https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87823838942
⚊ Introductory remarks by Santa Fe Archbishop John Wester on the need for global nuclear disarmament.
⚊ Dylan Spaulding, Senior Scientist for the Union of Concerned Scientists, will address how expanded plutonium “pit” production is not to maintain the safety and reliability of the existing stockpile but is instead for new-design nuclear weapons.
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Nuclear Watch New Mexico is hosting this workshop to engage the public in the review process of the Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement (SWEIS) for the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). With LANL expanding its nuclear weapons programs—despite a history of environmental contamination and nuclear safety issues—the SWEIS represents a vital opportunity for the public to demand transparency, accountability, and environmental justice.
Some key issues are:
- Expanded Plutonium “Pit” Bomb Core Production: LANL’s role in expanded nuclear weapons production conflicts with global disarmament efforts and pushes us deeper into the new, increasingly dangerous nuclear arms race.
- Proposed BioSafety Level-3 Facility: Plans for a facility to handle dangerous pathogens like anthrax raise serious safety and transparency concerns.
- Tritium Releases: LANL’s controversial proposal to release up to 100,000 curies of gaseous tritium—a radioactive isotope of hydrogen—poses significant environmental and public health risks.
- New Transmission Line Across Caja del Rio: A proposed electrical transmission line for the Lab’s growing Artificial Intelligence work would cross the environmentally and culturally sensitive Caja del Rio.
- Nuclear Waste Cleanup: LANL plans to “cap and cover” and leave some 800,000 cubic yards of radioactive and toxic wastes permanently buried in unlined pits and shafts as a long-term threat to precious groundwater. The public should demand comprehensive cleanup!
This workshop will include presentations on these issues and more, followed by ample time for Q&A.
See the full SWEIS here: https://www.energy.gov/nepa/doeeis-0552-site-wide-environmental-impact-statement-continued-operation-los-alamos-national-0
Public Hearings Scheduled for LANL Draft Sitewide Environment Impact Statement
The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is holding four public hearings to receive comments on the Los Alamos National Laboratory Draft Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement (SWEIS).
The meetings on February 11 will include an option for virtual (internet-based) participation (with telephone access). The schedule is as follows:
Tuesday, February 11, 2025
1:00-4:00pm and 5:00-8:00pm
Santa Fe Community Convention Center
Sweeney Ballroom
201 W. Marcy St.
Santa Fe, NM 87501
Online Public Meeting:
1:30 pm-4:00 pm
Access by Internet: https://tinyurl.com/LANLSWEIS1
Meeting ID: 246 608 386 25
Access by Telephone: 719-283-1404
Phone ID: 409 573 1#
Online Public Meeting:
5:30 pm-8:00 pm
Access by Internet: https://tinyurl.com/LANLSWEIS2
Meeting ID: 285 648 444 285
Access by Telephone: 719-283-1404
Phone ID: 818 405 462#
Wednesday, February 12, 2025
5:00-8:00pm
Mision y Convento
405 N. Paseo de Onate
Española, NM 87532
Thursday, February 13, 2025
5:00-8:00pm
Fuller Lodge, Pajarito Room
2132 Central Avenue
Los Alamos, NM 87544
All meeting times are Mountain Time. The first 30 minutes of the in-person meetings will be an open-house poster session.
Additional details and meeting materials are available for review online at: /nnsa/nnsa-nepa-reading-room
Written comments on the Draft SWEIS can be submitted by email to:
or in writing to:
Mr. Stephen Hoffman, DOE/NNSA, 3747 West Jemez Road, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87544
Please mark envelopes and emails as: SWEIS Comments
Comments must be received/postmarked by March 11, 2025.