Thursday February 21, 2019, 5:30 – 9:00 PM,
Albuquerque Convention Center,
401 2ndSt NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102
What: The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) will hold a public hearing at the Albuquerque Convention Center on February 21, 2019. In the Safety Board’s own words, the goal of the hearing is “to gather information from DOE Field Offices regarding DNFSB interfaces and access to information, facilities, and personnel.” Concerned citizens interested in speaking during the public comment period are encouraged to pre-register by submitting an emailed request to [email protected] call 800.788.4016 by February 19. Citizens may also submit written comments both prior to and at the hearing.
On February 21, the DNFSB will provide a live web stream link to the hearing Here
Why this is important: The Safety Board was created by Congress in 1988 to provide independent analysis, advice, and recommendations on protecting public health and safety at Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear weapons sites. Apparently, the Board has done its job too well, as DOE now seeks to seriously restrict DNFSB access to its facilities and personnel though its internal Order 140.1 Interface with the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board.
Without the Safety Board, the public would have been left in the dark about the many public safety and health risks of the U.S. nuclear weapons complex. The importance of the Safety Board in protecting the public can only grow as DOE seeks to increase weapons production for a new nuclear arms race. This will have particular significance at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), currently the nation’s only site for production of the plutonium pit triggers for nuclear weapons. For two decades the Safety Board has documented and reported on a history of chronic nuclear safety lapses at LANL that have yet to be fully resolved, even as the Lab seeks to triple annual plutonium pit production.
Come say your piece! The Safety Board should determine its access over what to inspect, not DOE.
For more information: Go Here
For more background: See Here
See Nuclear Watch’s Safety Board Talking Points Here
See suggested written comments for submittal to the DNFSB Here