The health of the Rio Grande watershed in the area of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is at stake.  The protection of the 3,000 square mile sole source drinking water aquifer is at stake.  LANL has contaminated it with hexavalent chromium and the plume is migrating towards the Pueblo de San Ildefonso, the Rio Grande, and the Buckman wells and diversion facility.  Every drop of water is precious and must be free from contamination.  Honor Our Pueblo Existence (HOPE) and CCNS work to ensure that every drop is protected.  https://shuffle.do/projects/honor-our-pueblo-existance-h-o-p-e , http://nuclearactive.org/

The NGOs have challenged the groundwater discharge permit for LANL’s Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility that handles, treats and stores hazardous waste.  The permit, called DP-1132, was issued under the New Mexico Water Quality Act.  NM Stat § 74-6-1 (2021).  However, the New Mexico Legislature excluded hazardous waste facilities from the Act’s jurisdiction.  NM Stat § 74-6-12 (2021)

The Legislature understood that the very nature of hazardous waste requires additional regulation, beyond what is covered by the Water Quality Act.  They understood that the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), as implemented in New Mexico by the Hazardous Waste Act, was the correct law to address the operations of facilities such as the RLWTF.  NM Stat § 74-4-1 (2021).  Examples of those operations include special regulation of the tanks that treat hazardous liquid wastes and the pipelines that transport the liquids, among many other precautionary regulations.

Moreover, RCRA and the Hazardous Waste Act have the force of federal law, and they preempt the operation of the New Mexico Water Quality Act, which is a state law.  So the effect of the Hazardous Waste Act must be recognized.

HOPE and CCNS argue the correct regulatory structure for the RLWTF is the Hazardous Waste Act.  The New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission (WQCC) is the state’s water pollution control agency.  Its next monthly meeting is Tuesday, May 9^th at which the standing of HOPE and CCNS to challenge DP-1132 will be heard.  https://www.env.nm.gov/events-calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D165936752

Please raise your voice either in person or virtually on or before Tuesday, May 9^th, beginning at 9 am in Room 322 of the New Mexico State Capitol.  https://www.env.nm.gov/events-calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D165936752

CCNS has prepared sample public comments you can personalize and submit electronically.  230427 f Public comments to WQCC Members     230427 f Dear friends

How did we get here?  In May 2022, the New Mexico Environment Department issued a groundwater discharge permit for the RLWTF under the Water Quality Act.  In June, CCNS and HOPE requested a review of the permit by the WQCC.

In March 2023, LANL challenged whether HOPE and CCNS have standing to request the permit review.  In April, the WQCC’s Hearing Officer recommended the Commission deny standing to HOPE and CCNS.  https://www.env.nm.gov/opf/docketed-matters/, scroll down to WQCC 22-21:  CCNS and HOPE Petition for Review of NMED Ground Water Discharge Permit DP-1132.

Lindsay A. Lovejoy, Jr. represents HOPE and CCNS.  We need your support.

Did You Know about these Opportunities to Get Involved?

1. Friday, May 5^th from noon to 1 pm – Join the weekly peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament on the corners of Alameda and Guadalupe in downtown Santa Fe with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, Pax Christi, Nonviolent Santa Fe, and others.

2. Monday, May 8^th – Last Day for DIRECT ACTION, a solo exhibition by Mexican artist PEDRO REYES at Site Santa Fe. Reyes explores New Mexico’s unique and local nuclear history with the nuclear industry.   https://sitesantafe.org/exhibition/pedro-reyes/

3. Monday, May 8^th and Tuesday, May 9^th – EM-LA to Hold Two Public Meetings in Preparation for Environmental Assessment for the Chromium Interim Measures and Final Remedy

Public scoping meetings are scheduled for the following dates and times:

May 8, 2023: In-person meeting at Cities of Gold Hotel and Casino Ballroom, 10 Cities of Gold Road,
Pojoaque, New Mexico at 6:00 P.M. MDT

May 9, 2023: Virtual meeting at 1:30 P.M. MDT

To join via Video through your computer or smart device, go to
bit.ly/EM-LA-ChromiumEAMeeting2

To join via Audio (participants will hear the presentation but not see it), call +1 669-444-9171 US
and enter the Meeting ID: 812 5413 6625 and Passcode: 954246

Public comments must be received by June 6, 2023.

                     Other options for submitting comments:

Email: EMLA-NEPA@em.doe.gov (preferred)
Please use the subject line: Chromium EA Scoping Comment

U.S. mail:
Jesse Kahler
NEPA Compliance Officer
U.S. DOE Environmental Management Los Alamos Field Office
1200 Trinity Drive, Suite 400
Los Alamos, NM 87544

4. Tuesday, May 9^th at 9 am – WQCC Monthly Meeting at NM State Capitol, Room 322, Santa Fe. See today’s Update.  WebEx and call in info at:  https://www.env.nm.gov/events-calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D165936752

5. Tuesday, May 9^th from and Thursday, May 11^th from 6:30 to 8:50 pm – two scoping meetings for a new Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for Sandia National Laboratories. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/04/21/2023-08459/national-nuclear-security-administration-notice-of-intent-to-prepare-a-site-wide-environmental   

• In-person Meeting: Tuesday, May 9, 2023; 6:30–8:50 p.m., Mountain Daylight Time, preceded by a poster session starting at 5:30 p.m., at the New Mexico Veterans Memorial, Museum & Conference Center, 1100 Louisiana Blvd. SE, Albuquerque, NM 87108. Listen-in for May 9: https://www.zoomgov.com/​j/​1618755753, toll-free 833–568–8864, Meeting ID: 161 875 5753.
• Virtual Meeting: Thursday, May 11, 2023, 6:30–8:50 p.m., Mountain Daylight Time, Listen-in and Participation for May 11: https://www.zoomgov.com/​j/​1608652437, toll-free 833–568–8864, Meeting ID: 160 865 2437.

• Further information about the public scoping meetings, including any changes in dates, places, or times, will be posted on the NNSA NEPA Reading Room website at: https://www.energy.gov/​nnsa/​nnsa-nepa-reading-room.

6. Monday, May 15^th – Los Alamos National Laboratory – Comments due to the NM Environment Department about the draft permit about a New Container Storage Area to TA-60. https://www.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/lanl-permit/ , scroll down to Permit News – March 13, 2023   Or:  https://www.env.nm.gov/events-calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D166014057

7. Tuesday, May 23^rd – White Sands Missile Range – Comments due to the NM Environment Department about the draft Hazardous Waste Permit. https://www.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/wsmr/  , scroll down to Draft Permit and March 24, 2023 entry.

Honor Our Pueblo Existence (HOPE) and CCNS will be before the New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission on Tuesday, May 9^th at the New Mexico State Capitol to argue that they have standing to challenge the groundwater discharge permit, DP-1132, for the Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).  https://www.env.nm.gov/events-calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D165936752

The Hearing Officer, who reports to the Commission, recommended to the Commission that the non-governmental organizations do not have standing.  https://www.env.nm.gov/opf/docketed-matters/ , scroll down to WQCC 22-21:  CCNS and HOPE’s Petition for Review of NMED Ground Water Discharge Permit DP-1132.  See April 6, 2023 entry for the Hearing Officer’s Report.

On April 7th, 2023, CCNS and HOPE submitted comments on the Hearing Officer’s Report on Standing, which were not listed on the Docketed Matters page.    2023-04-10 WQCC 22-21 Petitioners’ Comments on Hearing Officer’s Report on Standing pj

HOPE and CCNS are challenging DP-1132, issued to LANL under the New Mexico Water Quality Act.  https://shuffle.do/projects/honor-our-pueblo-existance-h-o-p-e They are arguing that the Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility handles, treats and stores hazardous waste, and therefore must be regulated by the New Mexico Hazardous Waste Act.

Further, the New Mexico Water Quality Act contains a limitation that no Water Quality Act permit may be issued if the Hazardous Waste Act covers a facility. The limitation reads at § 74-6-12 NMSA 1978:

B. The Water Quality Act does not apply to any activity or condition subject to the authority of the environmental improvement board pursuant to the Hazardous Waste Act [Chapter 74, Article 4 NMSA 1978], the Ground Water Protection Act [Chapter 74, Article 6B NMSA 1978] or the Solid Waste Act except to abate water pollution or to control the disposal or use of septage and sludge.  [Emphasis added.] 

The Environment Department and LANL have ignored that limitation, sacrificing proper regulation of the old and two new Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facilities.

LANL submitted its plans and specifications to the Environment Department for two secret new facilities located next door to the old treatment facility, for permitting under the Water Quality Act without any public process.  Those plans were approved by the Environment Department, with conditions, and construction of the first of the two facilities is almost complete.

Under the Hazardous Waste Act, LANL would have had to submit a permit modification request to the Environment Department.  There would have been public notice of the request and opportunity to submit public comments.  The public would have had the opportunity to request a public hearing, at which the public could present evidence, cross-examine witnesses and make final arguments in support or in opposition to the new facilities.  The Hazardous Waste Act provides more public access to the regulatory process because of the greater danger of hazardous waste, which are capable of harm to human health or the environment.

Please support the challenge by sharing this Update with your communities.  This is an essential issue because of the expansion of nuclear weapons work at LANL.  All three of the Treatment Facilities would process liquid radioactive and hazardous wastes from the fabrication of plutonium pits, which are the spherical triggers for nuclear weapons, at the Plutonium Facility.

Please submit written or oral comments before or at the in-person or virtual Tuesday, May 9^th public hearing.  Please support this essential and expensive work with a financial contribution!  Thank you!   230427 f Dear friends

Here is a sample comment letter for your use:  230427 f Public comments to WQCC Members

Did You Know about these Opportunities to Get Involved?

1. Friday, April 28^th from noon to 1 pm – Join the weekly peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament on the corners of Alameda and Guadalupe in downtown Santa Fe with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, Pax Christi and others.

2. Monday, May 1^st – Last Day for DIRECT ACTION, a solo exhibition by Mexican artist PEDRO REYES at Site Santa Fe. Over the course of his career, Reyes’ work follows a double path:  art as aesthetic research, and art as social practice.  Reyes explores New Mexico’s unique and local nuclear history with the nuclear industry.   https://sitesantafe.org/exhibition/pedro-reyes/

3. Tuesday, May 9^th – WQCC Public Hearing. See today’s Update.

4. Monday, May 15^th – Los Alamos National Laboratory – Comments due to the NM Environment Department about the draft permit about a New Container Storage Area to TA-60. https://www.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/lanl-permit/ , scroll down to Permit News – March 13, 2023

5. Tuesday, May 23^rd – White Sands Missile Range – Comments due to the NM Environment Department about the draft Hazardous Waste Permit. https://www.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/wsmr/  , scroll down to Draft Permit.

There has not been an adequate examination of the seismic vulnerabilities and increasing risk of seismic activity in the area of Valles Caldera, with Los Alamos National Laboratory on the eastern slope.   https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Location-of-Valles-Caldera-New-Mexico-Inset-map-shows-location-of-Valles-Caldera-in_fig1_261597049

Under the New Mexico Hazardous Waste Act, seismic analyses are required for hazardous waste facilities located in Los Alamos County, which includes two new Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facilities at LANL.  It is unknown whether the 1963 version of the Treatment Facility has been operating without such analyses.

Seismic analyses are also required for any hazardous waste facility located between Taos and Bernalillo counties that lie along the Pajarito Fault System and the connected Embudo Fault System.  For more information about the seismic danger along the Pajarito Fault System, please check out the papers and maps of the late Robert H. Gilkeson, an independent registered geologist and LANL whistleblower at http://nuclearactive.org/gilkeson/   If you have limited time, check out:  http://nuclearactive.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/fLANLSeismicFactSheet8-8-11pdf.pdf and  http://nuclearactive.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/LANL-PAJARITO-FAULT-SYSTEM-FIGURES.pdf

The Hazardous Waste Act implements the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act in New Mexico.  Hazardous waste can be a solid, a liquid, a semi-solid, or a contained gaseous material.  It can be corrosive, ignitable, reactive or toxic.  Hazardous waste has properties that make it dangerous or capable of having a harmful effect on human health or the environment.

The New Mexico Water Quality Act contains a limitation that no Water Quality permit may be issued if the Hazardous Waste Act covers a facility. The Environment Department and LANL have ignored that limitation, sacrificing proper regulation of the old and new Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facilities.

CCNS’s concerns about seismic activity are well founded.  Recall the proposed super Wal-Mart-sized Nuclear Facility, as part of the Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Replacement Project at LANL, was canceled in 2014 because of the additional cost to address the threats of seismic activity within the Pajarito Fault System.  The price tag grew from $600 million in 2004 to over $6 billion in 2011.  https://nuclearactive.org/news/030411.html and http://nuclearactive.org/what-is-the-los-alamos-seismic-network-and-why-is-it-not-working-properly/

Since 1963 and continuing until today, the Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility at LANL has handled, treated and stored radioactive and hazardous liquid waste generated at the Plutonium Facility and other LANL facilities.  In the Plutonium Facility, spherical triggers, or plutonium pits, for nuclear weapons are fabricated using toxic and hazardous materials.  There are underground pipes from the Plutonium Facility to the Treatment Facility, where the radioactive and hazardous liquids are treated.

The Environment Department insists on regulating the Facility under the New Mexico Water Quality Act, which has no provisions for hazardous waste and does not require seismic analyses as the Hazardous Waste Act does.

Honor Our Pueblo Existence (HOPE) https://shuffle.do/projects/honor-our-pueblo-existance-h-o-p-e and CCNS http://nuclearactive.org/ argue that the radioactive liquid waste treatment facilities must be managed under the Hazardous Waste Act.

Did You Know about these Opportunities to Get Involved?

1. Friday, April 21^st from noon to 1 pm – Join the weekly peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament on the corners of Alameda and Guadalupe in downtown Santa Fe with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, Pax Christi and others.

2. Friday, April 21^st at 3 pm Mountain Time – A Special Webinar to Address the Question of the Hour: The Rising Danger of Nuclear War – Daniel Ellsberg Speaks.  REGISTER HERE 

3. April 15^th to 22^nd – Shut Down Drone Warfare – Holloman Air Force Base in southern New Mexico – “From Tax Day to Earth Day, Rise Up!” Co-sponsored by CODEPINK, Veterans for Peace and Ban Killer Drones.  Join in a week of peaceful resistance against drone warfare and out-of-control U.S. empire.  Why Holloman?  It is the largest-drone training base in the U.S. – training 600 or more drone pilots and operators annually.  For more information:  http://www.shutdowndronewarfare.org/

4. Saturday, April 22^nd – EARTH DAY! Check for events in your area!

5. Monday, May 1^st – Last Day for DIRECT ACTION, a solo exhibition by Mexican artists PEDRO REYES at Site Santa Fe. Over the course of his career, Reyes’ work follows a double path:  art as aesthetic research, and art as social practice.  Reyes explores New Mexico’s unique and local nuclear history with the nuclear industry.   https://sitesantafe.org/exhibition/pedro-reyes/

6. WQCC hearing on Tuesday, May 9^th – See this week’s and last week’s Update.

It was revealed at the Tuesday, April 11^th monthly meeting of the New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission that the Department of Energy (DOE) had approached Kelsey Rader, an at-large member of the Commission, on Good Friday about a job with DOE.  If Commissioner Rader took a position with DOE, she would be the third official who was hired away by DOE during the Commission’s review of DOE’s New Mexico Environment Department ground water discharge permit.

The permit, called DP-1132, would cover the Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).  The Environment Department issued the permit to DOE under the New Mexico Water Quality Act on May 5, 2022.

Since 2013, CCNS has vigorously challenged the permit, arguing that the Facility handles, treats and stores dangerous hazardous waste and must be regulated by the more protective New Mexico Hazardous Waste Act.

DOE hired away two previous hearing officers while they were presiding over the public hearings about DP-1132.  They were Erin Anderson in 2018 and Stephanie Stringer in 2022.  Anderson was an Environment Department hearing officer, who went to work for DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).  http://nuclearactive.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/CCW-MOTION-TO-VACATE-AND-REMAND-WQCC-18-05-A-on-DP-1132-20190204.pdf AND http://nuclearactive.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/190606-CCW-Petition-for-Mandamus-2019-06-06.pdf  Stringer was the Environment Department Deputy Cabinet Secretary and Chair of the New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission.  Stringer also went to work for NNSA.  http://nuclearactive.org/ccns-and-hope-return-to-water-quality-control-commission-for-justice-in-the-discharge-permit-dp-1132-matter/

“It was shocking to be in the hearing room when this information about Commissioner Rader discussing a job with DOE was revealed,” said Joni Arends, of CCNS.

Commissioner Rader did speak with Commission Counsel, Robert F. Sanchez, before the meeting.  And, out of an abundance of caution, Rader did abstain from voting on the DP-1132 matter.

One of the Commission’s tasks at the meeting was to elect a new Chair and Vice Chair.  Bruce Thomson was elected Chair, and Kelsey Rader, who is discussing a job with DOE, was elected Vice-Chair.  https://www.env.nm.gov/opf/water-quality-control-commission/

You can watch the Commission’s meeting on the Environment Department’s YouTube page.  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1mQA0FgEgoLqs4Hktlvi4g

The next Commission action in this matter will be to hear oral arguments at its Tuesday, May 9^th meeting.  The Commission will consider whether CCNS and Honor Our Pueblo Existence (HOPE) have standing to bring their challenge to the Water Quality Act permit.  https://www.env.nm.gov/events-calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D165936752

If the Commission votes that CCNS and HOPE have standing, then the Commission will consider the CCNS and HOPE petition for a permit review.  The Water Quality Act has a limitation that no permit may be issued if the Hazardous Waste Act covers a facility because it handles, treats or stores dangerous hazardous waste.

Did You Know about these Opportunities to Get Involved?

1. Friday, April 14^th from noon to 1 pm – Join the weekly peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament on the corners of Alameda and Guadalupe in downtown Santa Fe with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, Pax Christi and others.

2. Sunday, April 16^th from 1 pm to 4:30 pm – What is WIPP? Free educational conference – in-person in Santa Fe and on Zoom – in Spanish and English. Join New Mexicans to learn about the New Mexico Environment Department’s draft renewal permit for the continued operation of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP).  DOE says it wants to:

• • keep WIPP open until at least 2080;
  • double the size of the underground disposal facility for expanded plutonium pit production waste generation at LANL;
  • bring powdered surplus plutonium for disposal, among other wastes.

There will be presentations about WIPP history, the facility, and proposed expansion of WIPP, NMED’s draft operating permit, and the ways in which the public can have a say in WIPP’s future.  Comments are due Wednesday, April 19^th by 5 pm MT to the NMED.  For more information, please visit:  https://stopforeverwipp.org/home

3. April 15^th to 22^nd – Shut Down Drone Warfare – Holloman Air Force Base in southern New Mexico – “From Tax Day to Earth Day, Rise Up!” Co-sponsored by CODEPINK, Veterans for Peace and Ban Killer Drones.  Join in a week of peaceful resistance against drone warfare and out-of-control U.S. empire.  Why Holloman?  It is the largest-drone training base in the U.S. – training 600 or more drone pilots and operators annually.  For more information:  http://www.shutdowndronewarfare.org/

Three great peace activists join us to discuss the upcoming protest at Holloman Air Force Base in April. Toby Blome, Colonel Ann Wright, and Ken Mayers talk about drones, the dangers, and the damage to people on the ground and people at the control. They also discuss the international ramifications of drones and their uncontrolled spread. With all that, they are protesting at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico and are encouraging people to come. There will be transportation, lodging, food, workshops, speakers, music, and yes non-violent direct action, specifics are a secret.  https://soundcloud.com/user-55976759/33023-veterans-for-peace-shut-down-drone-warfare-protest-is-coming

4. Wednesday, April 19^th by 5 pm MT – Comments about the draft hazardous waste permit for WIPP due to NMED. For sample talking points and comments you can modify and personalize to submit, visit https://stopforeverwipp.org/

5. Wednesday, April 19^th from 5 to 7 pm – Virtual NMED meeting to modify LANL hazardous waste permit to add a new container storage unit at TA-60 (an infrastructure support technical area). https://www.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/lanl-permit/ , scroll down to Permit News for March 13, 2023 entry.  Comments are due on or before May 15, 2023.     

6. Saturday, April 22^nd – EARTH DAY! Check for events in your area!

Sunday, April 16, from 1PM to 4:30 PM

 the Stop Forever WIPP Coalition will hold

a Free Educational Conference about

WIPP

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

English and Spanish

In-Person at the Courtyard by Marriott

3347 Cerrillos Road in Santa Fe

and on Zoom

 The conference will educate people statewide about WIPP, the Department of Energy’s plans to expand WIPP, and how you can influence the State WIPP Renewal Permit which is under consideration right now.

IN-PERSON

The conference will take place at the Courtyard by Marriott, 3347 Cerrillos Road in Santa Fe.

We will start promptly at 1:00 pm so please arrive a little early. There is plenty of free parking.

Please register for the In-Person Conference, through the link on the homepage at: https://stopforeverwipp.org

ZOOM

For Zoom please register at:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYkcu2tpzIsGdOtLBqy60Tle1ggNH85F_fV  

You will receive your link to the Zoom conference after registration.

The Conference will provide information on WIPP history & geology, the WIPP Facility, DOE’s proposed expansion of WIPP, the New Mexico Environment Department’s Draft Permit, and ways in which the public can have a say in WIPP’s future.

There will be an opportunity during the Conference to write individual public comments about the Draft Permit. You will also learn how to participate in the upcoming WIPP public hearing. The deadline to submit public comments to the Environment Department is 5pm on Wednesday, April 19th.

Also at https://stopforeverwipp.org you can link to a sample public comment letter. Copy the sample letter into your email and add your own personal comments if you wish. Be sure to add your name, address and date and email it to NMED’s Ricardo Maestas at ricardo.maestas@env.nm.gov.

Domingo 16 de Abril, de 1PM a 4:30PM,

la Coalición para Detener WIPP Para Siempre dará una

Conferencia Educativa Gratis, sobre

WIPP

La Planta Piloto de Aislamiento de Residuos

en Español e Inglés,

En persona  en el Courtyard by Marriot,

3347 Cerrillos Road, Santa Fe 87507

y en Zoom

La conferencia es para informar a nivel estatal sobre WIPP, los planes del Departamento de Energía para expandir WIPP, y cómo puede usted influenciar el Permiso del Estado para Renovar WIPP que está siendo considerado en estos momentos.

              En persona

              La conferencia será en el Courtyard by Marriot, 3347 Cerrillos Road, Santa Fe 87507.

Comenzaremos a la 1PM en punto, por favor llegue unos minutos antes.  Hay suficiente estacionamiento gratis. Por favor regístrese para participar en persona en el enlace de la página: https://stopforeverwipp.org

              ZOOM

              Para participar en Zoom por favor regístrese en:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYkcu2tpzIsGdOtLBqy60Tle1ggNH85F_fV 

              Al registrarse, usted recibirá un enlace para la conferencia.

La Conferencia dará información sobre la historia y geología de WIPP, las instalaciones WIPP, la propuesta expansión de WIPP por parte del DOE, el Borrador del Permiso del Departamento del Medioambiente de Nuevo México, y maneras en que el público puede dar su voz respecto al futuro de WIPP.

Durante la Conferencia tendrá la oportunidad de escribir sus comentarios personales públicos respecto al Borrador del Permiso. También le informaremos cómo participar durante la próxima audiencia pública sobre WIPP.  La fecha límite para entregar los comentarios del público al Departamento del Medioambiente es Miércoles 19 de Abril a las 5pm.

También en https://stopforeverwipp.org puede enlazarse a una carta muestra de comentario. Copie y envíela desde su cuenta personal añadiendo sus comentarios personales si desea. Asegúrese de escribir su nombre, dirección y fecha al enviarla al NMED a Ricardo Maestas a ricardo.maestas@env.nm.gov.

Dear friends:

We are writing with concerning news regarding the Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety (CCNS) and Honor Our Pueblo Existence (HOPE) have filed for a review of the Water Quality Act permit that was issued last May by the New Mexico Environment Department.

On April 6th, the NM Water Quality Control Commission (WQCC) hearing officer recommended that the WQCC dismiss the position that CCNS and HOPE have standing in this permit review of DP-1132.

Now we need your help! Please submit comments to the New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission BEFORE TOMORROW’S 9AM MEETING. Sample comment available here: 230410 Public comments to WQCC Members

You can submit your comments electronically to Pamela Jones, Hearing Clerk at Pamela.Jones@env.nm.gov or at the NMED Public Comment Portal at https://nmed.commentinput.com/?id=ZCP4E

Please participate in the public hearing tomorrow, April 11^th at 9 am, either in person or virtually and make your voice heard.  We are agenda item No. 9.

Thank you!

CCNS Board and Staff

It’s time to break the silence about the permitting of the Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory.  Since 1963, the Facility has handled, treated and stored radioactive and hazardous liquid waste generated at the Plutonium Facility, where the triggers, or plutonium pits, for nuclear weapons are fabricated.

The New Mexico Environment Department has refused to regulate the Facility under the New Mexico Hazardous Waste Act even though the law regulates hazardous materials “from cradle to grave.”

In May 2022, for the first time, the Environment Department did permit the Facility, but under a less strict law – the New Mexico Water Quality Act.  It is ground water discharge permit, DP-1132.

This permit provides many loopholes and is totally inappropriate for the Facility and for the construction and operation of two new radioactive liquid waste treatment facilities, all without any public process as required by the Hazardous Waste Act.

Under the Water Quality Act permit, the Department of Energy and National Nuclear Security Administration need only submit the plans and specifications to the Environment Department for review.  Unlike the Hazardous Waste Act, there is no requirement for advance public notice, no public review and comment, and no opportunity for a public hearing.

One of the new facilities will treat low-level radioactive and hazardous liquid waste.  The other is in the planning stages for treating plutonium-contaminated radioactive and hazardous liquid waste.  When CCNS asked Environment Department officials if they themselves had the technical expertise to review plans and specifications for a nuclear facility that handles, treats and stores radioactive and hazardous waste, they said no.  And when CCNS asked them the same question about the expertise of their technical contractors, they also said no.

Another loophole in the Water Quality Act is that it omits the seismic analyses for the new facilities built on volcanic tuff in a seismic zone on the eastern slope of an active volcano, above a sole source regional drinking water aquifer and the Rio Grande.

Again, in contrast to the Hazardous Waste Act, this permit omits analyses of the seismic vulnerability and risk in Los Alamos County and the surrounding counties from Taos to Bernalillo.

Our concerns are not unfounded.  Recall that the proposed Nuclear Facility, as part of the Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Replacement Project, was eventually canceled because of the increasing cost to address the unresolved threats of seismic action within the Pajarito Fault System.

CCNS and Honor Our Pueblo Existence (HOPE) have challenged the issuance of DP-1132 before the New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission.  The filings are available at:  https://www.env.nm.gov/opf/docketed-matters/ , scroll down to WQCC 22-21:  Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety and Honor Our Pueblo Existence’s Petition for Review of NMED Ground Water Discharge Permit DP-1132.

Break the silence and express your concerns to the New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission at its May 9^th meeting.  https://www.env.nm.gov/events-calendar/?trumbaEmbed=date%3D20230501%26index%3D0

Stay tuned to nuclearactive.org and our social media channels.

1. Friday, April 7^th from noon to 1 pm – Join the weekly peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament on the corners of Alameda and Guadalupe in downtown Santa Fe with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, Pax Christi and others.

2. Saturday, April 8^th at 1 pm – Cindy Weehler, of 285 ALL, and Joni Arends, of CCNS, will be in conversation about the April 16^th free Educational Conference about WIPP with Carol Boss on Women’s Focus on KUNM 89.9 FM.

3. Sunday, April 16^th from 1 pm to 4:30 pm – What is WIPP? Free educational conference – in-person in Santa Fe and on Zoom – in Spanish and English. Join people statewide to learn about the DOE’s pending application with the New Mexico Environment Department for the continued operation of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP).  There will be presentations about WIPP history, the facility, and proposed expansion of WIPP, NMED’s draft operating permit, and the ways in which the public can have a say in WIPP’s future.  For more information:  https://stopforeverwipp.org/home

4. April 15^th to 22^nd – Shut Down Drone Warfare – Holloman Air Force Base in southern New Mexico – “From Tax Day to Earth Day, Rise Up!” Co-sponsored by CODEPINK, Veterans for Peace and Ban Killer Drones.  Join for a week of peaceful resistance against drone warfare and out-of-control U.S. empire.  Why Holloman?  It is the largest-drone training base in the U.S. – training 600 or more drone pilots and operators annually.  For more information:  http://www.shutdowndronewarfare.org/ and listen to

Three great peace activists join us to discuss the upcoming protest at Holloman Air Force Base in April. Toby Blome, Colonel Ann Wright, and Ken Mayers talk about drones, the dangers, and the damage to people on the ground and people at the control. They also discuss the international ramifications of drones and their uncontrolled spread. With all that, they are protesting at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico and are encouraging people to come. There will be transportation, lodging, food, workshops, speakers, music, and yes non-violent direct action, specifics are a secret.  https://soundcloud.com/user-55976759/33023-veterans-for-peace-shut-down-drone-warfare-protest-is-coming

5. Wednesday, April 19^th – Comments about the draft hazardous waste permit for WIPP due to NMED. Stay tuned for sample talking points and comments you can modify and personalize to submit.

6. Wednesday, April 19^th from 5 to 7 pm – Virtual NMED meeting to modify LANL hazardous waste permit to add a new container storage unit at TA-60 (an infrastructure support technical area). https://www.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/lanl-permit/ , scroll down to Permit News for March 13, 2023 entry.   

The National Nuclear Security Administrator Jill Hruby and Senior Advisor to the Department of Energy Office of Environment Management Ike White will be in Santa Fe next week for a public town hall.  It is essential that they hear from you!

You are invited to the question and answer town hall in-person or virtually on Tuesday, April 4^th from 6:30 pm at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center, at 201 West Marcy Street in Santa Fe.  The entrance to underground parking is available from Federal Place.  The virtual links will be available closer to the event.

Our top issues are expansion of nuclear weapons operations at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP).  Both are Department of Energy (DOE) sites in New Mexico.  As more information is revealed about the very expensive expansion plans, it is clear that the proposed doubling of the size of the underground disposal site at WIPP is needed to support proposed expansion of plutonium pit production at LANL.  The pits are the triggers of nuclear weapons.

None of the plans make common sense.  For example, it is estimated that over the next 50 years, pit production will add an estimated 57,550 cubic meters, or 2,032,360 cubic feet, of radioactive and hazardous waste.  These volumes constitute more than half of WIPP’s estimated expansion capacity.  Our common sense requires us to ask:  What other waste is expected to be disposed at WIPP?  The federal agencies have not said.

But under agreements, WIPP is supposed to close in 2024.  DOE wants to keep WIPP operating until at least 2080.  But WIPP was not designed to operate until then.

Some possible questions for Hruby and White include:

• How much water will be needed for expanded pit production?
• What emissions will be released into the air at LANL, along the transportation routes, and at WIPP from expanded operations?
• What climate change analysis has been done?
• What efforts are being made to find other disposal sites in states other than New Mexico?
• Why is DOE and NNSA disregarding the commitments made to New Mexicans for a 2024 closure?

Please bring your questions to the virtual and in-person town hall.  There are many on-line resources to help you develop your questions at CCNS’s website at http://nuclearactive.org/ ; Nuclear Watch New Mexico at https://nukewatch.org/ ; and Stop Forever WIPP at https://stopforeverwipp.org/ .

Santa Fe County Commissioner Anna Hansen will moderate the town hall. http://nuclearactive.org/santa-fe-county-commission-chair-anna-hansen-to-moderate-public-qa-with-nnsa-and-doe-officials-on-tuesday-april-4th-in-santa-fe/

Did You Know about these Opportunities to Get Involved?

1. Friday, March 31st from noon to 1 pm – Join the weekly peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament on the corners of Alameda and Guadalupe in downtown Santa Fe with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, Pax Christi and others.

2. Tuesday, April 4^th at 6:30 pm at Santa Fe Community Convention Center in-person and virtual – Santa Fe County Commission Chair Anna Hansen will Moderate a Public Question and Answer Session with Jill Hruby, National Nuclear Security Administrator, and Ike White, a Senior Advisor to the DOE Office of Environmental Management. There is parking below the Santa Fe Community Convention Center – enter on Federal Place.  Bring your question about planned expansions at LANL and WIPP and transportation between the two.  The virtual link will be posted soon.  It will also be in newspaper ads.  http://nuclearactive.org/santa-fe-county-commission-chair-anna-hansen-to-moderate-public-qa-with-nnsa-and-doe-officials-on-tuesday-april-4th-in-santa-fe/

3. Thursday, April 6^th from 3 to 4 pm Mountain – webinar about The Geopolitics of Critical Minerals with Debamanyu Das. The Uranium Caucus of the Western Mining Action Network and the Institute for Policy Studies is hosting a series of three webinars about Rare Earth Elements.  Debamanyu Das is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst.  His research focuses on the political economy of critical minerals used for the green transition. Please join Das on April 6th for the first webinar.  Registration at https://ips-dc.org/events/geopoliticsofcriticalminerals/  

4. April 1^st to 7^th – Join the Sacred Peace Walk, an interfaith journey of approximately 60 miles from Las Vegas to the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) (formerly the Nevada Test Site), through the Great Basin Desert in Nevada, on the beautiful traditional lands of the Indigenous Western Shoshone and Paiute Peoples, bringing the message of non-violence to the test site and Creech AFB (the center of drone warfare and assassination for the US military and the CIA). For more information, contact the Nevada Desert Experience at kingsbayplowshares@gmail.com and http://nevadadesertexperience.org/

5. Sunday, April 16^th from 1 pm to 4:30 pm – What is WIPP? Free educational conference – in-person in Santa Fe and on Zoom – in Spanish and English. Join people statewide to learn about the DOE’s pending application with the New Mexico Environment Department for the continued operation of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP).  There will be presentations about WIPP history, the facility, and proposed expansion of WIPP, NMED’s draft operating permit, and the ways in which the public can have a say in WIPP’s future.  For more information:  https://stopforeverwipp.org/home

6. April 15^th to 22^nd – Shut Down Drone Warfare – Holloman Air Force Base in southern New Mexico – “From Tax Day to Earth Day, Rise Up!” Co-sponsored by CODEPINK, Veterans for Peace and Ban Killer Drones.  Join for a week of peaceful resistance against drone warfare and out-of-control U.S. empire.  Why Holloman?  It is the largest-drone training base in the U.S. – training 600 or more drone pilots and operators annually.  For more information:  http://www.shutdowndronewarfare.org/

Three great peace activists join us to discuss the upcoming protest at Holloman Air Force Base in April. Toby Blome, Colonel Ann Wright, and Ken Mayers talk about drones, the dangers, and the damage to people on the ground and people at the control. They also discuss the international ramifications of drones and their uncontrolled spread. With all that, they are protesting at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico and are encouraging people to come. There will be transportation, lodging, food, workshops, speakers, music, and yes non-violent direct action, specifics are a secret.  https://soundcloud.com/user-55976759/33023-veterans-for-peace-shut-down-drone-warfare-protest-is-coming

For nearly three years, the public has requested a town hall type of event in which officials from the Department of Energy (DOE) and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) would answer questions about the plans to expand operations at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP).  In February, Santa Fe County Commissioner Anna Hansen https://www.santafecountynm.gov/county-commissioners/anna-hansen traveled to Washington, DC and invited Jill Hruby, NNSA Administrator https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/person/jill-hruby , and Ike White, a Senior Advisor to the DOE Environmental Management Office https://www.energy.gov/em/person/william-ike-white , to Santa Fe to answer questions from the public.  They accepted her invitation.

In 2021, Santa Fe County Commissioners Hank Hughes https://www.santafecountynm.gov/county-commissioners/hank-hughes , Anna Hamilton https://www.santafecountynm.gov/county-commissioners/anna-t-hamilton and Anna Hansen held town halls in El Dorado and Santa Fe about the planned expansion plans to fabricate more plutonium triggers for nuclear weapons at LANL and double the size of the WIPP underground disposal area for more nuclear weapons waste.  The Commissioners heard the public’s concerns about increased shipments between the DOE sites, the proposed shipment of powdered surplus plutonium, and emergency preparedness and response, among other issues.

Background:  The two emergency preparedness and response meetings were on August 4, 2021 at the Hondo Volunteer FD (sponsored by County Commissioners Hamilton and Hughes)https://nuclearactive.org/santa-fe-county-nuclear-waste-transportation-emergency-response-town-hall/ , and on October 19, 2021 at the Nancy Rodriguez Community Center (sponsored by County Commissioner Hansen). http://nuclearactive.org/santa-fe-county-nuclear-waste-emergency-response-town-hall-on-tuesday-october-19th-from-6-to-730-pm/

On July 7, 2022, WIPP held a very tightly controlled public meeting in Santa Fe at which the officials would not, or could not, answer many of the questions from the public.  http://nuclearactive.org/wipp-to-stay-open-forever-speak-up-at-the-july-7th-wipp-community-forum/  Later on October 24, 2022, WIPP held another public meeting at Buffalo Thunder and answered some questions, but not others.  http://nuclearactive.org/wipp-community-forum-on-monday-october-24th-at-530-pm-at-buffalo-thunder/

Commissioner Anna Hansen will moderate the Town Hall with Jill Hruby and Ike White. After a brief discussion and presentations, there will be an opportunity for the public to ask questions and for Hruby and White, and other DOE and NNSA officials, to respond.

For more information, please visit the Stop Forever WIPP website.  https://stopforeverwipp.org/

In related news, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) released a draft hazardous waste permit for WIPP for public review and comment.  To learn more about the proposed 10-year renewal permit and how you can make comments, please join the Stop Forever WIPP Coalition for its free conference on Sunday, April 16^th from 1 to 4:30 pm at the Courtyard by Marriott at 3347 Cerrillos Road in Santa Fe.  This will be an in-person and virtual event in English and Spanish.  https://stopforeverwipp.org/

Public comments are due on Wednesday, April 19^th, 2023, by 5 pm Mountain Time, to the Environment Department.  During the conference there will be time for you to craft your comments and submit them.  https://www.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/wipp/ ,  or use the NMED public comment portal at https://nmed.commentinput.com/?id=G5E7C .  You can read the comments that have already been submitted.

For more information, please visit the Stop Forever WIPP website.  https://stopforeverwipp.org/

1. Friday, March 24th from noon to 1 pm – Join the weekly peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament on the corners of Alameda and Guadalupe in downtown Santa Fe with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, Pax Christi and others.

2. Thursday, March 23^rd at 5:30 pm – WIPP Community Forum & Open House at the Hobbs Country Club, 5001 W. Carlsbad Hwy. The Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) and the new contractor at WIPP, the Salado Isolation Mining Contractors (SIMCO), are hosting an in person and virtual meeting to provide a short update with an extended Q&A period.  For more information at infocnter@wipp.ws or call 1-800-366-9477.

3. Wednesday, March 29^th at 5:30 to 7 pm – New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) and DOE Environmental Management Los Alamos (EM-LA) in person and virtual annual meeting about the 2016 Consent Order, Appendix B, cleanup sites at LANL. Connection information at:  https://www.env.nm.gov/events-calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D165903120  To view Appendix B – Milestones and Targets, go to:  https://www.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/lanl/ and scroll down to 2016 Compliance Order on Consent to access the January and February 2023 updates.

4. April 1^st to 7^th – Join the Sacred Peace Walk, an interfaith journey of approximately 60 miles from Las Vegas to the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) (formerly the Nevada Test Site), through the Great Basin Desert in Nevada, on the beautiful traditional lands of the Indigenous Western Shoshone and Paiute Peoples, bringing the message of non-violence to the test site and Creech AFB (the center of drone warfare and assassination for the US military and the CIA). For more information, contact the Nevada Desert Experience at kingsbayplowshares@gmail.com and http://nevadadesertexperience.org/

5. April 15^th to 22^nd – Shut Down Drone Warfare – Holloman Air Force Base in southern New Mexico – “From Tax Day to Earth Day, Rise Up!” Co-sponsored by CODEPINK, Veterans for Peace and Ban Killer Drones.  Join for a week of peaceful resistance against drone warfare and out-of-control U.S. empire.  Why Holloman?  It is the largest-drone training base in the U.S. – training 600 or more drone pilots and operators annually.  For more information:  http://www.shutdowndronewarfare.org/

As if there is not enough going on, it’s time to get your personalized comments into the Department of Energy (DOE).  It has published its unsupported draft environmental impact statement about DOE’s proposal for handling more than 48 metric tons of surplus plutonium – and maybe more – for decades to come.  CCNS has prepared sample public comments you can modify, personalize, or cut and paste and submit to DOE on or before the Thursday, March 16^th deadline.  Written comments should be received or postmarked by the March 16^th deadline to SPDP-EIS@nnsa.doe.gov. Here is a sample letter for your use: 2303016 sample Surplus-Pu-dEIS-comments

You can also mail your comments or phone them in.  Details about how to do that are available at https://www.energy.gov/nepa/doeeis-0549-surplus-plutonium-disposition-program  Nevertheless, as stated in the public notice, “Comments received or postmarked after the comment period will be considered to the extent practicable.”  CCNS recommends getting your comments in before Monday, March 20^th.

Why is this draft environmental impact statement important to you?  Because the proposed DOE plan will impact People living in the vicinity of the DOE facilities in Texas, New Mexico and South Carolina and along the transportation routes between those sites for decades.  https://www.energy.gov/nepa/doeeis-0549-surplus-plutonium-disposition-program

Here’s a brief summary of the DOE’s 3,300 mile proposed route for disposing of its surplus plutonium at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), located 26 miles east of Carlsbad, New Mexico.  DOE proposes to ship the triggers, or plutonium pits, for nuclear weapons, currently stored at the Pantex Plant, north of Amarillo, Texas, to Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), in Northern New Mexico, to be pulverized into powdered plutonium.  From LANL, the powdered plutonium would be shipped to the Savannah River Site, in South Carolina, so an adulterant to inhibit recovery of the plutonium would be added.  From there, the waste would be shipped for disposal at WIPP.

Should there be an accident and a release of powdered plutonium, the consequences would be deadly.  Inhaling plutonium or getting it into an open wound are the most dangerous forms of exposure.  Once in the body, plutonium concentrates in the bone, blood and gonads, the primary reproductive organs.  Plutonium exposure causes cancer 100 percent of the time.

Sandia National Laboratories has documented that it is nearly impossible to clean up an accident involving plutonium.  Site Restoration: Estimation of Attributable Costs From Plutonium-Dispersal Accidents, Sandia National Laboratories, 1996, SAND96-0957; https://www.osti.gov/biblio/249283

DOE has been working on this plan for over three decades and CCNS has provided the history in previous Updates, which are listed here:

http://nuclearactive.org/news/082010.html – More Plutonium Destined to WIPP?  Public Meetings in Carlsbad 8/24 and Santa Fe 8/26 (Aug. 20, 2010);

http://www.nuclearactive.org/wippplutoniumfactsheet.pdf – More Plutonium Coming to WIPP and LANL? (Aug. 8, 2012);

http://nuclearactive.org/news/081512.html – DOE Plans to Bring More Plutonium to WIPP and LANL (Aug. 15, 2012);

http://nuclearactive.org/will-does-surplus-plutonium-end-up-in-new mexico/ (Jan. 11, 2019);

http://nuclearactive.org/doe-plans-to-move-tons-of-surplus-plutonium-to-wipp-and-lanl-postpones-tritium-venting/ (May 16, 2020);

http://nuclearactive.org/doe-plans-to-move-tons-of-surplus-plutonium-to-wipp-and-lanl-postpones-tritium-venting/ (Dec. 17, 2020);

http://nuclearactive.org/doe-breaks-its-promises-to-new-mexico-part-i/

(Jan. 12, 2021);

http://nuclearactive.org/doe-breaks-its-promises-to-new-mexico-part-2/

(Jan. 19, 2021);

http://nuclearactive.org/stop-surplus-plutonium-waste-from-coming-to-wipp/ (Jan. 29, 2021);

http://nuclearactive.org/newsbytes-about-wipp-and-lanl/ (Feb. 4, 2021);

http://nuclearactive.org/proposed-funding-increases-for-doe-operations-in-new-mexico/ (April 21, 2022);

http://nuclearactive.org/does-dramatic-plan-to-move-tons-of-surplus-plutonium-for-processing-at-lanl-and-disposal-at-wipp/ (Jan. 12, 2023);

http://nuclearactive.org/its-time-to-speak-out-at-does-surplus-plutonium-hearings-in-carlsbad-and-los-alamos/ (Jan. 20, 2023);

http://nuclearactive.org/public-comments-needed-about-does-surplus-plutonium-plans/ (March 2, 2023); and

http://nuclearactive.org/doe-must-withdraw-the-unsupported-surplus-plutonium-draft-eis/ (March 11, 2023).

CCNS encourages you and your neighbors to submit comments that state that “We do not consent.”

1. Friday, March 17^th from noon to 1 pm – Join the weekly peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament on the corners of Alameda and Guadalupe in downtown Santa Fe with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, Pax Christi and others.

2. Saturday March 18^th at 2 pm at San Mateo & Gibson outside Kirtland Air Force Base – Peace in Ukraine – On the 20^th Anniversary of the U.S. Invasion of Iraq, Say No to Endless U.S. Wars. Organized by ANSWER ALBUQUERQUE.  For more information, https://www.answercoalition.org/albuquerque or call 505 392-8460.

3. Thursday, March 23^rd at 5:30 pm – WIPP Community Forum & Open House at the Hobbs Country Club, 5001 W. Carlsbad Hwy. The Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) and the new contractor at WIPP, the Salado Isolation Mining Contractors (SIMCO), are hosting an in person and virtual meeting to provide a short update with an extended Q&A period.  For more information at infocnter@wipp.ws or call 1-800-366-9477.

4. Wednesday, March 29^th at 5:30 to 7 pm – New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) and DOE Environmental Management Los Alamos (EM-LA) in person and virtual annual meeting about the 2016 Consent Order, Appendix B, cleanup sites at LANL. Connection information at:  https://www.env.nm.gov/events-calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D165903120  To view Appendix B – Milestones and Targets, go to:  https://www.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/lanl/ and scroll down to 2016 Compliance Order on Consent to access the January and February 2023 updates.

5. April 1^st to 7^th – Join the Sacred Peace Walk, an interfaith journey of approximately 60 miles from Las Vegas to the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) (formerly the Nevada Test Site), through the Great Basin Desert in Nevada, on the beautiful traditional lands of the Indigenous Western Shoshone and Paiute Peoples, bringing the message of non-violence to the test site and Creech AFB (the center of drone warfare and assassination for the US military and the CIA). For more information, contact the Nevada Desert Experience at kingsbayplowshares@gmail.com and http://nevadadesertexperience.org/

6. April 15^th to 22^nd – Shut Down Drone Warfare – Holloman Air Force Base in southern New Mexico – “From Tax Day to Earth Day, Rise Up!” Co-sponsored by CODEPINK, Veterans for Peace and Ban Killer Drones.  Join for a week of peaceful resistance against drone warfare and out-of-control U.S. empire.  Why Holloman?  It is the largest-drone training base in the U.S. – training 600 or more drone pilots and operators annually.  For more information:  http://www.shutdowndronewarfare.org/