For Immediate Release: August 22, 2025
Contact: Kalyn Mae Finnell, Coordinator, Communities for Clean Water
Los Alamos, NM — This week’s so-called “public meeting” regarding Los Alamos National Laboratory’s (LANL) proposal to vent radioactive tritium emphasized the persistence of the Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and LANL to disregard communities concerns while prioritizing nuclear weapons projects.
In-person attendees were allotted three minutes to make statements about their concerns. Over 100 online participants—including many Pueblo community members who could not attend the meeting in Los Alamos in-person due to health, distance, or work commitments—were surprised to find that they were not permitted to provide verbal comments and restricted to submitting only one emailed question. DOE/NNSA and LANL gave no prior notice of this change. “This is not meaningful participation. It is exclusion,” said Marissa Naranjo with Honor Our Pueblo Existence.
The stakes are at an all time high. Tritium — produced in the development of nuclear weapons as triated water — is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen that travels quickly through air, water, soil, and food. When exposed to the human body, it can cause cancer, genetic damage, cross the placental barrier, and cause health impacts across generations. DOE/NNSA insists venting is the sole safe option moving forward—however, their own “independent” technical review revealed significant issues with this assertion. The review acknowledged significant deficiencies: the absence of real-time monitoring, a lack of container-specific risk analysis, and insufficient examination of safer alternatives such as filtration or storage until decay occurs. Community members are also asking: How can a review be independent when DOE managed the process, designated the reviewer, and defined the scope? This does not represent independence—it signifies a conflict of interest.
“This is the same broken pattern we’ve seen for decades,” said Joni Arends with Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety. “LANL creates the danger, then tells us radioactive releases are our only option. They force the public and Pueblo communities into what NMED itself has called ‘untenable situations.'”
Local community leaders also noted that DOE has consistently overlooked reports by Tewa Women United, Communities for Clean Water, and scientific experts regarding the risks associated with tritium. These technical reports documented exposure pathways unique to Pueblo communities, including impacts on women, children, and traditional farming lifeways. By sidelining this research, DOE has once again dismissed Indigenous voices and lived experiences—further diminishing trust and perpetuating environmental racism.
For Pueblo communities, this represents a significant aspect of the historical narrative. “The violence of building the world’s most destructive weapons in our backyard has desecrated our lands, our waters, and our Indigenous land-based spirituality and traditions since the Manhattan Project. That violence continues today with projects like tritium venting, plutonium pit expansion, the Electrical Power Capacity Upgrade (EPCU) transmission line project, and the increasing risks from piling up radioactive waste”, says Kathy Sanchez with Tewa Women United.
From a public health perspective, DOE/NNSA and LANL are failing to meet their responsibilities. Under NEPA, the Atomic Energy Act, and DOE’s own As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) standard in DOE Order 458.1, there is an obligation to protect the public and minimize radioactive exposure. Yet, the calculations for radioactive exposure risk are based on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) “Reference Man”—an adult white male. “Children, elders, pregnant women, infants and those whose Pueblo lifeways keep them in close contact with the land and water are ignored”, said Beata Tsosie with Breath of My Heart Birthplace. Dave Fuehne, a representative of LANL, acknowledged in response to a public question that infant doses would be three times greater than those for adults. By disregarding these realities, DOE/NNSA and LANL continue to foster exclusion.
With LANL’s recent push to expand its plutonium pit production, increased tritium will be managed on site. “How many times will our communities be told to accept radioactive releases into our air and water?” asked Talavi Denipah-Cook with Amigos Bravos. “What additional trauma, sickness, and sacrifice will be demanded of us under the guise of national security?”
Communities for Clean Water demands immediate action:
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Halt the proposed tritium venting.
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End sham “independent” reviews and guarantee genuinely transparent, conflict-free evaluations.
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Require review and responses to the four TWU/CCW technical reports and ensure the reviews made publicly accessible
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Prioritize community health and the preservation of cultural heritage
“We are done being silenced. We are done being sacrificed. We demand accountability now. No more radioactive releases. No more broken promises. No more poisoning our future.”