PEIS Lawyer Requests Three Essential Documents and an Extension of Time for Public Review and Comment

On Monday, July 6^th, a South Carolina Environmental Law Project lawyer made a needed request for three Department of Energy and National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) documents that should have been available at the start of the current public comment period for the draft Plutonium Pit Production Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS). Public comments about the draft PEIS are due to DOE/NNSA on or before Thursday, July 16^th.

Benjamin D. Cunningham, the Environmental Law Project lawyer, requested the “deadline for the public comment period for the draft PEIS be extended by thirty (30) days from the date that NNSA publicly releases the [three] documents or, if not released simultaneously, then the comment period be extended by thirty (30) days from the date the last document is released to the public.”  Cunningham asked that NNSA respond prior to the July 16^th deadline for the public comments and specifically by Monday, July 13^th. https://nukewatch.org/demand-letter-for-pit-peis-critical-documents-and-extension-of-public-comment-period and www.scelp.org.

The three requested documents are:

1. The unclassified executive summary of the new JASON Defense Advisory Group plutonium pit life study – Phase One;
2. The DOE’s “special study” of the NNSA’s leadership and management of the plutonium pit production program; and
3. The updated LANL Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis.

The three documents were completed before the end of 2025, but were not included in the draft PEIS.  That fact is referenced more than once in the draft PEIS.  See PEIS pages 2-13 (p. 39 of pdf) (Volume 1) and C-14 (p. 64 of pdf) (Volume 2) for seismic.

Of particular concern for CCNS, the draft PEIS states the updated Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis, which focuses on the potential seismic risks at the Plutonium Facility, was scheduled for release in early 2026.  With the current proposal that DOE/NNSA would fabricate up to 205 plutonium pits per year in the Plutonium Facility, the report should have been included in the draft PEIS document.

Further, the DOE/NNSA website states emphatically that, “The comment period will not be extended beyond July 16, 2026.”

Nevertheless, DOE/NNSA omitted the three essential documents in the draft PEIS.  DOE/NNSA must be held accountable for omitting the key documents from the PEIS process because the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) “requires that the public have access to information directly relevant to the draft PEIS during the public comment period.”

Cunningham represents three non-government groups who have been working for decades to oppose expanded plutonium pit production and protect the environment.  They are:  the Savannah River Site Watch, located in Columbia, South Carolina, at https://srswatch.org , Tri-Valley Communities Against a Radioactive Environment (Tri-Valley CARES) located in Livermore, California at www.trivalleycares.org , and Nuclear Watch New Mexico, located in Santa Fe at https://nukewatch.org .

1. The new film, An Ordinary Insanity, about the renowned whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg and the Nuclear Threat is available for FREE at https://www.anordinaryinsanity.com/. To view the 29-minute film, go to the Screenings Page at https://www.anordinaryinsanity.com/screenings    The film is a powerful wakeup call about the global threat posed by nuclear weapons and advocates how we can dramatically reduce the real and present danger of nuclear annihilation.

PLEASE SHARE ONLINE and SCREEN AT PUBLIC EVENTS.

2. Friday, July 10^th from noon to 1 pm – Join the nuclear disarmament community at the intersection of East Alameda and Sandoval in Santa Fe for the weekly peaceful protest in support of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Join with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others. Bring your flags, signs and banners.

3. Thursday, July 16^th by 11:59 pm Mountain Time, your public comments about the draft PEIS for Plutonium Pit Production are due. As Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is the only U.S. location where plutonium pits, or the triggers, for nuclear weapons are fabricated, your comments are essential in the collective efforts for a world free of nuclear weapons. To learn more about the PEIS, visit http://tinyurl.com/PEISToolkit.

4. Saturday, July 18^th, the 47^th Annual Uranium Mill Tailings Spill Commemoration will begin at 6 am with opening prayers, breakfast and a walk to the site of the spill 12 miles north of the Red Rock State Park on Highway 566 near Church Rock, New Mexico. There will be speakers and discussions, as well as a silent auction, youth tent and educational booths. A free t-shirt will be available to the first 100 people. Food and drink donations are welcomed. For more information, visit https://swuraniumimpacts.org/

5. Sunday, July 19^th, beginning at 2 pm at St. Michael’s High School, 100 Siringo Road, in Santa Fe – You are invited to An Interfaith Remembrance of the July 16^th, 1945 Trinity Test with Archbishop John Wester of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe for an inspiring afternoon of remembrance, hope and commitment to honor the legacy of the Trinity Test. James Kenney, Secretary of the New Mexico Environment Department, will provide the keynote speech.  Interfaith leaders, advocates and community voices will join in reflections on the past and on efforts in the present to build a world free of nuclear weapons. This is a free event and can be viewed online.  For more information, https://archdiosf.org/ home page – announcement on left side under ASF & Parish Events.  Livestream available at http://bit.ly/2026-Trinity-livestream

6. Sunday, July 19^th – Submit your public comments opposing the Roca Honda Uranium Mine to mmd.marp@emnrd.nm.gov. Find draft statements and learn more at tinyurl.com/nmnuketoolkit

7. Monday, July 27^th – deadline to request a hearing and petition for leave to intervene in the Crownpoint-Churchrock ISL Project. For more information: federalregister.gov/d/2026-10440 and

www.tinyurl.com/nmnuketoolkit

Tags: Benjamin D. Cunningham, Department of Energy, DOE, DOE “special study, JASON Defense Advisory Group, LANL, Los Alamos National Laboratory, National Environmental Policy Act, National Nuclear Security Administration, NEPA, NNSA, Nuclear Watch New Mexico, PEIS, Plutonium Facility, plutonium pit life study, programmatic environmental impact statement, Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Plutonium Pit Production, PSHA, Savannah River Site Watch, South Carolina Environmental Law Project, Tri Valley Communities Against a Radioactive Environment, Tri-Valley CARES, ” LANL Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis