Watchblog
Comment Period Extended for Proposed Los Alamos Cleanup Order
The New Mexico Environment Department’s Hazardous Waste Bureau is extending the public comment period on the proposed changes to the Draft Consent Order which governs legacy clean-up at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The public comment period now continues through May 31. To obtain a copy of the documents or a portion thereof, visit the NMED... Continue reading→
Sample General Comments on the proposed new Los Alamos Cleanup Agreement
The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) has issued a draft revised Consent Order (CO), which was the agreement in 2005 between the State and the federal Department of Energy (DOE) for fence-to-fence cleanup of legacy Cold War wastes at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The Consent Order was designed as a plan-to-make-a-plan with investigations... Continue reading→
NukeWatch NM Heads to DC To Stop U.S. Nuclear Weapons “Trillion Dollar Trainwreck”
NukeWatch NM Heads to Washington to Press Congress, Obama Officials To Stop U.S. Nuclear Weapons “Trillion Dollar Trainwreck” — LANL Whistleblower Chuck Montaño to Be Honored Three members of Nuclear Watch New Mexico will visit Washington, DC from April 17 to April 20 to oppose U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear weapons projects, which... Continue reading→
Watchdogs Demand Expedited Release of Lab Evaluations to E-FOIA Reading Room
Watchdogs File Second FOIA Request for Los Alamos and Sandia Labs Evaluations, Demand Expedited Release to E-FOIA Reading Room Santa Fe, NM – Nuclear Watch New Mexico has filed a second request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for the National Nuclear Security Administration’s FY 2015 Performance Evaluation Reports for the Los Alamos... Continue reading→
Watchdogs Denounce New Consent Order on Los Alamos Lab Cleanup
For immediate release March 30, 2016 Contacts: Jay Coghlan, 505.989.7342, jay[at]nukewatch.org Scott Kovac, 505.989.7342, scott[at]nukewatch.org Watchdogs Denounce New Consent Order on Los Alamos Lab Cleanup Santa Fe, NM – Today, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) issued a new draft Consent Order that in theory will govern cleanup at the Los Alamos... Continue reading→
Nuclear Watch New Mexico Action Alert – Release of Revised Los Alamos Cleanup Agreement
Nuclear Watch New Mexico Action Alert NM Environment Department Plans to Unveil Revised Los Alamos Cleanup Agreement March 30, 2016, 1PM, Sandia Resort Public Comment Is Invited Los Alamos Cleanup At the Crossroads NM Environment Department and officials from Los Alamos National Laboratory plan to roll out a draft of the revised Consent Order, which is... Continue reading→
STAND AGAINST THE RUSH TO RE-OPEN AN UNSAFE WIPP
STAND AGAINST THE RUSH TO RE-OPEN AN UNSAFE WIPP The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced that it intends to re-open the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in December 2016. The nation’s only deep geologic repository, located 26 miles east of Carlsbad, has been shut down since February 2014 because of two events –... Continue reading→
Los Alamos Cleanup At the Crossroads: Treat All Los Alamos Lab Radioactive Wastes Consistently
Los Alamos Cleanup At the Crossroads: Treat All Los Alamos Lab Radioactive Wastes Consistently The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board’s role and responsibility includes gathering information regarding the hazards to the public and workers posed by the management of transuranic (TRU) wastes at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), as well as the Department of Energy’s... Continue reading→
Los Alamos Cleanup At the Crossroads – New Cleanup Agreement Requires New Schedule and That Is About All
Los Alamos Cleanup At the Crossroads New Cleanup Agreement Requires New Schedule and That Is About All Following protracted negotiations, threatened litigation, and claims of imminent and substantial endangerment, the New Mexican Environment Department (NMED), the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) contractor agreed to sign the original Consent Order... Continue reading→
ABQ Journal Article: Los Alamos lab would get $2.1 billion in proposed budget; officials discuss plans for making plutonium `pits’
This article has some details on future expanded plutonium pit production and related facility upgrades and new construction at the Los Alamos Lab. 1) Brig. Gen. S.L. Davis, NNSA acting deputy administrator for defense programs, explicitly ties future underground “modules” to the 50 to 80 pits per year production rate. That is the most explicit... Continue reading→
Watchdogs Call for Renewed Investigation of Corruption at Los Alamos Lab
For immediate release February 2, 2016 Watchdogs Call for Renewed Investigation of Corruption at Los Alamos Lab and Questionable Suicide of Former Deputy Director Santa Fe, NM – Today three well-known whistleblowers sent a certified letter to Mr. Damon Martinez, the US Attorney for the District of New Mexico, asking him to reopen an investigation... Continue reading→
Baseless Claims?
Baseless Claims? In the January 20th, 2016 Albuquerque Journal article, Nuclear Watch to sue over LANL cleanup problems, by Mark Oswald, there is an interesting quote from New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) Secretary, Ryan Flynn, in response to our notice of intent to sue DOE/LANL. “Flynn said Wednesday, “These are nothing more than baseless claims being... Continue reading→
Nuclear Watch NM Gives Notice of Intent to Sue Over Lack of Cleanup at the Los Alamos Lab
Nuclear Watch NM Gives Notice of Intent to Sue Over Lack of Cleanup at the Los Alamos Lab Nuclear Watch New Mexico has notified the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) that it will file a lawsuit over their failure to meet cleanup milestones under a “Consent Order” governed by... Continue reading→
National Nuclear Security Administration Gives Green Light For Expanded Plutonium Pit Production at Los Alamos
For immediate release January 15, 2016 Contacts: Jay Coghlan, NWNM, 505.989.7342, c. 505.470.3154, jay[at]nukewatch.org National Nuclear Security Administration Gives Green Light For Expanded Plutonium Pit Production at Los Alamos Santa Fe, NM – Today the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, an independent agency commissioned by Congress, posted a weekly report that makes explicit a... Continue reading→
LANL In No Hurry With Emergency Response Plans
LANL In No Hurry With Emergency Response Plans In the recent letter, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board told DOE that they were concerned with the pace and completeness of the emergency preparedness and response efforts at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The Board is an independent organization that provides recommendations and advice regarding public... Continue reading→
Federal Nuclear Safety Oversight at LANL Remains Drastically Understaffed
Federal Nuclear Safety Oversight at LANL Remains Drastically Understaffed A recently released report, Office of Enterprise Assessments Targeted Review of Work Planning and Control and Biological Safety at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), December 2015, explains nuclear safety oversight staffing shortages. The Office of Enterprise Assessments (EA) is the Department of Energy’s (DOE) organization responsible... Continue reading→
Governor Udall?
Governor Udall? Michael Coleman had an interesting article for the Albuquerque Journal – Does New Mexico’s future lie in D.C.? Coleman relates a conversation with NM Senator Tom Udall that made it clear the Senator isn’t ruling a gubernatorial run out. It’s not surprising to think that Udall – who has been in Washington as... Continue reading→
Despite Uncertainty of When/If WIPP Will Reopen, DOE Hatches Plan to Send More Waste
Despite Uncertainty of When/If WIPP Will Reopen, DOE Hatches Plan to Send More Waste In a recent Albuquerque Journal Editorial Board Editorial: Another WIPP delay spells more tax dollars wasted, we are reminded of the delays affecting the reopening of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), which has not been disposing radioactive waste since February 2014 when... Continue reading→
Four Strikes and You’re Out
Four Strikes and You’re Out In stunning news on December 18, Justin Horwath of the SF New Mexican reported that the management and operating contractor of Los Alamos National Laboratory will not have its contract renewed after it ends Sept. 30, 2017. This is stunning because LANS LLC, the M&O contractor, could have potentially run the... Continue reading→
LANL contract up for bid after 2017
NukeWatch comment: As the trillion dollar “modernization” of U.S. nuclear forces moves forward, note how hollow the Department of Energy infrastructure is because of contractor greed, incompetence and waste. While that alone won’t win the day for us, I do expect it to limit the scale and timing of “modernizing” the DOE nuclear weapons complex... Continue reading→
SF New Mexican – LANL misses cleanup deadline set in 2005 for largest waste site
There are a couple of minor inaccuracies in this story, for instance – “which blazed through waste dump site “Area R.” Nor sure what this refers to. And – “ the lab has missed several milestones, including a June 2014 deadline to remove above-ground radioactive waste — delayed due to last February’s leak at WIPP.”... Continue reading→
NukeWatch Calls for Public Seats at the Table in LANL Cleanup Negotiations
For immediate release December 7, 2015 Contacts: Jay Coghlan, jay[at]nukewatch.org Deadline for Last Cleanup Milestone of LANL Consent Order Passes NukeWatch Calls for Public Seats at the Table in Negotiations Santa Fe, NM – Yesterday, December 6, was the deadline for the last compliance milestone in the Consent Order between the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) and the Department... Continue reading→
Important Public Meeting On the Future of Cleanup At Los Alamos – Join Us on November 12
Important Public Meeting On the Future of Cleanup At Los Alamos – Join Us on November 12 The future of hundreds of thousands of cubic meters of radioactive and hazardous wastes is being evaluated now. Will Northern New Mexico be turned into a permanent nuclear waste dump? The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) and Los... Continue reading→
Op-ed: B61 bomb is fuel for new arms race
Op-ed: B61 bomb is fuel for new arms race By Jay Coghlan / Nuclear Watch New Mexico Albuquerque Journal Sunday, October 25th, 2015 at 12:02am http://www.abqjournal.com/665029/opinion/b61-bomb-is-fuel-for-new-arms-race.html The article “‘New’ U.S. nukes are anything but” should be judged more by its omissions than its contents. While arguing that the soon-to-be rebuilt B61 bomb won’t be a... Continue reading→
NukeWatch Pushes Environment Department for More Public Input in Los Alamos Cleanup
NukeWatch Pushes Environment Department for More Public Input in Los Alamos Cleanup An in-depth article, Consent order facing changes, by Mark Oswald in the Albuquerque Journal (October 9, 2015) lays out how legacy waste cleanup at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is being negotiated between DOE and the NM Environment Department (NMED) without the fully required... Continue reading→
Public Meeting to Discuss Chromium From Los Alamos That Has Reached Our Aquifer
Public Meeting to Discuss Chromium From Los Alamos That Has Reached Our Aquifer DOE/LANL sponsored Public open house and poster session Date: Wednesday, September 30, 2015 Time: 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Cities of Gold Conference Center 10-A Cities of Gold Rd. Pojoaque, NM 87506 Sampling from monitoring wells at Los Alamos National Laboratory... Continue reading→
Pope Francis Calls for the Complete Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
September 25, 2015 Pope Francis Calls for the Complete Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons Santa Fe, NM – In his speech today at the United Nations Pope Francis stated: The Preamble and the first Article of the Charter of the United Nations set forth the foundations of the international juridical framework: peace, the pacific solution...
New Mexico’s Archbishop Cantú Helps Lead Vatican Charge for Nuclear Weapons Abolition
On Thursday morning, 9:30 EST/7:30 MT, Sept. 24 Pope Francis will address both houses of the U.S. Congress, viewable by webcast on C-SPAN. The next morning at 8:30 am EST/6:30 MT he addresses at the United Nations in New York City, viewable on the UN web site http://webtv.un.org/ There is good reason to think that... Continue reading→
DOE Sites Partially or Fully Closed: WIPP, Pantex & now Savannah River Site…
From Tom Clements of SRS Watch, our colleague and fellow member of the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability: DOE Sites Partially or Fully Closed: the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, Pantex & now the Savannah River Site (SRS) The main contractor at SRS, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS), has halted non-essential operations. See SRS shutdown email below…sent... Continue reading→
Los Alamos National Laboratory Files Motion to Dismiss James Doyle Whistleblower Case
Los Alamos National Laboratory Files Motion to Dismiss James Doyle Whistleblower Case Santa Fe, NM – On August 25, 2015 the for-profit contractor that runs the Los Alamos National Laboratory filed a motion with the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Hearings and Appeals to dismiss Dr. James Doyle’s whistleblower complaint. Doyle’s case received widespread... Continue reading→
What does $4.79 million look like to Lockheed Martin?
What does $4.79 million look like to Lockheed Martin Inc, the world’s biggest defense contractor? Recently, Lockheed Martin (LM) agreed to pay a $4.79 million settlement to the federal government to settle Justice Department allegations that LM illegally used taxpayer money to lobby for an extension of its Sandia Labs management contract.LM was trying to... Continue reading→
Watchdogs Denounce Slap on Wrist for Illegal Lobbying Activities
Watchdogs Denounce Slap on Wrist for Illegal Lobbying Activities By the World’s Biggest Defense Contractor Demand Real Accountability by Barring Lockheed Martin From Future Sandia Labs Contract Santa Fe, NM – In notice given late Friday the Department of Justice announced a settlement with Lockheed Martin over alleged violations of federal anti-lobbying laws to... Continue reading→
Federation of American Scientists Nuclear Watch New Mexico For immediate release August 12, 2015 Contacts: Jay Coghlan, NWNM, 505.470.3154, jay[at]nukewatch.org Hans Kristensen, FAS, 202.454.4695, hkristensen[at]fas.org Robert Alvarez, IPS, 301.585.7672, kitbob[at]rcn.com Dr. James Doyle, nonproliferation expert, 505.470.3154, jimdoyle6[at]msn.com Nuclear Weapons Experts File Amicus Brief To Support Marshall Islands Lawsuit To Require Nuclear Disarmament Negotiations... Continue reading→
Major Protests at U.S. Warhead Facilities Across the Nation Unite to Decry Trillion Dollar Plan for New U.S. Nuclear Weapons
For more information: Ralph Hutchison, Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance, [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> , 865-776-5050 Marylia Kelley, Tri-Valley CAREs, Livermore, mailto:[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> , 925-443-7148 Other key national and regional contacts are listed at the end of this release For immediate release, August 4, 2015 HISTORIC 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF ATOMIC BOMBING OF HIROSHIMA, NAGASAKI: Major Protests at... Continue reading→
Please join Nuclear Watch New Mexico and Global Zero at CCA for the premier of “Message from Hiroshima.”
Please help us prepare for Thursday evening by registering today. Speaking of silent auctions, we have a great list of items that can be yours. For instance, one of the pieces is “Daybreak” by Santa Fe artist Jamie Chase (18” x 24”, 2015) ... Continue reading→
Response to the Inaccurate Wall St. Journal Op-Ed “The Faded U.S. Nuclear Deterrent”
On July 13, 2015 the Wall Street Journal published an op-ed entitled The Fading U.S. Nuclear Deterrent by Robert Monroe, a retired Navy vice admiral and former director of the Defense Nuclear Agency. The op-ed’s byline is “The next president must restore America’s aging arsenal to face a world of new atomic threats.” Among other... Continue reading→
Lockheed Martin’s illegal lobbying to extend Sandia contract
The Center for Public Integrity has come out with a hard-hitting article about illegal lobbying by the world’s biggest defense contractor Lockheed Martin to extend its management contract of the Sandia Labs. Sandia contracted former congresswoman Heather Wilson for consulting services that had no written work requirements, although she denies engaging in illegal lobbying activity.... Continue reading→
Watchdog Groups Seek Info On Alleged Rat Shootings in Nuclear Weapons Facilities
Peace Farm Nuclear Watch New Mexico For immediate release June 30, 2015 Contacts: Cletus (Jerry) Stein, Board President, Peace Farm, 806.351.2744, [email protected] Jay Coghlan, Executive Director, NWNM, 505.989.7342, [email protected] Watchdog Groups Seek Info On Alleged Rat Shootings in Nuclear Weapons Facilities Amarillo, TX – Today, the Peace Farm and Nuclear Watch New Mexico have... Continue reading→
NukeWatch response to ABQ Journal article “Putin’s plans to add nukes closely watched in New Mexico”
Putin clearly cannot be trusted, but this article is very one sided. First, it is alarmist to say Putin is “adding” 40 ICBMs. Instead, Russia is replacing old ones and, as the article points out, staying within New START limits. Putin claims that these new ICBMs are more capable of penetrating missile defenses. But this... Continue reading→
WIPP Sold With a 10,000 Year Guarantee
WIPP Sold With a 10,000 Year Guarantee 10,000 years ago: Jericho has been inhabited for a thousand years Many megafauna go extinct, including the giant ground sloths, woolly rhinoceros, cave bear, and sabre-toothed cats (Mammoths survive in small groups for another 6500 years) Cattle are domesticated and the plow is invented In what is... Continue reading→
WATCHDOG GROUPS HEAD TO D.C.TO URGE CONGRESS TO CONFRONT “THE GROWING U.S. NUCLEAR THREAT”
Alliance for Nuclear Accountability A national network of organizations working to address issues of nuclear weapons production and waste cleanup Nuclear Watch New Mexico May 14, 2015 WATCHDOG GROUPS HEAD TO D.C. TO URGE CONGRESS, OBAMA ADMIN. TO CONFRONT “THE GROWING U.S. NUCLEAR THREAT;” NEW REPORT SEEKS CUTS IN BOMB PLANTS, WARHEAD MODERNIZATION DIVERTING... Continue reading→
Four Reasons Why U.S. Claims of NPT Compliance Are False
Four Reasons Why U.S. Claims of NPT Compliance Are False In April 2015 the U.S. State Department issued a so-called Fact Sheet entitled Myths and Facts Regarding the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and Regime. Its targeted audience was international delegations attending the 2015 NonProliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference. Given the increasing dissatisfaction of non-nuclear weapons states,... Continue reading→
Appeals court overturns sabotage convictions of Transform Now Plowshares activists
Appeals court overturns sabotage convictions of Transform Now Plowshares activists, vacates sentences of Megan Rice, Michael Walli and Gregory Boertje-Obed on all charges and remands for resentencing. Court suggests decision may lead to release of Rice, Boertje-Obed and Walli 8 May 2015 for immediate release The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals handed down a decision... Continue reading→
NM Environment Department Starts Clock on Four Legacy Waste Penalties at LANL
NM Environment Department Starts Clock on Four Legacy Waste Penalties at LANL The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) has sent notices to Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) that the State intends to assess penalties for four environmental reports that have missed required deadlines. Each report could be subject to penalties of $1000 per day for... Continue reading→
DOE releases Investigation of Incident at WIPP by Technical Assessment Team
DOE releases Investigation of Incident at WIPP by Technical Assessment Team On February 14, 2014, an incident in Panel 7 Room 7 (P7R7) of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) underground repository resulted in the release of radioactive material into the environment and contaminated 21 people with low-level radioactivity. To add to the completed Accident... Continue reading→
Department of Energy waste needs to be cleaned up
The New Mexican http://www.santafenewmexican.com/opinion/ Letters to the editor, March 10, 2015 Department of Energy waste needs to be cleaned up As usual, the Department of Energy gets it exactly wrong. The department was fined by our state Environment Department for lousy procedures that caused the explosion and leak at WIPP. As predicted more than 25... Continue reading→
Tom Udall’s Unlikely Alliance With the Chemical Industry
NukeWatch NM Commentary: Not to mention Tom Udall’s not-so-unlikely alliance with the nuclear weapons industry in New Mexico. For that he sits on the Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee, the same seat from which Pete Domenici sent buckets of money to the Los Alamos and Sandia Labs. Except given the beginning of the... Continue reading→
Los Alamos Cleanup Budget Request Slips to 8% for FY 2016
Los Alamos Cleanup Budget Request Slips to 8% for FY 2016 Even as Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) faces more fines from the State for missed environmental cleanup, the cleanup budget request slips to 8% of the Lab’s total budget of $2.2 billion. The request for cleanup... Continue reading→
Watchdog Groups Praise NNSA Decision to Obey the Law
Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance Nuclear Watch New Mexico For immediate release. March 4, 2015 Watchdog Groups Praise NNSA Decision to Obey the Law, Prepare Supplement Analysis on Bomb Plant Contacts: Ralph Hutchison, Coordinator OREPA, orep(at)earthlink.net; Jay Coghlan, Executive Director NWNM, jay(at)nukewatch.org The National Nuclear Security Administration’s disclosure that the agency “in the process” of... Continue reading→
GROUPS JOIN TO DEMAND ANSWERS ABOUT BOMB PLANT PLANS
Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance Nuclear Watch New Mexico GROUPS JOIN TO DEMAND ANSWERS ABOUT BOMB PLANT PLANS For immediate release: March 2, 2015 The Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance (Oak Ridge, TN) and Nuclear Watch New Mexico (Santa Fe, NM) today filed a Freedom of Information Act request asking the Department of Energy (DOE)... Continue reading→