Three Draft LANL SWEIS Public Comment Preparation Workshops

March 20th, 2025 in Action Alerts / Events / Weekly News Updates
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Public comments for the draft Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for Continued Operations at Los Alamos National Laboratory are currently due on Thursday, April 10th.  Tewa Women United, Honor Our Pueblo Existence, CCNS, Communities for Clean Water, and the Union of Concerned Scientists will host workshops to assist you in the preparation and submission of your comments.  Comments may be submitted to LANLSWEIS@nnsa.doe.gov

The 1,200 page draft SWEIS attempts to analyze the environmental, social, economic and health impacts of the proposed fabrication of 30 plutonium triggers for nuclear weapons annually at LANL until 2040.  https://www.energy.gov/nepa/articles/doeeis-0552-draft-environmental-impact-statement

The three workshops will help you compose and submit your comments.

The first workshop will be held in person and virtually on Monday, March 24th at the offices of Tewa Women United at 1003 East Fairview Lane in Española from 6 to 8 pm Mountain Time.  It will focus on the environmental justice impacts to communities of continuing LANL operations.  There is a limit of 20 participants for the in-person option.

Arjun Makhijani, President of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research, or IEER, will present by zoom the recently completed technical reports about the proposed venting of radioactive hydrogen, or tritium, from four Flanged Tritium Waste Containers currently stored at LANL’s Area G waste site.   

The second workshop is virtual only and will be hosted by the Union of Concerned Scientists on Thursday, March 27th from 2 to 3 pm Mountain Time.  It is titled, “Learn to Advocate Against Unnecessary Nuclear Weapons Infrastructure” and will suggest how to hold LANL accountable for expansion risks.  It will focus primarily on how pit production is driving LANL’s expansion and how the NNSA is violating the intent of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).  Register at https://secure.ucs.org/a/2025-3-27-lanl-public-comment-training-aps?kiosk=true

The third workshop will be held by Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety, Honor Our Pueblo Existence and Communities for Clean Water on Sunday, March 30th  from 1 pm to 5 pm at the Three Sisters Collective Studio at 1350 Calle de Comercio, Unit A, in Santa Fe.  There will be a 30-minute break between 2:30 pm and 3 pm.  The workshop will be filmed and be posted on the web. 

Myrriah Gómez, author of Nuclear Nuevo México:  Colonialism and the Effects of the Nuclear Industrial Complex on Nuevomexicanos, will talk about the public process required by NEPA.  Additional speakers and topics will be announced soon.

Sample public comments, talking points, fact sheets, calls to action and other organizing tools will be made available for your use.

To pre-register for the March 24th and 30th workshops, please go to:  http://bit.ly/4iM42I0

In the meantime, please check out the informative February 6th Nuclear Watch New Mexico draft LANL SWEIS workshop at https://nukewatch.org/2025/02/07/nukewatch-los-alamos-lab-site-wide-eis-workshop/

  1. Join us on Friday, March 21st from noon to 1 pm at the intersection of East Alameda and Sandoval for the weekly one-hour peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament. Join the weekly peaceful protest with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others. Bring your flags, signs and banners and join in the conversation for nuclear disarmament. 

 

 

  1. Saturday, March 22nd – World Water Day – an annual United Nations Observance focuses on the importance of freshwater. “World Water Day celebrates water and raises awareness of the 2.2 billion people living without access to safe water. It is about taking action to tackle the global water crisis. A core focus of World Water Day is to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.”  https://www.unwater.org/our-work/world-water-day   

 

 

  1. United Nations Monday, March 24th at 5:30 pm MDT virtual event – A New Generation of Nuclear Lies: Small Modular Reactors and Nuclear Plant Reopenings/Relicensing.  Speakers:  Paul Gunter, M.V. Ramana, and Linda Pentz Gunter.  Register now at https://masspeace.us/NuclearLies

 

 

  1. Thursday, April 3rd at 5 pm MT  – Breaking the Silence: A Project of the National Council of Elders webinar – “Courage to Act in the Face of Fear – What can the spirit of the radical Martin Luther King teach us in this moment? Strategies and Resources for Resistance.”

Participants include activist/elder Mandy Carter, Joe Worthy Director of Education at the Albert Einstein Institution, longtime Southern organizer and author Suzanne Pharr and Ash-Lee Woodward Henderson, former co-executive director of the Highlander Center.

 Register:  https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_M1L1jUNVSsKYwF6huHmibw#/registration

 

 

  1. Friday, April 4th at noon to 4:30 at two venues – Celebration of the Life of Ken Mayers (1937 to 2025). The following is from Roberto Roibal on behalf of Pam Gilchrist and Family:

Friends,

The family of Ken Mayers invites you to a Celebration of Life and Memorial for Ken Mayers, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It will be on Friday, April 4, 2025 starting at Noon, and will finish by 4:30pm. Please see the attached announcement for details.

For those who can’t attend in person, at 2:30pm there will be a livestream memorial by Rev. Gail Marriner. Click this link at 2:30 for the livestream:
https://uusantafe.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2905fac0763625a2ccbaf9ab4&id=f709758296&e=eec4c110b1

Santa Fe Veterans for Peace founder protested globally
‘Ken was basically fearless’ in confronting authorities for causes he believed in – 2025-02-19NewMexArticle-KenProtests

The memorial announcement is attached, as well as an article from the Santa Fe New Mexican about Ken’s life, dated February 19, 2025.  https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/vietnam-veteran-remembered-as-advocate-for-peace/article_ad16ca54-ed39-11ef-a9d2-7fd393ad5f12.html

Respectfully,
ℜoberto ℜoibal for Pam Gilchrist and family
☮   

Please contact Roberto with any questions or concerns at roibal@mail.mayfirst.org

 

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