Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety (original) (raw)

Current Activities

CCNS Submits Comments about the Need to Excavate the Mixed Waste Landfill at Sandia National Laboratories

http://nuclearactive.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/CCNSUpdate092724mc.mp3

The Mixed Waste Landfill at Sandia National Laboratories is a 2.6-acre dump that is leaking radioactive, hazardous and toxic wastes from unlined pits and trenches that threaten Albuquerque’s drinking water aquifer. The public has been asking the New Mexico Environment Department for nearly 25 years to order Sandia to excavate the dump. Evidence of migrating contamination, such as the detection of volatile organic compounds 400 feet below the dump in 2015, verifies the public’s concern. https://www.radfreenm.org/index.php/sandia-national-laboratories-mixed-waste-lanfill

Last December, Sandia stepped forward and declared in the required five-year review of the dump that, “Complete excavation with offsite and onsite disposal are remedial alternatives that could be implemented, if necessary.” https://www.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/snl-mwl-2/ , scroll down to Mixed Waste Landfill (MWL), under Mixed Waste Landfill (MWL) Second Five-Year Report, click on green Mixed Waste Landfill (MWL) Second Five-Year Report (December 1, 2023) link.

Sandia explained that there had been significant changes over time that made excavation a reasonable option. For example, the decay of radioactive Cobalt-60 in the dump had decreased to levels where it no longer poses a threat to workers and the public. Use of conventional excavation practices and robotics could assist in the removing the threat.

The Environment Department opened up a public comment period to review Sandia’s plan, which ended on September 12th. https://www.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/snl-mwl-2/

CCNS submitted its comments urging the Environment Department to support Sandia’s recommendation to excavate the dump. 240912 CCNS Comments re SNL MWL Second Five-Year Report (Dec. 2023)

CCNS recommended that it’s time for excavation, processing and removal of the waste to appropriate onsite and offsite regulated facilities in full and transparent consultation with Tribes and communities located at or near the facilities and along the transportation routes.

In that regard, CCNS cited President Biden’s April 2023 Executive Order No. 14096 on Revitalizing Our Nation’s Commitment to Environmental Justice for All, which is part of the Justice 40 Initiative. The Department of Energy (DOE), which owns Sandia, is one of the Justice 40 agencies. In fact, DOE has 167 Justice 40 programs. Within those programs, there are conditions that exist at Sandia, such as the proximity of the International District to the dump, for DOE’s active community engagement in cooperative agreements and grants related to soil and groundwater remediation.

But Sandia did not explore Justice 40 in its five-year review report submitted to the Environment Department in December 2023, seven months after the Executive Order was signed. The omission requires the Environment Department to take a deep dive into the current status of the dump and the use of robotic technologies to reduce worker exposures during excavation.

This is the time to support the use of Justice 40 as a powerful tool to get the dump excavated.

  1. And the award for the Fossil Fuel Profiteer du Jour goes to…

Thursday, Sept. 26th … Chevron

Friday, Sept. 27th … ExxonMobil

Saturday, Sept. 28th …Koch Industries

Sunday, Sept. 29th … Energy Transfer [Partners] in Albuquerque

Congratulations to All!

TAKE ACTION: Pressure the Profiteers Campaign continues! Divest from Fossil Fuels!

Please do take at-home actions as you are able.

You can go to https://warheadstowindmills.org/fossil-fuel-map/ Scroll down to:

Contact the Companies

Then select the “Chevron” tab for the email address(es), plus links to the RTX social media pages, plus templates for messaging. The social media actions are the easiest; just tell ’em it’s time to switch to peaceful work!

Consider submitting your email to the CEO as an open letter to an editor too.

Let’s get ’em! Shame on war profiteering!

  1. Thursday, Sept. 26th from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm – virtual and in-person New Mexico’s Environment Department (NMED) will host a community engagement meeting on September 26, 2024 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. to share the modifications made to the Los Alamos National Laboratory 2016 Compliance Order on Consent (CO). The meeting will be held at the New Mexico Environment Department Harold Runnels Building Auditorium, 1190 St. Francis Drive, Santa Fe, NM 87505 and will also be available via Microsoft Teams. Teams Information Public notice at: https://www.env.nm.gov/events-calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D177660984
  2. Thursday, Sept. 26 through Saturday, Sept. 28 – Join Three Sisters Collective to create the new monumental mural “I am Life, Creator of Worlds,” a community project at the Lena Wall, at 1805 Second Street, at the corner of Second Street and Lena Street, O’Ga P’ogeh Owingeh/Santa Fe. https://threesisterscollective.org/murals/

Thursday, Sept. 26 12 – 4 pm

Friday, Sept. 27 10 – 4 pm

Saturday, Sept. 28 10 – 1 pm

The “I am Life, Creator of Worlds” mural name is made to be in conversation with Chip Thomas’ artwork, referencing and inverting Oppenheimer’s quote from the Bhagavad Gita “I am become death, destroyer of worlds.”

“The new mural honors and prioritizes local Pueblo/Indigenous culture and values. It elucidates the differences between these values and the settler colonial nuclear bomb production currently happening in Los Alamos, which is increasing soon. Additionally, it highlights the ever-expanding nuclear industry, such as the nuclear corridor in southeastern New Mexico, a source of job creation and economic stability for New Mexicans.”

  1. Friday, September 27th at noon at the intersection of West 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!

NEW! Enjoy lunch at the Manko Food Truck with award-winning chef, Ray Naranjo. Manko is a verb for “come and eat.” The truck will be parked in the Santa Fe Dispensary: Cannabis Dispensaries Owned and Operated by the Picuris Pueblo at the corner of Alameda and Sandoval.https://www.ediblenm.com/ray-naranjo/

  1. Saturday, September 28th from 2 pm to 5 pm – Convivio Third Annual Southside Community Day at Zona del Sol Campus, 6600 Valentine Way, Santa Fe, NM. https://www.instagram.com/sfnmpl/p/C_8SmG3Bj3j/?img_index=1
  2. Monday, September 30th at 6 to 7:30 pm – The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) Petroleum Storage Tank Bureau is holding a public informational meeting about the proposed installation of groundwater monitoring wells associated with the former PNM Santa Fe Generating Station plume of diesel fuel located in the Baca Street area. The meeting will be held at the Harold Runnels Building (NMED and NM Dept. of Health Building) at 1190 St. Francis Drive, Santa Fe. https://www.env.nm.gov/events-calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D177639815 and https://www.env.nm.gov/petroleum_storage_tank/
  3. September 1st through September 30th – the Sierra Club Grassroots Network Nuclear Free Team concludes its first Nuclear FREE Film Series with the powerful independent film – ATOMIC BAMBOOZLE: THE FALSE PROMISES OF A NUCLEAR RENAISSANCE. Watch the film – FREE OF CHARGE – followed by a live webinar on September 30th with the filmmaker and stellar panel moderated by Mike Carberry, Co-Chair, Sierra Club Nuclear Free Team. The 46-minute film available on Eventive – free with registration. https://scnuclearfree.eventive.org/welcome#!
  4. Friday, August 30 through September – 58 years: a retrospective of works by Cathie Sullivan at El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe, 555 Camino de La Familia, Santa Fe. Opening on August 30 from 5 to 7 pm. The exhibit includes 57 oil paintings, drawings and limited edition silkscreen prints, three bronzes, 20 animal carvings and hand and digitally printed note cards. 80% of sale proceeds will be donated to Amigos Del Parque, Nuclear Watch NM and El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe. https://www.elmuseocultural.org/exhibit/csretro-24

Tell the Fossil Fuel Corporations “No Money for Fossil Fuels!” during International Days of Action

http://nuclearactive.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/CCNSUpdate092024mc.mp3

Local, regional, national and international non-governmental organizations are coming together for a week of raising public awareness about the fossil fuel corporations doing business in New Mexico. Under the banner of Warheads to Windmills.org, the week begins on Monday, September 23rd and extends through Sunday, September 29th. This is a second week of action. The first week focused on nuclear weapons. Both present existential threats to life on Planet Earth – one that kills in an instant; the other painfully over time. https://warheadstowindmills.org/

In March 2023, the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres stated, ”In short, our world needs climate action on all fronts – everything, everywhere, all at once.” https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statement/2023-03-20/secretary-generals-video-message-for-press-conference-launch-the-synthesis-report-of-the-intergovernmental-panel-climate-change

The Fossil Fuel Finance Report 2024 “Banking on Climate Chaos,” provides detailed information about how – contrary to the Secretary-General’s plea for climate action – the biggest global banks have instead committed billions to fossil fuel corporations, bringing the total since the 2016 Paris Agreement to $6.9 Trillion Dollars. https://www.ran.org/publications/

New Mexicans are coming together to challenge four fossil fuel profiteers that operate here, mostly in the Permian Basin in the southeast corner of the state. They are: Chevron, Energy Transfer, ExxonMobil and Phillips 66.

Tuesday, September 24th is the day of action for Phillips 66, with corporate headquarters in Houston, Texas. https://www.phillips66.com/ Thursday, September 26th is the day of action for Chevron, headquartered in San Ramon, California. https://www.chevron.com/ Friday, September 27th is the day of action for ExxonMobil, with headquarters in Spring, Texas. https://corporate.exxonmobil.com/ Sunday, September 29th is the last day of the action, which focuses on Energy Transfer, headquartered in Dallas, Texas. https://www.energytransfer.com/ These corporations explore, drill, extract, process and distribute gas and oil products that cause climate change and destruction of frontline communities.

The Warheads to Windmills website contains all the tools you need to take action to tell the profiteering corporations: NO MONEY FOR FOSSIL FUELS! You will find banners, signs and leaflets, ideas for organizing vigils, die-ins, boycotts, demonstrations, phone banks, and ideas for taking electronic action. These include letter writing; stigmatizing the corporate profiteers on social media and writing letters to the editor. Tag the corporations in your own posts. Be sure to use the #PressuretheProfiteers hashtag to amplify your message. https://warheadstowindmills.org/2-weeks-of-action-on-climate-and-nuclear-weapons/

During the week of action on fossil fuels, the peaceful protest on Fridays from noon to 1 pm at the corners of Alameda and Sandoval in downtown Santa Fe will continue.

It’s time to raise our voices and challenge fossil fuels together.

  1. And the award for the Nuclear Profiteer du Jour goes to…

Thursday, Sept. 19th … RTX (Raytheon Technologies!)

Friday, Sept. 20th … Boeing

Saturday, Sept. 21st … Honeywell

Sunday, Sept. 22nd … Lockheed Martin

Congratulations to All!

TAKE ACTION: Pressure the Profiteers Campaign continues! Divest from Nuclear Weapons!

Please do take at-home actions as you are able.

You can go to https://warheadstowindmills.org/nuclear-weapons-map/#nw-corp Scroll down to:

Contact the Companies

Then select the “RTX-Raytheon” tab for the email address(es), plus links to the RTX social media pages, plus templates for messaging. The social media actions are the easiest; just tell ’em it’s time to switch to peaceful work!

Consider submitting your email to the CEO as an open letter to an editor too.

Let’s get ’em! Shame on war profiteering!

TAKE ACTION: Pressure the Profiteers Campaign continues! Divest from Fossil Fuels!

https://warheadstowindmills.org/fossil-fuel-map/#ff-corp

  1. Friday, September 20th at noon at the intersection of West 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!

NEW! Enjoy lunch at the Manko Food Truck with award-winning chef, Ray Naranjo. Manko is a verb for “come and eat.” The truck will be parked in the Santa Fe Dispensary: Cannabis Dispensaries Owned and Operated by the Picuris Pueblo at the corner of Alameda and Sandoval.https://www.ediblenm.com/ray-naranjo/

  1. Friday, September 20 from 5 pm to sunset at Tiguex Park, Albuquerque – 2024 New Mexico Climate Strike: Reimagine and Rise: Uniting for the People’s Climate Plan. Celebrate YUCCA’s Fifth Birthday! March * Rally * Speakers * Art Build * DJ * Performers.
  2. On Monday, September 23rd from 11:30 to 12:30 pm CHALLENGE HONEYWELL FOR FABRICATING MISSILE GUIDANCE SYSTEMS.

P lease join us in front of the University of New Mexico, on the public campus sidewalk area at Cornell and Central, for a peaceful protest challenging Honeywell’s corporate profiteering from fabricating guidance equipment for the Minuteman III and the proposed Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) and its relationship with Sandia National Laboratories.

Join us to raise your voice against the colonization of New Mexico by the nuclear weapons and fossil fuel industries.

  1. September 1st through September 30th – the Sierra Club Grassroots Network Nuclear Free Team concludes its first Nuclear FREE Film Series with the powerful independent film – ATOMIC BAMBOOZLE: THE FALSE PROMISES OF A NUCLEAR RENAISSANCE. Watch the film – FREE OF CHARGE – followed by a live webinar on September 30th with the filmmaker and stellar panel moderated by Mike Carberry, Co-Chair, Sierra Club Nuclear Free Team. The 46-minute film available on Eventive – free with registration. https://scnuclearfree.eventive.org/welcome#!
  2. Friday, August 30 through September – 58 years: a retrospective of works by Cathie Sullivan at El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe, 555 Camino de La Familia, Santa Fe. Opening on August 30 from 5 to 7 pm. The exhibit includes 57 oil paintings, drawings and limited edition silkscreen prints, three bronzes, 20 animal carvings and hand and digitally printed note cards. 80% of sale proceeds will be donated to Amigos Del Parque, Nuclear Watch NM and El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe. https://www.elmuseocultural.org/exhibit/csretro-24

Tell the Nuclear Weapons Corporations “No Money for Nuclear Weapons!” during the International Days of Action

http://nuclearactive.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/CCNSUpdate091324mc.mp3

Local, regional, national and international non-governmental organizations are coming together for a week of raising public awareness about the nuclear weapons corporations doing business in New Mexico. The week of action begins on Monday, September 16th and extends through Sunday, September 22nd. https://www.icanw.org/global_week_of_action_on_nuclear_spending

New Mexicans will challenge two of the nuclear weapons profiteers who operate here. They are Honeywell https://warheadstowindmills.org/nuclear-weapons-map/ and HII, or Huntington Ingalls Industries https://warheadstowindmills.org/nuclear-weapons-map/ .

HII is a subcontractor to Triad National Security, LLC, the primary nuclear weapons contractor at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). https://www.triadns.org/

On Tuesday, September 17th from 4 to 6 pm, please join us in Santa Fe as we gather on the sidewalk in front of the LANL complex of offices near the corner of St. Michael’s Drive and Pacheco Street. The office buildings formerly housed Public Service Company of New Mexico, or PNM, and are on the east side of Pacheco opposite the Smith’s Grocery Store. https://discover.lanl.gov/news/0308-pacheco-office/

Honeywell operates Sandia National Laboratories, located in Albuquerque, for the DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration. It produces guidance instruments for the Minuteman III and the proposed Sentinel nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles. https://www.dontbankonthebomb.com/honeywell-international/

On Monday, September 23rd from 11:30 to 12:30 pm in front of the University of New Mexico, on the public campus sidewalk area at Cornell and Central, a peaceful protest will take place challenging Honeywell’s corporate profiteering relationship with Sandia National Laboratories.

Alongside the in-person actions, it is important to make sure the corporations feel pressure in other ways on these days of action. Please concentrate your efforts to write letters, spam their social media, and call them on each company’s specific day of action. Monday, September 16th is HII’s day and Saturday, September 21st is Honeywell’s day of action.

The Warheads to Windmills website contains all the tools you need to take action to tell the profiteering corporations: NO MONEY FOR NUCLEAR WEAPONS! Go to the website to edit a prewritten email to the CEO and submit it. Tag them in your own posts. Be sure to use the #PressuretheProfiteers hashtag to amplify your message. Learn what products and brands to boycott with the “Boycotting” drop down menu. https://warheadstowindmills.org/

During the two weeks of action – the first week about nuclear weapons and the second week about fossil fuels – the peaceful Friday protest from noon to 1 pm on the corners of Alameda and Sandoval in downtown Santa Fe will continue.

It’s time to raise our voices and challenge nuclear weapons together.

  1. Friday, September 13th at noon at the intersection of West 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!
  2. **Friday, September 13th at 9 am to 3 pm virtual and in person – Radioactive & Hazardous Materials Committee of the NM Legislature meeting in Hobbs, NM. To watch the webcast: go to: https://www.nmlegis.gov/ and click on webcast for this meeting. If you would like to make a virtual public comment, please click here. Instructions for providing virtual public comments are here. The agenda is posted here: https://www.nmlegis.gov/agendas/RHMCageSep13.24.pdf Discussion topics include: uranium enrichment; WIPP Operations, Expansion, Storage and Shipments of Transuranic Waste and the Proposed Clean Energy Project at WIPP (Don Hancock of SRIC, DOE and NMED will each present); Setbacks from Oil & Gas Operations; Produced Water and Water Reuse; and public comments.
  3. The video of the Saturday, September 7th Forum on Nuclear Strategy: Disarmament and Deterrence in a Dangerous World at UNM is now available at: https://www.youtube.com/@iacsusc
  4. September 1st through September 30th – the Sierra Club Grassroots Network Nuclear Free Team concludes its first Nuclear FREE Film Series with the powerful independent film – ATOMIC BAMBOOZLE: THE FALSE PROMISES OF A NUCLEAR RENAISSANCE. Watch the film – FREE OF CHARGE – followed by a live webinar on September 30th with the filmmaker and stellar panel moderated by Mike Carberry, Co-Chair, Sierra Club Nuclear Free Team. The 46-minute film available on Eventive – free with registration. https://scnuclearfree.eventive.org/welcome#!
  5. Friday, August 30 through September – 58 years: a retrospective of works by Cathie Sullivan at El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe, 555 Camino de La Familia, Santa Fe. Opening on August 30 from 5 to 7 pm. The exhibit includes 57 oil paintings, drawings and limited edition silkscreen prints, three bronzes, 20 animal carvings and hand and digitally printed note cards. 80% of sale proceeds will be donated to Amigos Del Parque, Nuclear Watch NM and El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe. https://www.elmuseocultural.org/exhibit/csretro-24

Numerous Global Calls for Two Weeks of Action on Nuclear Weapons and Climate in September

http://nuclearactive.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/CCNSUpdate090624mc.mp3

Many local, regional and international non-governmental organizations are organizing live and virtual actions in recognition of the International Day of Peace on Saturday, September 21st and you can join in these efforts. From the “No Money for Nuclear Weapons” Week of Action headed by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons https://www.icanw.org/week_of_action to the Warhead to Windmills Coalition (the Coalition) https://warheadstowindmills.org/ , small and large actions will be taking place around the world.

A small number of corporations profit from fossil fuels and nuclear weapons and spend millions on lobbying, elections and propaganda to maintain their control over Congress and the White House. We’ve called attention to their tactics before, through boycotts, divestment and shaming, and we can do it again!

The Coalition’s contribution to the international movement is to target seven of the top nuclear weapons companies and seven of the top fossil fuel companies during the two weeks: tackling one a day. You can join coordinated live actions at corporate headquarters and facilities, or contact the corporate entities and local media with urgent demands, such as divest and boycott, and have your city, bank, school, faith community, or organization do the same.

The Coalition reminds us what we all already know: the “continued burning of fossil fuels will make this world uninhabitable within a few decades. A nuclear war would make this world uninhabitable in a few minutes. We must end our addiction to fossil fuels and nuclear weapons before it is too late.” To learn more, go to https://warheadstowindmills.org/events/

The Coalition’s action on nuclear weapons begins on Monday, September 16th with the corporate target focused on Huntington Ingalls Industries. On Tuesday, September 17th the target is L3Harris Fast Forward. On Wednesday, September 18th the target is General Dynamics. The Thursday, September 19th target is RTX Raytheon Technologies. The Friday, September 20th target is Boeing. Honeywell is the target for the International Day of Peace on Saturday, September 21st. Lockheed Martin is the target for Sunday, September 22nd and is one of the major contractors to modernize the intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs.

Action on fossil fuels begins on Monday, September 23rd with the target focused on Shell; Tuesday, September 24th is Phillips 66; Wednesday, September 25 is BP; Thursday, September 26 is Chevron; Friday, September 27th is ExxonMobil; and on Saturday, September 28th is Koch (which is the second largest privately held corporation in the U.S. with more than 13,000 employees worldwide). The week of action ends on Sunday, September 29th with Energy Transfer [formerly, Energy Transfer Partners].

Events are being organized in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, New Mexico. Stay tuned for more information. Better yet, organize your own event at a facility or office near you.

  1. Friday, September 6th at noon at the intersection of West 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!
  2. September 1st through September 30th – the Sierra Club Grassroots Network Nuclear Free Team concludes its first Nuclear FREE Film Series with the powerful independent film – ATOMIC BAMBOOZLE: THE FALSE PROMISES OF A NUCLEAR RENAISSANCE. Watch the film – FREE OF CHARGE – followed by a live webinar on September 30th with the filmmaker and stellar panel moderated by Mike Carberry, Co-Chair, Sierra Club Nuclear Free Team. 46-minute film available on Eventive – free with registration. https://scnuclearfree.eventive.org/welcome#!
  3. Saturday, September 7th from 1:45 to 5 pm at the University of New Mexico – Forum on Nuclear Strategy: Disarmament and Deterrence in a Dangerous World. Registration at: https://dornsife.usc.edu/iacs/nuclearevent/

A project from the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at USC, the Endowed Chair of Roman Catholic Studies at the University of New Mexico, and UNM’s Religious Studies Program. For more information and a list of participants, go to: https://dornsife.usc.edu/iacs/nuclearproject/

  1. Tuesday, September 10, 2024 – Comment Period Extended about the Second Five-Year Report about the DOE/Sandia Mixed Waste Landfill. For information about the hazards, leaks and threats of not removing the waste from the unlined Mixed Waste Landfill (MWL), visit the Citizen Action New Mexico website at: https://www.radfreenm.org/index.php

To review the public notice and administrative information about the MWL, go to the New Mexico Environment Department: https://www.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/snl-mwl-2/

In your comments, provide your name and address and reference: SNL – MWL Second Five-Year Report, December 2023. A sample public comment letter developed by Demand Nuclear Abolition is available here: MWL letter Rev. 1 August 2024

Submit them through: https://nmed.commentinput.com/comment/search under 60-Day Comment Period: Sandia National Labs Mixed Waste Landfill Second Five-Year Report, or email them to:

Neelam Dhawan, Acting Program Manager

NMED – Hazardous Waste Bureau

2905 Rodeo Park Drive East, Bldg. 1

Santa Fe, NM 87505-6303

Email: neelam.dhawan@env.nm.gov

Phone: 505-476-6000

  1. September 16th to 22nd Week of Action: Nuclear Weapons – Pressure the Corporate Profiteers – Boycotts, Divestment and Shaming. For more information: https://warheadstowindmills.org/events/. Local NM events are being planned now.

September 16th to 22nd Week of Action: No Money for Nuclear Weapons. For more information: https://www.icanw.org/week_of_action Read the 2-page briefing paper on Nuclear Weapons Spending. https://assets.nationbuilder.com/ican/pages/4013/attachments/original/1718960414/2pager_on_nuclear_spending_%281%29.pdf?1718960414

  1. September 23rd to 29th Week of Action: Fossil Fuels – Pressure the Corporate Profiteers – Boycotts, Divestment and Shaming. For more information: https://warheadstowindmills.org/events/. Local NM events are being planned now.
  2. **Friday, August 30 through September – 58 years: a retrospective of works by Cathie Sullivan at El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe, 555 Camino de La Familia, Santa Fe. **Opening on August 30 from 5 to 7 pm. The exhibit includes 57 oil paintings, drawings and limited edition silkscreen prints, three bronzes, 20 animal carvings and hand and digitally printed note cards. 80% of sale proceeds will be donated to Amigos Del Parque, Nuclear Watch NM and El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe. https://www.elmuseocultural.org/exhibit/csretro-24

IPPNW Co-President Carlos Umaña Explores Making Nuclear Weapons Taboo

http://nuclearactive.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/CCNSUpdate083024mc.mp3

“When the Cold War ended in 1991 and the Doomsday Clock was at its furthest from midnight, the world sighed in relief… . It was a moment of hope where many believed this low tension between the military and economic powers of the world would lead to peace talks and nuclear disarmament.. . . So, why didn’t nuclear disarmament happen when the iron curtain fell?. . .” This question is at the center of “Making Nuclear Weapons Taboo,” an August 2024 address by Dr. Carlos Umaña, Co-President of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW).

Dr. Umaña answers the question by saying, “Simply put, nuclear weapons had become a status symbol. . . . Nukes had become the currency of power, and this did not change when the so-called superpowers lost their main reason to threaten each other.” Dr. Umaña proposes that possession of nuclear weapons has a social value that society can alter. He uses the example of a bag of gold coins found in a forest to show that society bestows arbitrary value or “currency” on things. He says,

“. . .we hold on to them [the coins] because we have learned that they have value, and once we find our way to civilization, they will allow us to do a great deal of things. . .Their inherent value, what they can do for us by themselves, isn’t great, but their given value, what we have decided they can do for us, is very high.”

Dr. Umaña goes on to say that the belief that nuclear weapons are advantageous is international. The way to abolish weapons is to stigmatize them, make them taboo. This method has changed other human behavior, like slavery, and also some weapons of mass destruction such as chemical and biological weapons. He says, “[W]e will be able to get rid of nuclear weapons when they are universally condemned, when the nuclear status is not a subject of praise, but of scorn.”

To discuss how values can be changed in practice, Dr. Umaña adopts the image of concentric circles that he attributes to Professor Treasa Duckworth, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Law of the University of Auckland, in conversation with Tim Wright of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN): progress against nuclear weapons being held in esteem can occur first in the outer ring of weapon-free countries, then in countries under the “nuclear umbrella,” and finally in the center ring, the U.S. and Russia.

Dr. Umaña concludes, “The international community will be able to get rid of nuclear weapons when the world finally agrees to see nuclear weapon states not as nuclear powers, but as nuclear liabilities.”

IPPNW Co-President Carlos Umaña is a general practitioner, former local health director, and epidemiological surveillance officer with the Costa Rican Ministry of Health. Dr. Umaña is on the ICAN International Steering Group and is president of IPPNW Costa Rica.

To read Dr. Umaña’s full speech, go to: https://peaceandhealthblog.com/2024/08/26/making-nuclear-weapons-taboo/

Did You Know about this job opening?

The Multicultural Alliance for a Safe Environment is seeking a new Coordinator.

Position is located in New Mexico.

Send Resume, writing sample and three references to sgordon@swuraniumimpacts.org

Position posted on 7/29

Deadline for application 9/1

Did You Know about these events?

  1. Friday, August 30th at noon at the intersection of West 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.!
  2. Saturday, August 10th through Saturday, August 31st – 2024 Oppenheimer Festival at SALA, 2551 Central Avenue, Los Alamos, NM. Schedules and tickets: https://sala.losalamos.com/
  3. Friday, August 30 through September – 58 years: a retrospective of works by Cathie Sullivan at El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe, 555 Camino de La Familia, Santa Fe. Opening on August 30 from 5 to 7 pm. The exhibit includes 57 oil paintings, drawings and limited edition silkscreen prints, three bronzes, 20 animal carvings and hand and digitally printed note cards. 80% of sale proceeds will be donated to Amigos Del Parque, Nuclear Watch NM and El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe. https://www.elmuseocultural.org/exhibit/csretro-24
  4. Wednesday, September 4th from 6 to 7 pm MT – Planet in Peril! A National Actioner – Warheads to Windmills – by Massachusetts Peace Action with speakers Kathy Kelly and Dr. Ira Helfand. Register at: https://secure.everyaction.com/iGJAyy3mtkOuHnrWcH0b9g2

Join the actioner to learn about the two weeks in September 2024 to Pressure the Corporations putting Profit ahead of People and Planet. Participate in the September 2024 Days of Action for a nuclear weapons and fossil fuel free world.

September 16 -22 – Nuclear Weapons

September 23 – 29 – Fossil Fuels

https://masspeaceaction.org/event/planet-in-peril-a-national-actionar/

  1. Saturday, September 7th from 1:45 to 5 pm at the University of New Mexico – Forum on Nuclear Strategy: Disarmament and Deterrence in a Dangerous World. Registration at: https://dornsife.usc.edu/iacs/nuclearevent/ A project from the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at USC, the Endowed Chair of Roman Catholic Studies at the University of New Mexico, and UNM’s Religious Studies Program. For more information and a list of participants, go to: https://dornsife.usc.edu/iacs/nuclearproject/
  2. Tuesday, September 10, 2024 – Comment Period Extended about the Second Five-Year Report about the DOE/Sandia Mixed Waste Landfill. For information about the hazards, leaks and threats of not removing the waste from the unlined Mixed Waste Landfill (MWL), visit the Citizen Action New Mexico website at: https://www.radfreenm.org/index.php

To review the public notice and administrative information about the MWL, go to the New Mexico Environment Department: https://www.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/snl-mwl-2/

In your comments, provide your name and address and reference: SNL – MWL Second Five-Year Report, December 2023. A sample public comment letter developed by Demand Nuclear Abolition is available here: MWL letter Rev. 1 August 2024

Submit them through: https://nmed.commentinput.com/comment/search under 60-Day Comment Period: Sandia National Labs Mixed Waste Landfill Second Five-Year Report, or email them to:

Neelam Dhawan, Acting Program Manager

NMED – Hazardous Waste Bureau

2905 Rodeo Park Drive East, Bldg. 1

Santa Fe, NM 87505-6303

Email: neelam.dhawan@env.nm.gov

Phone: 505-476-6000

  1. September 16th to 22nd Week of Action: Nuclear Weapons – Pressure the Corporate Profiteers – Boycotts, Divestment and Shaming. For more information: https://warheadstowindmills.org/events/. Local NM events are being planned now.
  2. September 23rd to 29th Week of Action: Fossil Fuels – Pressure the Corporate Profiteers – Boycotts, Divestment and Shaming. For more information: https://warheadstowindmills.org/events/. Local NM events are being planned now.

Proposed Expansion of WIPP Topic of EPA Meetings in Carlsbad and Santa Fe Next Week

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On Wednesday evening the Stop Forever WIPP Coalition held a webinar to alert people about the opportunity to voice their concerns to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) next week about the Department of Energy (DOE) proposal to expand the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). DOE wants to keep WIPP open until at least 2083 for disposal of radioactive and hazardous wastes generated from fabricating triggers, or pits, for nuclear weapons at Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. PCR Webinar 082124 final

Public meetings will be held on August 26th and August 28th.

The first public meeting will take place on Monday, August 26th from 2 to 4 pm at the DOE’s Carlsbad Field Office, 4021 National Parks Highway.

The second meeting will be a technical meeting among experts, regulators and the public. It will take place on Wednesday, August 28th from 1 to 3 pm in Santa Fe in the Canyon Ballroom at the Hilton Santa Fe at 100 Sandoval Street.

The third meeting also will take place in the Canyon Ballroom from 6 to 8 pm for EPA to receive public comments.

EPA has two ways to decide about whether to grant DOE’s expansion request. Both provide opportunity for public comments. One way is to conduct an informal, internal decision process. The other is to conduct a rulemaking after which EPA’s decision is subject to appeal to the courts.

The Stop Forever WIPP Coalition believes the DOE’s proposal is a significant change that requires a full rulemaking as argued in a legal memorandum they submitted to EPA in June. EPA Letter and Memo 062424

To comply with EPA’s disposal regulations, DOE must demonstrate that WIPP will contain the plutonium-contaminated waste for 10,000 years.

In the spring of 2024, DOE submitted its planned change request and EPA responded with pages of questions. DOE says there’s no problem, but has not yet answered all of the questions. EPA says DOE’s data is insufficient, unclear, unreliable, only 50 percent supported, and completely missing in many key areas. https://www.epa.gov/radiation/wipp-news#WIPP-PCR

The Coalition has additional questions for EPA and DOE, including

  1. How will the massively increased oil and gas drilling activities around WIPP affect WIPP’s containment now and into the future?
  2. How will fracking-induced earthquakes and injected produced water affect WIPP’s integrity now and in the future?

Additional questions are available at https://stopforeverwipp.org/

For more information, visit Stop Forever WIPP at https://stopforeverwipp.org/ and the EPA’s WIPP Planned Change Request webpage at https://www.epa.gov/radiation/wipp-news#WIPP-PCR .

  1. Friday, August 23rd at noon at the intersection of West Alameda and Sandoval for the weekly one-hour peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament. Bring your flags, signs and banners. Join the weekly peaceful protest with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others.
  2. Saturday, August 10th through Saturday, August 31st – 2024 Oppenheimer Festival at SALA, 2551 Central Avenue, Los Alamos, NM. Schedules and tickets: https://sala.losalamos.com/
  3. Thursday, August 29 from 11:30 am to 1 pm MT – DOE’s Consent-Based Siting Consortia for a Discussion on Expanding the National Conversation on Spent Nuclear Fuel webinar. The fifth installment is entitled, “Amplify & Elevate: Expanding the National Conversation on Spent Nuclear Fuel,” with Dr. Vincent Ialenti, Social Scientist, and Maria Morales, Acting Director, both with the DOE Office of Consent-Based Siting. Register at: https://pnnl.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_AI4bnD-uQiWugE_zrORtfQ Submit your questions to consentbasedsiting@hq.doe.gov
  4. Friday, August 30 through September – 58 years: a retrospective of works by Cathie Sullivan at El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe, 555 Camino de La Familia, Santa Fe. Opening on August 30 from 5 to 7 pm. The exhibit includes 57 oil paintings, drawings and limited edition silkscreen prints, three bronzes, 20 animal carvings and hand and digitally printed note cards. 80% of sale proceeds will be donated to Amigos Del Parque, Nuclear Watch NM and El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe. https://www.elmuseocultural.org/exhibit/csretro-24
  5. Tuesday, September 10, 2024 – Comment Period Extended about the Second Five-Year Report about the DOE/Sandia Mixed Waste Landfill. For information about the hazards, leaks and threats of not removing the waste from the unlined Mixed Waste Landfill (MWL), visit the Citizen Action New Mexico website at: https://www.radfreenm.org/index.phpTo review the public notice and administrative information about the MWL, go to the New Mexico Environment Department: https://www.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/snl-mwl-2/

In your comments, provide your name and address and reference: SNL – MWL Second Five-Year Report, December 2023. A sample public comment letter developed by Demand Nuclear Abolition is available here: MWL letter Rev. 1 August 2024

Submit them through: https://nmed.commentinput.com/comment/search under 60-Day Comment Period: Sandia National Labs Mixed Waste Landfill Second Five-Year Report, or email them to:

Neelam Dhawan, Acting Program Manager

NMED – Hazardous Waste Bureau

2905 Rodeo Park Drive East, Bldg. 1

Santa Fe, NM 87505-6303

Email: neelam.dhawan@env.nm.gov

Phone: 505-476-6000

  1. September 16th to 22nd Week of Action: Nuclear Weapons – Pressure the Corporate Profiteers – Boycotts, Divestment and Shaming. For more information: https://warheadstowindmills.org/events/. Local NM events are being planned now.
  2. September 23rd to 29th Week of Action: Fossil Fuels – Pressure the Corporate Profiteers – Boycotts, Divestment and Shaming. For more information: https://warheadstowindmills.org/events/. Local NM events are being planned now.

Congressman Garamendi Asks “Why does America need nuclear weapons?”

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On August 13th, U.S. Congressman John Garamendi of California delivered a speech at the United States Strategic Command 2024 Strategic Deterrence Amidst Global Transformation Symposium in which he asked “Why?” as in “Why does America need nuclear weapons?” and mostly importantly asked, “How do we deter in a way that ensures there is a tomorrow worth protecting? Must we continue a 50-year-old triad strategy without considering the alternatives? Why, why are we stuck in a logic silo with the blast door closed?” To read Congressman John Garamendi’s (CA-08) full statement, 240813 Garamendi U.S. Strategic Command 2024 Deterrence Symposium Remarks 1

While the focus of the speech was about “Why the Sentinel is a Costly and Dangerous Mistake,” he began by describing the efforts in 1985 of Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, whom he called “two cold warriors at the head of the world’s largest nuclear arsenals.”

Garamendi acknowledged their declaration that “nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought. That declaration was regularly repeated and reaffirmed by the leaders of all five Nuclear Weapon States in 2022. This recognition should be the start and end of every conversation on nuclear weapons.

“Nevertheless, nuclear powers, since the advent of the Cold War, instead seem to have concluded that deterrence requires more nuclear weapons of every kind than the adversary. … but ignores the most important question: WHY?

“Leadership requires the rigorous use of that three-letter word, Why. We must avoid blind adherence to yesterday’s decisions. In today’s discussion, that means asking what is sufficient for nuclear deterrence. Looking at past strategies and relying on past assumptions isn’t enough. Old cold-war mentalities will create unacceptable costs, rob us of alternatives, and place us in even greater danger. Instead, we must think boldly and not repeat the problems of our history. …

“So, let us ask a foundational question: Why does America need nuclear weapons? …

“Leaders like Reagan, JFK, Eisenhower, Carter, and Obama knew that nuclear weapons could end civilization and, with those heavy moral and ethical considerations in mind, negotiated significant safety measures and a serious reduction in nuclear weapons.

“These leaders demonstrated vision and commitment. They knew that war was not an option, so they had to create a vision for a safer future. Unfortunately, too many today shrug their shoulders and say the time for negations is not now. Which brings us to yet another question…Why not try? Over the next 30 years, we will spend almost 2 trillion dollars on our nuclear weapons… what if we spent just 1% on diplomatic and risk reduction efforts?”

To read Congressman John Garamendi (CA-08) full statement, 240813 Garamendi U.S. Strategic Command 2024 Deterrence Symposium Remarks 1

  1. Friday, August 16th at noon at the intersection of West Alameda and Sandoval for the weekly one-hour peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament. Bring your flags, signs and banners. Join the weekly peaceful protest with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others.
  2. Tuesday, August 13th by 5 pm MT – Comment Period Extended to September 10, 2024 about the Second Five-Year Report about the DOE/Sandia Mixed Waste Landfill. For information about the hazards, leaks and threats of not removing the waste from the unlined Mixed Waste Landfill (MWL), visit the Citizen Action New Mexico website at: https://www.radfreenm.org/index.php

To review the public notice and administrative information about the MWL, go to the New Mexico Environment Department: https://www.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/snl-mwl-2/

In your comments, provide your name and address and reference: SNL – MWL Second Five-Year Report, December 2023.

Submit them to:

Neelam Dhawan, Acting Program Manager

NMED – Hazardous Waste Bureau

2905 rodeo Park Drive East, Bldg. 1

Santa Fe, NM 87505-6303

Email: neelam.dhawan@env.nm.gov

Phone: 505-476-6000

  1. Saturday, August 10th through Saturday, August 31st – 2024 Oppenheimer Festival at SALA, 2551 Central Avenue, Los Alamos, NM. Schedules and tickets: https://sala.losalamos.com/
  2. Wednesday, August 21st from 6 to 8 pm – Virtual educational webinar about DOE’s plans to double the size of the WIPP underground disposal site. Don Hancock, the Director of the Southwest Research and Information Center Nuclear Waste Program http://sric.org/ , and Doug Meiklejohn, the Water Quality and Land Restoration Advocate at Conservation Voters of New Mexico https://cvnm.org/ , will present about the DOE Planned Change Request, EPA’s decision making process, and how you can help stop WIPP expansion. Zoom registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZckdu2urzovG9HUHimFBKcTho4p_amGvt8L#/registration

The informational webinar will prepare you to provide public comments at the EPA’s Carlsbad and Santa Fe meetings. Details below:

  1. On Monday, August 26th from 2 to 4 pm at the DOE’s Carlsbad Field Office, 4021 National Parks Highway, EPA will host its in person and virtual meeting about the DOE’s Planned Change Request meeting. Zoom registration link: https://usepa.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsdeiqrTwpHUkjZ1z_djiz7fqgYMDqcc8
  2. On Wednesday, August 28th from 1 to 3 pm in the Canyon Ballroom at the Hilton Santa Fe-Historic Plaza, 100 Sandoval Street in Santa Fe, EPA will host an in-person and virtual technical meeting among experts about planned changed request. The public is invited to observe. Zoom registration link: https://usepa.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsdOyqqjosG2w3uwOoOk4UNSxZwyXxE2s
  3. On Wednesday, August 28th from 6 to 8 pm in the Canyon Ballroom at the Hilton Santa Fe-Historic Plaza, 100 Sandoval Street in Santa Fe, EPA will host an in-person and virtual public meeting and receive comments about DOE’s Planned Change Request. Zoom registration link: https://usepa.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsdumqrzIvHZWmhyQ_Jh7EBe1EcgTmi5Y
  4. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE EPA’s New Mexico MEETINGS ABOUT DOE’S PLANNED CHANGE REQUEST – AND POSSIBLY UPDATED LINKS, visit:

https://www.epa.gov/radiation/wipp-news#WIPP-PCR

https://stopforeverwipp.org/ and

http://nuclearactive.org/epa-public-meetings-about-wipp-expansion-august-26th-in-carlsbad-and-august-28th-in-santa-fe/

  1. Friday, August 30 through September – 58 years: retrospective exhibit of works by Cathie Sullivan at El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe, 555 Camino de La Familia, Santa Fe. Opening on August 30 from 5 to 7 pm. The exhibit includes 57 oil paintings, drawings and limited edition silk screen prints, three bronzes, 20 animal carvings and hand and digitally printed note cards. 80% of sale proceeds will be donated to Amigos Del Parque, Nuclear Watch NM and El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe. https://www.elmuseocultural.org/

EPA Public Meetings about WIPP Expansion: August 26th in Carlsbad and August 28th in Santa Fe

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The Department of Energy (DOE) wants to expand its operations at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) for plutonium-contaminated waste from the fabrication of nuclear weapons. In March, DOE submitted a Planned Change Request to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) seeking permission to mine and operate two underground disposal panels in the WIPP underground disposal facility. EPA wants to hear from you and is hosting public meetings in Carlsbad and Santa Fe the week of August 26th. https://www.epa.gov/radiation/wipp-news#WIPP-PCR

EPA has one of two ways to decide whether to grant permission. One is through an internal administrative process. The second is through a legal rulemaking that allows the public to present legal challenges to the decision. A full rulemaking and a comprehensive review of the risks from DOE’s proposed changes is the only way to ensure nuclear safety.

Further, DOE wants to significantly expand the WIPP underground with Panels 11 and 12 and eventually mine seven additional panels – Panels 13 through 19 – to bring new types of waste to WIPP, including surplus plutonium. As a result EPA requested additional scientific data and information about how seven new panels and new types of waste would affect WIPP’s ability to contain the waste for 10,000 years.

To help you prepare public comments, the Stop Forever WIPP Coalition is hosting a virtual educational webinar on Wednesday, August 21st from 6 to 8 pm. Don Hancock, the Director of the Southwest Research and Information Center Nuclear Waste Program http://sric.org/ , and Doug Meiklejohn, the Water Quality and Land Restoration Advocate at Conservation Voters of New Mexico https://cvnm.org/ , will present about the DOE Planned Change Request, EPA’s decision making process, and how you can help stop WIPP expansion. Zoom registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZckdu2urzovG9HUHimFBKcTho4p_amGvt8L#/registration

The informational webinar will prepare you to provide public comments at the in-person and virtual EPA meeting on Monday, August 26th from 2 to 4 pm at the DOE’s Carlsbad Field Office, 4021 National Parks Highway. Zoom registration link: https://usepa.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsdeiqrTwpHUkjZ1z_djiz7fqgYMDqcc8

On Wednesday, August 28th from 1 to 3 pm in Santa Fe, EPA will host an in-person and virtual technical meeting among experts about planned changed request. The public is invited to observe. Zoom registration link: https://usepa.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsdOyqqjosG2w3uwOoOk4UNSxZwyXxE2s

From 6 to 8 pm EPA will host an in-person and virtual public meeting and receive comments about DOE’s Planned Change Request. https://usepa.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsdumqrzIvHZWmhyQ_Jh7EBe1EcgTmi5Y

Both Santa Fe meetings will take place in the Canyon Ballroom at the Hilton Santa Fe-Historic Plaza, 100 Sandoval Street.

  1. Friday, August 9th at 11 am on the Santa Fe Plaza – A Hiroshima and Nagasaki Commemoration Event with speakers and songs by the Raging Grannies. Join in on the singing.

At 11:45 am we’ll walk to the intersection of West Alameda and Sandoval for the weekly one-hour peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament. Bring your flags, signs and banners. Join the weekly peaceful protest with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others.

  1. Monday, August 5th through Friday, August 9th – NM Water Quality Control Commission public hearing about reuse of fracking “produced water” waste continues. https://www.defendnmwater.org/

Tuesday, August 6th through Friday, August 9th: public comment from 9 to 10 am and 1 to 2 pm.

For more information:

NOTICE OF CONTINUATION OF PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE NEW MEXICO ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT’S PROPOSED WATER

REUSE REGULATIONS, GROUND AND SURFACE WATER PROTECTION – SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS FOR WATER REUSE (20.6.8 NMAC)

The Public Hearing for proposed supplemental water reuse regulations will continue in-person in Room 322 at the New Mexico State Capitol, 411 S. Capitol Street, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and via the WebEx video conferencing platform beginning on Monday, August 5, 2024, at 9:00 a.m.

and continuing as necessary. Detailed information concerning the time and location can be found on the New Mexico Environment Department’s (“NMED’s”) Event Calendar at

https://www.env.nm.gov/events-calendar/ . Please visit the WQCC website prior to the hearing for any updates at https://www.env.nm.gov/opf/water-quality-control-commission/.

  1. Thursday, August 8th from 5:30 to 7 pm – New Mexico Environment Department virtual public meeting about its nomination of certain surface waters of New Mexico as Outstanding National Resource Waters (ONRWs). Opportunities to ask questions and provide comments.

The draft nomination, amended regulatory language, and additional information are available on the NMED website (https://www.env.nm.gov/surface-water-quality/2024onrw/). The SWQB is holding a public comment period on the nomination and amended regulatory language through August 19, 2024, at 5:00 PM MDT.If you have any questions or to submit comments, please contact Michael Baca, WQS Coordinator, NMED SWQB, P.O. Box 5469, Santa Fe, NM, 87502, michael.baca1@env.nm.gov or (505) 470-1652.

  1. Tuesday, August 13th by 5 pm MT – Comments about the Second Five-Year Report about the DOE/Sandia Mixed Waste Landfill. For information about the hazards, leaks and threats of not removing the waste from the unlined Mixed Waste Landfill (MWL), visit the Citizen Action New Mexico website at: https://www.radfreenm.org/index.php

To review the public notice and administrative information about the MWL, go to the New Mexico Environment Department: https://www.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/snl-mwl-2/

In your comments, provide your name and address and reference: SNL – MWL Second Five-Year Report, December 2023.

Submit them to:

Neelam Dhawan, Acting Program Manager

NMED – Hazardous Waste Bureau

2905 rodeo Park Drive East, Bldg. 1

Santa Fe, NM 87505-6303

Email: neelam.dhawan@env.nm.gov

Phone: 505-476-6000

Thank you!

  1. Wednesday, August 14th from 7 am to 2 pm MT – Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) – Observe the public hearing focused on aging safety infrastructure. This public hearing will benchmark best practices in the management of aging safety infrastructure to inform the development of potential safety improvements to the DOE’s programs. The hearing will explore insights and experience from the NRC, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, NASA, GAO and American Nuclear Society. https://www.dnfsb.gov/aging-infrastructure-management

The hearing will be accessible via live stream through the website at www.dnfsb.gov. The DNFSB will accept written statements, which can be submitted to hearing@dnfsb.gov.

Join us on Friday, August 9th at 11 am for a Hiroshima and Nagasaki Commemoration Event on the Santa Fe Plaza

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All are welcome to join the Veterans For Peace, New Mexico PeaceFests and Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety on Friday, August 9th at 11 am on the Santa Fe Plaza to commemorate the events leading up to the U.S. bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan in early August 1945.

Near the end of World War II, on August 6th, 1945, the United States dropped a uranium atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. It was the first use of an atomic weapon in war. Its codename was “Little Boy.” It is estimated that between 90,000 and 140,000 people in Hiroshima died, the majority were civilians.

Three days later, on August 9th, 1945, the United States dropped a plutonium atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan with the codename “Fat Man.” An estimated 60,000 to 80,000 people in Nagasaki were killed, including residents, undocumented foreign workers and military personnel.

The magnitude of death, horror and agony from the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki showed the world that nuclear weapons must never be used again.

At 11 am on the Santa Fe Plaza, we will come together to sing songs of peace and against nuclear weapons, to honor the victims and survivors of nuclear bombs development, testing and use around the world. We will vow to never allow another nuclear atrocity.

At 11:45 am we’ll walk to the intersection of West Alameda and Sandoval for the weekly peaceful protest, which lasts until 1 pm. We’ll display the Veterans for Peace flags, our banners that read, “Nuclear Weapons Are Illegal,” “A World Without Nuclear Weapons,” and banners with the words of the Pope about nuclear weapons being immoral. We’ll also display the Plutonium Caravan banner and signs that state that the nuclear weapons ban treaty, or the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, is now in force.

It has been 79 years since those atrocities occurred. Now some world leaders are saying the silent part out loud and urging the use of nuclear weapons to resolve conflicts.

Please join us on the Plaza and at the intersection of West Alameda and Sandoval as we work together for peace in this world.

  1. Friday, August 2nd at noon to 1 pm – Join the weekly peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament on the four corners of Alameda and Sandoval in downtown Santa Fe with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others.
  2. New Mexico Water Planning Open Houses sponsored by the Office of the State Engineer, Interstate Stream Commission. For more information about how to help establish a roadmap for the future water planning in New Mexico: https://mainstreamnm.org/

Mon. August 5 – Region 6 – Northwest New Mexico

Tues. August 6 – Region 2 – San Juan

Wed. August 7 – Region 12 – Middle Rio Grande

  1. Monday, August 5th through Friday, August 9th – NM Water Quality Control Commission public hearing about reuse of fracking “produced water” waste continues. https://www.defendnmwater.org/ Justin Noble, author of Petroleum 238, will testify on Tuesday, August 6th.

Monday, August 5th: public comment from 1 to 2 pm and 5 to 6 pm

Tuesday, August 6th through Friday, August 9th: public comment from 9 to 10 am and 1 to 2 pm.

For more information:

NOTICE OF CONTINUATION OF PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE NEW MEXICO ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT’S PROPOSED WATER

REUSE REGULATIONS, GROUND AND SURFACE WATER PROTECTION – SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS FOR WATER REUSE (20.6.8 NMAC)

The Public Hearing for proposed supplemental water reuse regulations will continue in-person in Room 322 at the New Mexico State Capitol, 411 S. Capitol Street, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and via the WebEx video conferencing platform beginning on Monday, August 5, 2024, at 9:00 a.m.

and continuing as necessary. Detailed information concerning the time and location can be found on the New Mexico Environment Department’s (“NMED’s”) Event Calendar at

https://www.env.nm.gov/events-calendar/ . Please visit the WQCC website prior to the hearing for any updates at https://www.env.nm.gov/opf/water-quality-control-commission/.

  1. Tuesday, August 6th – Back from the Brink events. For more information: https://preventnuclearwar.org/

2024 Nuclear Prayer Day for a World Free of Nuclear Weapons on the 79th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan): Reflection, Hope and Action. https://www.voices-uri.org/nuclear-prayer-day

From Trinity to Nagasaki: Honor Victims with Action this Summer. https://preventnuclearwar.org/from-trinity-to-nagasaki-honor-victims-with-action-this-summer/

  1. Tuesday, August 6th at 5 pm MT – Nuclear Waste: Out of Sight, Out of Mind? – a virtual presentation by Dr. Gordon Edwards, President of the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility (CCNR), about the dangerous flaws inherent in Canada’s proposed deep geological repository for storing high-level nuclear waste…forever. To register for the Seniors for Climate Action NOW! presentation, go to Nuclear Waste: Out of Sight, Out of Mind?
  2. Thursday, August 8th from 5:30 to 7 pm – New Mexico Environment Department virtual public meeting about its nomination of certain surface waters of New Mexico as Outstanding National Resource Waters (ONRWs). Opportunities to ask questions and provide comments.

The draft nomination, amended regulatory language, and additional information are available on the NMED website (https://www.env.nm.gov/surface-water-quality/2024onrw/). The SWQB is holding a public comment period on the nomination and amended regulatory language through August 19, 2024, at 5:00 PM MDT.

If you have any questions or to submit comments, please contact Michael Baca, WQS Coordinator, NMED SWQB, P.O. Box 5469, Santa Fe, NM, 87502, michael.baca1@env.nm.gov or (505) 470-1652.

  1. Monday, August 26th from 2 to 4 pm – EPA meeting about DOE’s Planned Change Request for WIPP Replacement Panels 11 and 12. Meeting location: S. Department of Energy, Carlsbad Field Office, Skeen-Whitlock Building, Main Auditorium, 4021 National Parks Highway, Carlsbad, NM. https://www.epa.gov/radiation/wipp-news#WIPP-PCR
  2. Wednesday, August 28th from 1 to 3 pm (technical meeting) and from 6 to 8 pm public meetings about DOE’s Planned Change Request for WIPP Replacement Panels 11 and 12. Meeting location: Hilton Santa Fe-Historic Plaza, 100 Sandoval Street, Canyon Ballroom, Santa Fe, NM.

Background on WIPP Planned Change Request: Replacement Panels 11 and 12

On March 14, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency received the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) letter transmitting its Planned Change Request (PCR) for the use of Replacement Panels 11 and 12 in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). This PCR serves as an official request from DOE for EPA approval, as outlined in the Agency’s WIPP Compliance Criteria (40 CFR Part 194).

The 2014 incident at WIPP and its subsequent impacts at the facility resulted in a loss of underground disposal capacity, mainly due to closures in the southern portion of the repository. With this submittal, DOE is proposing to add replacement panels 11 and 12 to recover the lost disposal capacity of approximately two panels. These panels were previously approved by the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) under their hazardous waste permit in October 2023.

The Agency is currently reviewing and evaluating the PCR and supporting documentation, both for completeness and technical adequacy. EPA is reviewing the Performance Assessment (PA) calculations included with the DOE request. EPA’s decision on the DOE request will be made based on whether the submitted information indicates that the WIPP will remain in compliance with EPA’s radioactive waste disposal standards (40 CFR Part 191) with the inclusion of replacement panels 11 and 12. https://www.epa.gov/radiation/wipp-news#WIPP-PCR

Public comments due on September 16, 2024.

Archbishop Wester’s Statement to the DOE, NNSA and EM at July 22nd Town Hall

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Santa Fe Archbishop John Wester wrote a statement for last Monday’s Town Hall concerning plutonium pit production at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) hosted by National Nuclear Security Administrator Jill Hruby and the Department of Energy (DOE) Senior Advisor of the Office of Environmental Management, Candice Robertson. Jay Coghlan, of Nuclear Watch New Mexico, read the Archbishop’s statement aloud. https://nukewatch.org/

The Buffalo Thunder event drew over 500 people in person and online, possibly more than attended the Town Hall held at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center on April 4, 2023. http://nuclearactive.org/nnsa-and-doe-officials-will-be-in-santa-fe-on-tuesday-april-4th-to-answer-your-questions/

“Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I’m John C. Wester, the Catholic Archbishop of Santa Fe. I regret that I can’t attend this meeting in person. Nuclear weapons were invented here in my Archdiocese. Therefore, I feel a special responsibility to address humanity’s most urgent threat.

“Nuclear disarmament is a right to life issue. No other issue can cause the immediate collapse of civilization. In January 2022 I wrote a pastoral letter in which I traced the Vatican’s evolution from its uneasy conditional acceptance of so-called deterrence to Pope Francis’ declaration that the very possession of nuclear weapons is immoral. https://archdiosf.org/living-in-the-light-of-christs-peace

“Therefore, what does this say about expanded plutonium pit production at the Los Alamos Lab? And what does it say about the obscene amounts of money that are being thrown at pit production, often excused as job creation?

“What does this say about the fact that the [NNSA] is pursuing expanded pit production without providing the public the opportunity to review and comment as required by the National Environmental Policy Act? I specifically call upon NNSA to complete a new LANL Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement.

“In two weeks, I travel to Japan for the 79th atomic bombing anniversaries. The bishops of Santa Fe, Seattle, Hiroshima and Nagasaki have a simple message for world leaders. You utterly failed to begin serious negotiations as required by the 1970 NonProliferation Treaty. In this era, you must demonstrate concrete steps toward multilateral, verifiable nuclear disarmament by the 80th bombing anniversaries a year from now. http://nuclearactive.org/four-archbishops-urge-g7-leaders-to-undertake-concrete-steps-toward-nuclear-disarmament/

“I have a simple message for NNSA and the nuclear weapons labs. You’re very good at creating them. Now show us how smart you are by demonstrating how to get rid of nuclear weapons. Stop this new arms race that threatens all of civilization. Let’s preserve humanity’s potential to manifest God’s divine love toward all beings.

“Yours in Christ’s love,

“John C. Wester, Archbishop of Santa Fe”

For more information:

La Jicarita: The NNSA and DOE get an ear full from the anti-nuke community (July 24, 2024). https://lajicarita.wordpress.com/2024/07/24/the-nnsa-and-doe-get-an-ear-full-from-the-anti-nuke-community/

Santa Fe Reporter: Advocates Pass on Plutonium: New Mexicans speak out against proposed LANL pit production at town hall (July 24, 2024). https://www.sfreporter.com/news/2024/07/24/advocates-pass-on-plutonium/

Be sure to watch the Friday, August 2, 2024 episode of New Mexico In Focus, KNME PBS with Don Hancock, Southwest Research and Information Center, and Myrriah Gomez, Ph.D., author of “Nuclear Nuevo México: Colonialism and the Effects of the Nuclear Industrial Complex on Nuevomexicanos” as they discuss the July 22, 2024 town hall with host Megan Kamerick. https://www.newmexicopbs.org/ at 7 pm Mountain Time.

LANL Town Hall: A town hall held on July 22, 2024 by NSA and OEM on the operation of Los Alamos National Laboratories and the cleanup of nuclear waste at the site. https://www.culturalenergy.org/listenlinks.htm#jul2024

  1. Friday, July 26th at noon – Join the weekly peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament on the four corners of Alameda and Sandoval in downtown Santa Fe with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others.
  2. Thursday, July 25th from 5:30 to 7:30 pm Mountain Time – LANL Environmental Management Sampling & Cleanup Forum. Virtual and in-person event. The focus will be how sampling informs cleanup.

In person: SALA Event Center, 2551 Central Ave., Los Alamos.

Virtual: via Microsoft Teams.

For meeting details, including login information and agenda, visit: https://n3b-la.com/emcf_jul_25_2024/

  1. Saturday, July 27th from 3 to 7 pm Mountain Time – Peacestock ’24 – Settler Colonialism: Then…and Now, in-person and via Zoom, hosted by Veterans for Peace Chapter 27 and Women Against Military Madness. Register for the Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84063977445 https://allevents.in/minneapolis/peacestock-24-settler-colonialism-thenand-now/200026813116051
  2. Tuesday, July 30th from 5:30 to 7:30 pm – WIPP Community Forum & Open House. In person at Skeen-Whitlock Building Auditorium, 4021 National Parks Highway, Carlsbad, NM and virtually.

Agenda: DOE will provide an update on WIPP and the required Legacy TRU Waste Disposal Plan under the NM Environment Department Hazardous Waste Permit for WIPP. Following the updates, an extended question and answer period will be held.

An open house is scheduled following the meeting to allow stakeholders to spend one-on-one time with the WIPP Leadership Team.

https://wipp.energy.gov/wipp_news_20240624.asp

  1. New Mexico Water Planning Open Houses sponsored by the Office of the State Engineer, Interstate Stream Commission. For more information about how to help establish a roadmap for the future water planning in New Mexico: https://mainstreamnm.org/

Mon. August 5 – Region 6 – Northwest New Mexico

Tues. August 6 – Region 2 – San Juan

Wed. August 7 – Region 12 – Middle Rio Grande

  1. Tuesday, August 6th – Back from the Brink events:

2024 Nuclear Prayer Day for a World Free of Nuclear Weapons on the 79th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan): Reflection, Hope and Action. https://www.voices-uri.org/nuclear-prayer-day

From Trinity to Nagasaki: Honor Victims with Action this Summer. https://preventnuclearwar.org/from-trinity-to-nagasaki-honor-victims-with-action-this-summer/

  1. Webinar and Transcript of July 15, 2024 CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING: Radioactive Contamination of U.S. Food and Water and What Congress Can Do About It, hosted by the Fukushima Fallout Awareness Network (FFAN).

For those who registered and were unable to attend, you can watch the full webinar here. The transcript can be found here.

Take action on this crucial issue at the MoveOn (for signature) petition and FDA Citizen Petition (for comment). You’ll find both here https://sign.moveon.org/petitions/keep-harmful-radioactive-1 . This can no longer be status quo; FDA must act now!