Since Pits are “Aging Slowly,” Is Expanded Plutonium Pit Production Needed?

Why does it matter whether plutonium pits are “aging” before their time?  We all age. We get old and we die. But that’s not what the Department of Energy (DOE) and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) want for their plutonium pits. They want to make sure that they will “live” forever. 

DOE has always done experiments about the “lifetime” of the plutonium pits in the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile.

The recently released two-page Executive Summary of the unclassified “Plutonium Aging” report outlines DOE’s plans to keep an eye on pit aging until at least 2040. https://nukewatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/2026-JASON-Plutonium-Aging-Executive-Summary.pdf  That work is done at the Nevada National Security Sites (NNSS), formerly the Nevada Test Site, by conducting subcritical nuclear weapons experiments there. https://nnss.gov/

An October 2025 DOE one-page fact sheet, “Why Subcritical Experiments?”, on their work at the Enhanced Capabilities for Subcritical Experiments, or the ECSE facility, reports:

“In the absence of full-scale nuclear testing, the U.S. relies on the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to certify the effectiveness of its nuclear deterrent: the U.S. nuclear weapon stockpile. To do this, NNSA must assess issues which may affect the stockpile, including the effects of aging, the impact of evolving manufacturing processes on weapon safety and performance, approaches to stockpile life-extension programs, and the results of significant finding investigations. Subcritical experiments at the NNSS fulfill these responsibilities and ‘test’ nuclear weapons without achieving criticality. Combined with advanced theory, modeling and simulation tools, subcritical experiments certify our nation’s nuclear deterrent in the absence of nuclear testing and are essential for NNSA to maintain and modernize the stockpile.  https://nnss.gov/wp-content/uploads/NNSS-ECSE-U-0053.pdf

Don’t we know enough? Plutonium is dangerous, it causes cancer, it is radioactive for approximately 240,000 years, once it is released into the environment, it is impossible to clean it up, etc., etc., etc. Will more experiments reveal any new information?

DOE hid important information during the recent public review and comment opportunity for the Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Plutonium Pit Production, the Draft PEIS. Will they continue to keep information from the public? https://www.energy.gov/nepa/articles/doeeis-0573-draft-environmental-impact-statement-april-2026

Nuclear Watch New Mexico had to sue DOE for the release of the Plutonium Aging Executive Summary. It was made available days after the end of the PEIS comment period, which ended on July 16, 2026.  DOE withheld it and is still withholding critical documents.

Over this long weekend, please take a few minutes to submit a supplemental Draft PEIS public comment. A sample public comment letter is available at https://nukewatch.org/ Thank you!

1. Friday, September 4^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. Bring your flags, signs and banners.

2. Watch “DOWNWIND – The Toxic Consequences following 928 Nuclear Detonations on American Soil” or “The Dark Legacy of Nevada’s Bomb Tests,” a documentary, on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcKDuqzUWAY

3. Defend the Chama Basin! No Uranium Exploration or Mining? Near Canjilon! A Canadian mining company wants to explore for uranium in the headwaters of the Rio Chama, threatening the water source for acequia farmers, land grants, tribal nations, ranchers, and thousands of families across Northern New Mexico. For more information and to take action:  https://protectriochama.org/

4. Tuesday, September 8^th at 5 pm Mountain Time – Back from the Brink Community & Action Hour about gaining additional cosponsors for federal House Resolution 317: Urging the United States to lead the world back from the brink of nuclear war and halt and reverse the nuclear arms race, and Senate Resolution 323: A resolution urging the United States to lead a global effort to halt and reverse the nuclear arms race. For more information and to register – https://preventnuclearwar.org/take-action/

5. Wednesday, September 9^th from 5 to 6:30 pm Mountain Time – Three Mile Island: Legacy and Resistance to Reopening: A Public Forum, hosted by the Clamshell Alliance. Speakers include: Eric Epstein, Patricia Longenecker and Aaron Datesman, moderated by Joseph M. Hunt.  For more information and registration – https://clamshellalliance.com/

6. Friday, September 11^th from 7:30 am to 9 am Mountain Time – “Mitigating the Risks of AI in Nuclear Operations,” An Arms Control Association Briefing with Lt. Gen. (retd.) Jack Shanahan, Herb Lin, Matthew Sharp, and Erin Dumbacher. It is a hybrid meeting. For more information and registration: https://www.armscontrol.org/events-and-remarks/2026-08/mitigating-risks-ai-nuclear-operations

7. Saturday, September 12th at 2 pm – Please join the Memorial Gathering to Honor the Life of Founding Visionary and Executive Director (1988 – 2015) Brian James Shields, Artist, at the Sagebrush Inn, 1508 Paseo Del Pueblo Sur, in Taos, in Chamisa II Conference Room. It is located on the north side of the Inn, towards the back, in a separate building.

Brian loved color. Feel free to wear colors!

Tags: Department of Energy, DOE, Draft PEIS, Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, ECSE, formerly Nevada Test Site, National Nuclear Security Administration, NNSA, NNSS, Nuclear Watch New Mexico, plutonium, “aging, “Why Subcritical Experiments?, ” Enhanced Capabilities for Subcritical Experiments, ” Nevada National Security Sites, ” “Plutonium Aging