws or by calling 1-800-336-9477.

On Wednesday, September 19^th, the landmark Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons had been signed by almost half of all countries in the world after a ceremony at the United Nations General Assembly in New York where Sri Lanka acceded to the Treaty and the Bahamas signed it. 

This means 93 states have now signed, ratified or acceded to the Treaty that outlaws nuclear weapons and all nuclear weapons-related activity.

The Treaty was negotiated in 2017 and entered into force in 2021.  It is the first multilateral agreement to ban nuclear weapons in a comprehensive manner and establish a framework for their elimination.

Melissa Parke, the Executive Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, or ICAN, said, “The growing support for the [Treaty] brings added authority to what is already the strongest international norm against the worst weapons of mass destruction.  This is sorely needed at this moment when the war in Ukraine and escalating tensions in the Korean peninsula have brought the world closer to nuclear war than at any time since the height of the Cold War.”

Speaking of Sri Lanka and the Bahamas, Ms Parke added, “Any use of nuclear weapons would be an unparalleled humanitarian and environmental catastrophe and these two countries are to be praised for doing their part to prevent these horrific weapons from ever being used in conflict again.”

With the Bahamas’ signature, adherence to the Treaty by Caribbean states is now almost universal.  Sri Lanka’s accession sends an important disarmament message to its nuclear-armed neighbors in South Asia, India and Pakistan.

The Treaty bans countries from developing, testing, producing, manufacturing, transferring, possessing, stockpiling, using or threatening to use nuclear weapons, or allowing nuclear weapons to be stationed on their territory.  It also prohibits countries from assisting, encouraging or inducing anyone to engage in these activities.  https://www.icanw.org/the_treaty

In November, the second meeting of state parties to the Treaty will be held at the United Nations.  https://www.icanw.org/tpnw_second_meeting_of_states_parties  Key areas of the Treaty will be discussed, which include disarmament, increasing risks, the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons and related issues.

Also up for discussion are the two verification pathways for a nuclear-armed state, like the United States of America, to join the Treaty.  The two pathways are:  elimination of a state’s arsenal and then joining the Treaty; or join the Treaty first and then eliminate the state’s arsenal.

For more information, please visit the ICAN website at https://www.icanw.org/.  CCNS is an ICAN Partner Organization.

1. Friday, September 22nd from noon to 1 pm MT – ***  NEW LOCATION DUE TO RECONSTRUCTION OF GUADALUPE BRIDGE.  ***  Join the weekly peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament on the corners of Alameda and Sandoval in downtown Santa Fe with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, Pax Christi, Nonviolent Santa Fe, and others.

 Come and visit with us about planning Defuse Nuclear War events (Sept. 24 – 30 Week of Action) and the Back from the Brink campaign.   Pick up Back from the Brink materials to prevent nuclear war.  https://preventnuclearwar.org/   

2. Friday, September 22, 2023 from 5 to 7 pm MT – NM Environment Department hybrid public meeting to present the changes made to the draft hazardous waste permit as represented in the proposed 10-year final permit for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). The public is invited to ask questions to NMED and WIPP representatives and make public comments.  

 For more information, see the August 15, 2023 public notice.  https://hwbdocuments.env.nm.gov/Waste%20Isolation%20Pilot%20Plant/230818.pdf and Stop Forever WIPP at https://stopforeverwipp.org/

Three ways to attend the public meeting:

Carlsbad in-person location:  Skeen-Whitlock Bldg., 4021 National Parks Hwy.

Santa Fe in person location:  Larrazolo Auditorium, NMED Harold Runnels Bldg., 1190 St. Francis Drive (between Cordova and Alta Vista).

Link to WebEx Public Meeting found here: WebEx Renewal Public Meeting.

Three ways to submit public comments:  

NMED Public Comment Portal: https://nmed.commentinput.com/?id=G5E7C

Email to Megan.McLean@env.nm.gov

Postal Mail:         Megan McLean, Acting WIPP Group Program Manager

                              Hazardous Waste Bureau – NM Environment Department

                              2905 Rodeo Park Drive East, Bldg. 1

                              Santa Fe, NM  87505-6303

For more information and because of the long-standing problems NMED is having with its website, go to the Permittees (DOE and SIMCO) websites at:  https://wipp.energy.gov/2023-information-repository-documents.asp and

https://simco-llc.us/ (where no notice is posted).

3. Tuesday, September 26^th – United Nations International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons Day. Achieving global nuclear disarmament is the highest disarmament priority of the United Nations.  It was the subject of the General Assembly’s first resolution in 1946, which established the Atomic Energy Commission (dissolved in 1952), with a mandate to make specific proposals for the control of nuclear energy and the elimination of atomic weapons and all other major weapons adaptable to mass destruction.  To learn more:  https://www.un.org/en/observances/nuclear-weapons-elimination-day

4. Tuesday, September 26^th from 2 to 3:30 pm – LANL In-Person and Virtual (link not posted yet) Public Meeting and 45-day Public Comment Period about proposed Copper Water Quality Criteria for the Pajarito Plateau at the Cities of Gold Hotel, Pojoaque, NM. LANL is proposing new water quality criteria for copper for surface waters in accordance with U.S. EPA nationally recommended criteria for protection of aquatic life.  A draft report and additional information is available at https://n3b-la.com/public-meeting-copper-water-quality-criteria-for-pajarito-plateau/  Comments are due by Thursday, November 9, 2023 to N3BOutreach@em-la.doe.gov .

5. Thursday, September 28^th from 10 am MDT – Speak out in person or virtually to protect water from Boeing’s chemicals from the Santa Susana Field Laboratory at the public hearing before the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board about Boeing’s proposed NPDES Permit. For more information:  https://parentsagainstssfl.com/events   

6. Tuesday, October 3^rd from 5:30 to 7:30 pm – WIPP in-person and virtual Community Forum and Open House at the Skeen-Whitlock Building, 4021 National Parks Hwy, Carlsbad, NM. As of September 21^st, no information about the meeting is available on at wipp.energy.gov and the phone number listed in the newspaper ads are to a medical services company.  To register one must use a QR code.

7. Help reach 2,500 petition signatures! Sign the Tewa Women United petition to Protect Vulnerable NM Communities:  Halt Radioactive Tritium Release from LANL.  LANL is proposing to vent four flanged tritium waste containers (FTWCs) by September 30, 2023 (the end of the fiscal year).  https://tewawomenunited.org/2023/08/its-happening-again-petition-to-halt-lanls-planned-tritium-release