Watchblog

Watchblog

LANL Busted For Losing Control of Controlled Substances

DOE, Los Alamos Nat'l Lab.

In a recent report, the Department Of Energy’s Office of Inspector General (IG) found issues with the way Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) keeps track of controlled substances such as cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine. The IG found that LANL staff had not managed controlled substances in accordance with applicable Federal laws and regulations. The IG... Continue reading→

Help Stop Plans to “Modernize” WIPP

DOE, Modernization, Nuclear Waste, Nuclear Weapons, Pit Production, Plutonium, Plutonium Pit Production, WIPP

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), located outside Carlsbad, NM. is the nation’s only geologic repository for defense-generated transuranic waste. The Department of Energy (DOE) is accepting comments on its 2019-2024 “Strategic Plan”, which should be focused on closing WIPP. But the Plan focuses on extending WIPP’s lifetime to 2050 and beyond. WIPP’s disposal phase... Continue reading→

Watchdogs Issue Second Demand for Nation-Wide Environmental Review of Expanded Plutonium Pit Production

Environmental Impact, Los Alamos Nat'l Lab., Modernization, NEPA, NNSA, Nuclear Forces, Nuclear Weapons, Pit Production, Plutonium Pit Production, Press Releases

Today, lawyers for the Natural Resources Defense Council, Nuclear Watch New Mexico, Savannah River Site Watch and Tri-Valley Communities Against a Radioactive Environment sent a second letter to Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Rick Perry and Lisa Gordon-Hagerty, the head of the semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The letter demands a nation-wide programmatic environmental... Continue reading→

Lack Of Safety And Health Priorities Continue To Plague Los Alamos Beryllium Program

Los Alamos Nat'l Lab., Nuclear Safety, Pit Production, Plutonium Pit Production

A new assessment finds that Department of Energy (DOE) is not conducting effective oversight of the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) beryllium program, or of safety and health programs in general. In addition, DOE is not maintaining sufficient technical capability and knowledge of site and contractor activities to make informed decisions about hazards and risks.... Continue reading→

The U.S. should carefully and prudently maintain its nuclear weapons stockpile

Modernization, Nuclear Policy, Nuclear Weapons, Plutonium, Plutonium Pit Production

Defense News reports that “Nuclear gravity bomb and warhead upgrades face new delays” because of new components used in so-called Life Extension Programs (LEPs) to prolong the service lives of existing nuclear weapons. These programs also give existing nuclear weapons new military capabilities. For example, see How US nuclear force modernization is undermining strategic stability:... Continue reading→

Proposed New Exhaust at WIPP Designed to Release Radiation

DNFSB, DOE, Nuclear Safety, Nuclear Waste, WIPP

19 seconds – the amount of time airborne radiological contamination could be released before the safety dampers close. This assumes that all other components work perfectly. A recent report from the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) explains the DNFSB’s calculations on the proposed new (estimated at nearly $300 million) safety significant confinement ventilation system (SSCVS). Continue reading→

Lab Claims of Tremendous Progress Need Second Look

Environmental Impact, Los Alamos Nat'l Lab.

Comments to the Northern NM Citizens’ Advisory Board By Scott Kovac, Nuclear Watch NM, July 24, 2019 Tremendous progress requires overall improvement, not just at one spot. A recent Environmental Management Los Alamos (EMLA) press release claimed “tremendous progress” with regards to the chromium (Cr) plume. Media stories then did their job and generalized that... Continue reading→

Trinity Test Anniversary

Nuclear Weapons

July 16th 2019 is the 74th anniversary of the first above ground nuclear bomb test on a U S civilian population. It was done near Tularosa New Mexico. The people  were  given no warning and have been subjected to 74 yrs of US government coverup and misinformation about the impact on them.

Los Alamos Lab Cleanup to Stay Far Behind Funding for Nuclear Weapons Research and Production

DOE, LANL Cleanup Lawsuit, Nuclear Waste, Nuclear Weapons

Over the last decade funding for the Los Alamos National Laboratory’s (LANL’s) nuclear weapons programs has increased 20%. However, funding for needed cleanup has remained flat at one-tenth of the almost $2 billion requested for nuclear weapons programs in FY 2020. Nuclear weapons funding is slated to keep climbing under the $1.7 trillion 30-year nuclear... Continue reading→

The Road to Genuine Los Alamos Lab Cleanup Backgrounder

DOE, LANL Cleanup Lawsuit, Nuclear Waste

The Road to Genuine Los Alamos Lab Cleanup Summary Funding for nuclear weapons is still the priority at the Lab $1.7 trillion 30-year “modernization” program total current estimate across the nation LANL receives $2 billion annually for nuclear weapons work Legacy Cleanup Program at LANL is getting started with new contractor Current cleanup estimate is... Continue reading→

THE U.S. RAISES RED FLAGS ON RUSSIA’S PLUTONIUM EXPERIMENTS — WHILE RAMPING UP ITS OWN

DOE, Modernization, Nevada National Security Site

Read the June 18, 2019 Center for Public Integrity article by Patrick Malone Experiments at Russian and US underground sites are used by both nations to help ensure their nuclear arsenals remain viable but are conducted under a blanket of secrecy. And so they’ve given rise to suspicions, and accusations, that they violate a 1996... Continue reading→

Nuclear Weapons Explosives Program Lacks Adequate Future Planning to Address Dwindling Supply

DOE, GAO, Nuclear Weapons

Five National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) contractor-operated sites conduct activities to design and produce explosive materials. NNSA officials and contractor representatives identified several challenges related to explosives activities, such as the agency’s dwindling supply of explosive materials, aging and deteriorating infrastructure, and difficulty recruiting and training qualified staff. NNSA issued a plan to address these... Continue reading→

Brave Political Leadership on Disarmament?

Non-Proliferation Treaty, Nuclear Policy, Trump Administration

By Alicia Sanders-Zakre Foreign ministers and high-level representatives from 15 non-nuclear-armed countries gathered in Stockholm on Tuesday to discuss advancing disarmament, amidst an ever-deteriorating arms control, disarmament and nonproliferation landscape. The resulting joint statement falls far short of the creative thinking and urgency required to rebut current nuclear threats, including an impetuous U.S. President with... Continue reading→

Editorial: LANL leaders must make safety the lab’s top mission

DOE, Los Alamos Nat'l Lab., Nuclear Policy, Nuclear Safety, Nuclear Security, Nuclear Weapons

Falling short of the bare minimum in the eyes of the DOE is a far cry from where the public expects or needs LANL to be. The Albuquerque Journal Editorial Board has a great editorial except for this part –  Because LANL is home to some of the best and brightest in the nuclear industry.... Continue reading→

Forum on June 14 in Aiken, SC on Expanded Production of Plutonium “Pits” for Nuclear Weapons

DOE, Lawrence Livermore Nat'l Lab, Los Alamos Nat'l Lab., Nuclear Policy, Nuclear Safety, Nuclear Weapons, Pit Production, Plutonium, Plutonium Pit Production, Savannah River Site

Forum on June 14 in Aiken, SC on Expanded Production of Plutonium “Pits” – for Nuclear Weapons – to Give Voice to Concerns in Face of DOE’s Failure to Engage and Inform the Public about the Risky Proposal Columbia, SC– The controversial proposal by the U.S. Department of Energy to expand production of plutonium “pits”-... Continue reading→

Federal nuclear regulatory panel rejects all objections to proposed New Mexico nuclear dump

Nuclear Power, Nuclear Safety, Nuclear Waste

The Holtec U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) nuclear regulatory panel has spoken. None of the contentions by any of the intervenors was admitted.  Not even a pretense of allowing public participation. No one — Sierra Club, Beyond Nuclear, Fasken, AFES, transportation intervenors — was allowed any contentions. Continue reading→

A Tale of Two Consent Orders and What Is Needed

DOE, Environmental Impact, Los Alamos Nat'l Lab., Nuclear Waste

On March 1, 2005, after arduous negotiations and threats of litigation, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED), Department of Energy (DOE), and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) entered into a Consent Order specifying the schedule for investigation and cleanup of the Lab’s hundreds of contaminated sites. This Consent Order (CO) was LANL’s agreement to fence-to-fence... Continue reading→

LANL Regional Coalition Faces More Opposition

DOE, Los Alamos Nat'l Lab., Nuclear News, Washington DC

The Regional Coalition of LANL Communities (RCLC) is facing scrutiny from several directions lately. The Department of Energy (DOE) Inspector General is conducting an investigation. Two members of the Santa Fe Board of County Commissioners abstained from a vote on new RCLC financial controls because the commissioners opposed blindly supporting LANL’s mission, which is 70%... Continue reading→

GAO – Environmental Liability Continues to Grow, and Significant Management Challenges Remain for Cleanup Efforts

DOE, Environmental Impact, Hanford, Nuclear Waste, Savannah River Site

DOE Environmental Management’s (EM’s) environmental liability grew by $214 billion in fiscal years 2011 through 2018, even though EM spent over $48 billion on cleanup. GAO found that this liability may continue to grow for several reasons: •EM’s environmental liability does not include the costs of all future cleanup responsibilities. For example, as of April... Continue reading→

Trump’s 2020 Nuclear Weapons Budget Escalates New Arms Race

DOE, Los Alamos Nat'l Lab., NNSA, Nuclear Policy, Nuclear Waste, Nuclear Weapons, Plutonium, Plutonium Pit Production, Press Releases, Washington DC

Posted By Scott Kovac Santa Fe, NM – Today the Trump Administration released more budget details for the Department of Energy and its semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security Administration’s nuclear weapons programs for fiscal year 2020. This same fiscal year will also mark the 75th anniversaries of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Global Nuclear... Continue reading→

Sandia National Laboratories Annual Budget is 81% Military Work

DOE, Nuclear Weapons, Sandia National Laboratories, Washington DC

Posted by Scott Kovac – Sandia National Laboratories, has one of the Department Of Energy’s (DOE’s) largest annual budgets and the fiscal year 2020 (FY20) Congressional Budget Request shows continued military priorities for the Lab. There are two components of Sandia’s annual budget – work for DOE (with a $2.4 billion request for FY20) and... Continue reading→

New Momentum for Saner Nuclear Policy: Event Highlights

Climate Change, DOE, Nuclear Policy, Nuclear Weapons, Washington DC

BY SOPHIA STROUD | – NukeWatch NM Web Designer Monday 3/18 Ploughshares Fund hosted an in-depth discussion about the momentum building for a new, saner nuclear policy and how California can lead the way to a safer, more secure world. “The more that I dug into the history of nuclear weapons and the legacy that system has... Continue reading→

Fukushima: Eighth Anniversary of a Crippling Nuclear Disaster

Environmental Impact, Fukushima, Japan, Nuclear Policy, Nuclear Power, Nuclear Waste

A man prays in front of the former Okawa elementary school in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture on the eighth anniversary of the 2011 tsunami disaster. (Credit 2019 AFP) BY SOPHIA STROUD | – NukeWatch NM Web Designer On Friday, March 11, 2011, a 9.0 M earthquake occurred off the East coast of Japan, triggering a massive tsunami... Continue reading→

Trump Budget Would Continue Nuclear Weapons Buildup and Bring More Nuclear Waste to NM

DOE, Environmental Impact, EPA, Los Alamos Nat'l Lab., Nuclear Waste, Nuclear Weapons, Plutonium, WIPP

By Scott Kovac, Operations and Research Director The White House released the top line numbers of its fiscal year 2020 Congressional budget request and, although there are some increases heading to New Mexico, they are not the increases that we’d like to see. It’s called – A Budget For a Better America,  Promises Kept. Taxpayers First. but... Continue reading→

WIPP Receives Notice of Upcoming Investigation for Chemical Overexposures to Workers

DNFSB, Nuclear Safety, Nuclear Waste, WIPP

On January 29, 2019, DOE’s Office of Enterprise Assessments notified Nuclear Waste Partnership, LLC (NWP), the managing and operating contractor for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plan (WIPP), of its intent to investigate heat stress-related events and chemical exposures at WIPP. The events, occurring from July through October 2018, include multiple overexposures to hazardous chemicals, including carbon tetrachloride, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide, as well as... Continue reading→

NNSA’s pet ‘Interoperable Warhead’ is DEAD

DOE, Modernization, NNSA, Nuclear Forces, Nuclear Weapons

The study in question came about because Marylia Kelley, of Tri-Valley CARES, and NukeWatch’s Director, Jay Coghlan, suggested to congressional staff that it be done. But they wanted to ask independent scientists (the JASONs) to do it – instead just NNSA did it. And NNSA dodged the central congressional requirement to compare the benefits and costs... Continue reading→

New Estimate ($377B) Raises Cost of Cold War Cleanup (Again)

DOE, Environmental Impact, High-level Radioactive Waste, Lawrence Livermore Nat'l Lab, Nuclear Waste

At some point, DOE will have to admit that it has no idea what it will cost to cleanup the Cold War nuclear weapons complex sites. DOE should stop making more wastes until the existing wastes are remediated. The new estimate is more that twice the amount that has been spent in total since cleanup... Continue reading→

Plutonium Pit Production NEPA Talking Points

Los Alamos Nat'l Lab., NEPA, Nuclear Weapons, Plutonium

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is the landmark environmental law which requires executive agencies to give the public the opportunity to formally review and comment on major federal proposals. These talking points outline the history of the Department of Energy’s NEPA compliance on its various proposals concerning the production of plutonium pits (the fissile... Continue reading→

LANL 2018-salary by county

“Preliminary” Research Pushes Economic Impact Boundaries for LANL

DOE, Los Alamos Nat'l Lab., Sandia National Laboratories

While Sandia, LANL, and Journal Statements Leave Many Questions A January 15 Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) press release reviewed preliminary research from the University of New Mexico’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER). The research claimed that the “average annual total impact on economic output across New Mexico from 2015 to 2017 was $3.1... Continue reading→

Key Messages from the 2019 Doomsday Clock Announcement – ICAN

Doomsday Clock, ICAN, Nuclear News, Nuclear Safety

ICAN (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons) believes that the success of people-powered change and the leadership of the majority of nations supporting the TPNW is a positive development these last years. ICAN’s success and the TPNW is a turning point for the world, and we will be working to turn it backwards from now.... Continue reading→

NukeWatch Joins Suit To Stop WIPP Expansion

DOE, Nuclear News, Nuclear Safety, Nuclear Waste, WIPP

NukeWatch Joins Suit To Stop WIPP Expansion On January 17, 2019, Southwest Research and Information Center (SRIC) and Nuclear Watch New Mexico (NWNM) filed an appeal in the New Mexico Court of Appeals to overturn the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) approval of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Disposal Volume permit modification, which was... Continue reading→

DOE, Savannah River Site Watch

Columbia, SC – New aerial photos by pilot High Flyer of the nation’s costly and bungled nuclear construction projects are being released by Savannah River Site Watch. Of primary importance, the photos – linked in “notes” below – reveal details at the Department of Energy’s terminated plutonium fuel (MOX) project at the Savannah River Site... Continue reading→

Belen passes resolution opposing nuclear waste transportation

Environmental Impact, Nuclear Safety, Nuclear Waste

Belen passes resolution opposing nuclear waste transportation NISG (Nuclear Issues Study Group) worked to get a resolution opposing the transportation of High Level Radioactive Waste in front of the City of Belen. The Belen City Council passed the resolution on Nov. 19th! It was 3 votes yes and 1 abstention. Belen is the 18th City... Continue reading→

Principles for Safe Management and Geological Isolation of Irradiated Nuclear Fuel

High-level Radioactive Waste

Summary: The environmental risks posed by irradiated fuel are extreme: As observed by the U.S. Court of Appeals, it has “the capacity to outlast human civilization as we know it and the potential to devastate public health and the environment.” Nuclear Energy Inst., Inc. v. Envtl. Prot. Agency, 373 F.3d 1251 (D.C. Cir. 2004).If irradiated fuel... Continue reading→

Federal District Court Allows Lawsuit to Proceed Against DOE/LANS Potential Penalties Exceed $300,000,000

Environmental Impact, Los Alamos Nat'l Lab.

For Immediate Release New Mexico Environmental Law Center Nuclear Watch New Mexico – Santa Fe, NM A United States District Court judge has ruled that a lawsuit filed by Nuclear Watch New Mexico (NukeWatch) can move forward. The lawsuit is based on thirteen (13) violations of corrective actions Los Alamos National Security, LLC (LANS) and... Continue reading→