NO VENTING SHOULD OCCUR THIS WEEKEND BECAUSE THE NEW MEXICO ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT (NMED) HAS REQUIRED DOE/NNSA/Triad/EMLA/N3B/LANL TO PROVIDE “WITHIN 15 MINUTES” PUBLIC NOTICE OF “ANY PROBLEMS DURING THE TREATMENT PROCESS THAT RESULT IN AN UNANTICIPATED RELEASE OF TRITIUM EXCEEDING THE CONDITIONS OF THIS TEMPORARY AUTHORIZATION.” See p. 4, No. 7.  250904 NMED Approval w_Mods TA to LANL Tritium Venting

Today, September 11, 2025, the Communities for Clean Water (CCW) emailed NNSA LANL Manager Ted Wyka and then forwarded that email to NMED Secretary James Kenney, NMED Senior Management, and others with comments and questions about how the public will be notified “within 15 minutes” of “any problems during the treatment process.”  The email is posted below.  No response has been received as of posting.

Dear JD Nance, Rick Shean, James Kenney, Macie Rouse, Siona Briley and John Rhoderick of NMED,

My name is Kalyn Finnell and I am writing on behalf of Communities for Clean Water, as the coordinator.

I am forwarding an email that I just sent to Ted Wyka with NNSA, and I am wondering if there is a specific protocol in relation to communication methods and geographic area/radius for communication for the requirement that NMED put in the NMED APPROVAL WITH MODIFICATIONS OF TEMPORARY AUTHORIZATION REQUEST dated September 4, 2025 (EPA ID#NM0890010515, HWB-LANL-19-033)? We especially want to know more information about how people will be notified within 15 minutes of any problems and are wondering NMED’s perspective on this matter?

Thank you very much,

Kalyn Finnell, Communities for Clean Water, and Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety

Communities for Clean Water (CCW) is a coalition of organizations whose mission is to ensure that community waters impacted by Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) are kept safe for drinking, agriculture, sacred ceremonies, and a sustainable future. Our coalition includes Amigos Bravos, Breath of My Heart Birthplace, Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety, Honor Our Pueblo Existence, the New Mexico Acequia Association, Partnership for Earth Spirituality, and Tewa Women United.

———- Forwarded message ———
From: Kalyn Mae Finnell <communitiesforcleanwater@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Sep 11, 2025 at 11:33 AM
Subject: Tritium venting pause 15-minute
To: <theodore.wyka@nnsa.doe.gov>
Cc: Joni Arends <jarends@nuclearactive.org>

Good morning Mr. Wyka,

My name is Kalyn Finnell and I am the coordinator for Communities for Clean Water. I am writing to inquire about communication during the tritium venting. I have also called and left a message with a secretary at your office. Our questions involve the following excerpts from the NMED APPROVAL WITH MODIFICATIONS OF TEMPORARY AUTHORIZATION REQUEST dated September 4, 2025 (EPA ID#NM0890010515, HWB-LANL-19-033):

“The Permittees shall notify NMED, the EPA, tribal communities, and the public of any potential threat to public health within 15 minutes of any problems during the treatment process that result in an unanticipated release of tritium exceeding the conditions of this temporary authorization.”

“The Permittees shall notify the public and tribal communities in writing in English and Spanish no less than three days prior to commencing operations to allow surrounding communities and persons time to adjust their activities in an abundance of caution as they deem necessary.”

We are requesting the following information:

1. What methods of communication will be used in the case of any “problems during the treatment process that result in an unanticipated release of tritium exceeding the conditions of [the] temporary authorization”?
2. What is the geographic area/radius of the public that will be notified in the case of any “problems during the treatment process that result in an unanticipated release of tritium exceeding the conditions of [the] temporary authorization”?
3. What methods of communication were used to notify the public and Tribal communities “three days prior to commencing operations”?
4. What is the geographic area/radius of the public and Tribal communities that were notified “three days prior to commencing operations”?

Thank you very much,

Kalyn Finnell, Communities for Clean Water and Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety

Communities for Clean Water (CCW) is a coalition of organizations whose mission is to ensure that community waters impacted by Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) are kept safe for drinking, agriculture, sacred ceremonies, and a sustainable future. Our coalition includes Amigos Bravos, Breath of My Heart Birthplace, Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety, Honor Our Pueblo Existence, the New Mexico Acequia Association, Partnership for Earth Spirituality, and Tewa Women United.

Truncated Timeline of Events this past week:

*. Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025 – NMED issued temporary authorization (TA).

*. Monday, Sept. 8, 2025 – NMED TA authorization was posted to LANL’s electronic public reading room, providing the public with the first information about the issuance of the TA.

*. Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025 – The LANL Notice of Depressurization Activities for FTWC in English and Spanish was released (see below).

*. Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025 – CCW Press Release “NMED Approves LANL Tritium Venting Plan – Radioactive Releases to Begin Saturday Despite Community Opposition.  https://www.ccwnewmexico.org/general-2

Notification of Depressurization Activities for Flanged Tritium Waste Containers

On Saturday, September 13, 2025, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) will begin depressurization of four Flanged Tritium Waste Containers.

The operation is scheduled to take place over a two-week period and avoids impacting neighboring Pueblo Feast Days.

It also considers weather conditions to ensure activities occur at the best and safest time possible.

NNSA and LANL look forward to the successful completion of this project and are committed to providing the public with information about various aspects of the operation. Those public engagement opportunities will be announced in future communications.

For more information on FTWCs, please go to: Flanged Tritium Waste Containers | Los Alamos National Laboratory

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LANL on YouTube

Notificación de Actividades de Despresurización de Contenedores Bridados con Residuos de Tritio

El sábado 13 de septiembre de 2025, la Administración Nacional de Seguridad Nuclear (NNSA) y el Laboratorio Nacional de Los Álamos (LANL) comenzarán la despresurización de cuatro Contenedores Bridados con Residuos de Tritio.

La operación está programada para llevarse a cabo durante un período de dos semanas y evita afectar las Fiestas de los Pueblos.

También considera las condiciones climáticas para asegurar que las actividades se lleven a cabo en el mejor y más seguro momento posible.

La NNSA y LANL esperan con interes la finalización exitosa de este proyecto y estan comprometidos a proveer al público información sobre varios aspectos de la operación. Dichas oportunidades de participación pública se anunciarán en futuras comunicaciones.

Para obtener más información en inglés sobre los Contenedores Bridados con Residuos de Tritio, visite: Contenedores Bridados con Residuos de Tritio | Laboratorio Nacional de Los Álamos.

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Following the 80^th year since the bombings of Trinity, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, did you know that 2025 is also the 80^th year since the formation of the United Nations?  The General Assembly’s first resolution recognized nuclear disarmament as the principal goal of the United Nations.

On Friday, September 26^th, take time to acknowledge the world coming together for the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons at the United Nations in New York and Geneva.  The General Assembly commemorates the day as a reaffirmation, and priority, for the world community to work for global nuclear disarmament.

The United Nations acknowledges that, “Commemorating this Day at the United Nations is especially important, given its universal membership and its long experience in grappling with nuclear disarmament issues. It is the right place to address one of humanity’s greatest challenges; achieving the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons.”

To assist in meeting these goals, a new international platform for civil society actions and events has been created. It is called “Nuclear Abolition Day” and brings together individuals and organizations from around the world to take part in an action or event on that day. It calls on governments to announce concrete plans for the prevention of any use of nuclear weapons and the achievement of a nuclear weapons-free world by 2045 – the 100^th year since the bombings and the creation of the United Nations.  https://www.un.org/en/observances/nuclear-weapons-elimination-day

 To encourage involvement, the Nuclear Abolition Day launched a multi-faceted social media campaign called “Stop Nuclear Weapons: Peace is in our Hands” to encourage individuals and organizations to use their hands in symbolic and cooperative ways to promote nuclear disarmament.  One example is to create a peace sign in the palm of your hand. Additional examples are available on the Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament website at https://www.pnnd.org/article/nuclearabolitiondayorg-launched-united-nations-geneva

Another opportunity for involvement is to sign the Appeal to the United Nations that affirms the desire, among others, to cut nuclear weapons budgets and redirect those funds to strengthen the United Nations, accelerate steps to protect the climate and meet human and economic needs.  https://www.pnnd.org/article/nuclearabolitiondayorg-launched-united-nations-geneva

Locally, on Friday, September 26^th at noon in Santa Fe, join with Veterans for Peace and others, including Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety, at the corners of East Alameda and Sandoval, to commemorate Nuclear Abolition Day as part of the weekly one-hour peaceful protest to abolish nuclear weapons.

1. Friday, September 12^th from noon to 1 pm – Join your neighbors and friends at the intersection of East Alameda and Sandoval for the weekly one-hour peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament and against expanded plutonium pit production at LANL. Join with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others. Bring your flags, signs and banners in support of nuclear weapons disarmament.

2. Wednesday, September 17^th from 1 to 3:30 MDT – Virtual Department of Energy (DOE) Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Northern New Mexico. Tentative agenda includes: Elections of Chair and Vice-Chair for Fiscal Chair 2026; Presentation to the Board; and Agency Updates.  For more information, including how to access the meeting, please contact Bridget Maestas, Northern New Mexico Citizens Advisory Board Executive Director two days prior to the meeting at maestas@em.doe.gov or 505 709 7466 or https://www.energy.gov/em/nnmcab/northern-new-mexico-citizens-advisory-board

3. Thursday, September 18^th at 6 pm at the SALA Event Center in Los Alamos – Black Hole Museum Initiative meeting, film screenings and discussion panel and Q&A with filmmakers and the Ed Grothus family. THINK PEACEFUL REUSE!  https://blackholemuseum.blogspot.com/2025/08/save-date-thursday-september-18th.html

 For more background information, see:  https://losalamosreporter.com/2025/06/29/black-hole-museum-a-new-idea-for-the-los-alamos-community/

4. Sunday, September 21, 2025 – International Day of Peace: End Racism; Build Peace.  https://internationaldayofpeace.org/

5. Monday, September 22 at 6pm MDT

Wednesday, September 24 at 2 pm MDT

Friday, September 26 at 10 am MDT

Three opportunities to discuss the draft NM Environment Department amendments to the State’s Standards for Ground and Surface Water Protection at 20.6.2 NMAC and the State’s draft NEW regulations known as the New Mexico Pollutant Discharge Elimination System at 20.6.5 NMAC.

For more information:

https://www.env.nm.gov/events-calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D189342697

The public comment period begins August 29^th and closes October 28, 2025.

6. Friday, September 26 from 8 am – 10 am MDT – Ministerial level conference at the United Nations Headquarters to promote the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). The Treaty is designed to prohibit all nuclear weapon test explosion for all time.  The event will be streamed live on UN Web TV. 

 For more information:  www.ctbto.org

7. Thursday, November 13^th and Friday, November 14^th – International Uranium Film Festival at the Navajo National Museum in Window Rock. For more information, visit: https://uraniumfilmfestival.org/

On Saturday, August 30^th, after a beautiful drive across the plains of Northeastern New Mexico, members of the Stop Forever WIPP Coalition arrived in the Village of Wagon Mound. https://www.wagonmound.org/ With a population of less than 300, this rural community feels tight-knit, with many friends and families gathering to celebrate the mighty Pinto Bean every Labor Day. In addition to being next door to the beautiful Wagon Mound butte, this village is also located right off Interstate 25.  This stretch is one of the routes used by the Department of Energy (DOE) to transport legacy plutonium-contaminated waste from making the triggers, or pits, for nuclear weapons to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), near Carlsbad, New Mexico. https://wipp.energy.gov/

The Bean Day Team, which consisted of representatives from the Stop Forever WIPP Coalition https://stopforeverwipp.org/, Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety https://nuclearactive.org/ , Nuclear Watch New Mexico https://nukewatch.org/ and Veterans for Peace https://www.facebook.com/VFP063/ tabled on Main Street to bring awareness about the WIPP route to the Bean Day festival-goers. Our goal was to remind them that DOE had promised the People of New Mexico that it would clean up the plutonium-contaminated legacy waste from sites across the country, dispose of it in WIPP and close in 25 years.  That did not happen.  Now DOE says it must keep WIPP open until 2083 to support expanded fabrication of plutonium triggers at Los Alamos National Laboratory and therefore the waste disposal site. Many festivalgoers were aware of this predicament of DOE’s own making and others wanted to learn more.  https://stopforeverwipp.org/current-news

The day began at the Veterans Memorial Service, where the team connected with veterans and Wagon Mound families, learning about the rich history of the town and festival and honoring those who served. The team set up shop in front of the old post office, right down the street from the car show, within earshot of festive music (Santana!), and got to work spreading the word and gathering signatures on a petition to New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.  The petition asks the Governor to prioritize the removal of Cold War legacy waste at LANL to WIPP and to operate another legacy waste repository in another state, among other issues.  If you would like to join this effort, please sign the petition at https://stopforeverwipp.org/

Despite realizing our minor role among the big festivities that occur on Labor Day, we still had success increasing awareness about the WIPP route and plutonium pit production at LANL with the help of some delicious snow cones, both pickle and chamoyada flavors!

Members of the team tried their hands at the corn hole tournament while others passed out buttons, stickers and t-shirts promoting the 2026 Plutonium Trail Caravan, a project of the Stop Forever WIPP Coalition to educate people along the routes in New Mexico.  https://stopforeverwipp.org/home

It was a lovely trip seeing and meeting new faces, catching up with old friends, trying new foods, and spreading the word about important nuclear safety issues along the WIPP route. Next year, we will make sure to go on Labor Day so we can enjoy the beans that cook slowly underground from Friday to Sunday.

1. Friday, September 5^th from noon to 1 pm – Join your neighbors and friends at the intersection of East Alameda and Sandoval for the weekly one-hour peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament and against expanded plutonium pit production at LANL. Join with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others. Bring your flags, signs and banners in support of nuclear weapons disarmament.

2. Wednesday, September 10th from 5 to 7 pm at the SALA Theatre in Los Alamos – EM-LA, N3B To Discuss Legacy Waste Program Overview – Environmental Management Cleanup Forum. For meeting information, including login details, visit: https://n3b-la.com/emcf-9-10-2025/.

3. Thursday, September 18^th at 6 pm at the SALA Event Center in Los Alamos – Black Hole Museum Initiative meeting, film screenings and discussion panel and Q&A with filmmakers and the Grothus family. THINK PEACEFUL REUSE!  https://blackholemuseum.blogspot.com/2025/08/save-date-thursday-september-18th.html

 For more background information, see: https://losalamosreporter.com/2025/06/29/black-hole-museum-a-new-idea-for-the-los-alamos-community/

4. Sunday, September 21, 2025 – International Day of Peace: End Racism; Build Peace.  https://internationaldayofpeace.org/

5. Friday, September 26, International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, aka Nuclear Abolition Day. https://www.un.org/en/observances/nuclear-weapons-elimination-day

6. Thursday, November 13^th and Friday, November 14^th – International Uranium Film Festival at the Navajo National Museum in Window Rock. For more information, visit:  https://uraniumfilmfestival.org

Given the recent data dumps by Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) about its proposed venting of large quantities of radioactive tritium from four Flanged Tritium Waste Containers, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) must reject LANL’s August 22^nd regulatory request for temporary authorization to vent.  This Update describes some of the obstacles LANL put in place to obstruct public participation and timely access to important documents.

Many people were unable to participate in the August 20^th in person and virtual LANL public meeting about the proposed venting because an artificial cap was set at 100 virtual participants.  Comments and questions submitted by zoom were reduced to a minimal number of words, resulting in incomplete responses.  The meeting ended promptly after two hours even though there were at least 11 people on line with their virtual hands raised.  https://nuclearactive.org/lanl-silences-public-and-tribal-voices-while-pushing-radioactive-tritium-venting/

Two days later, on Friday, August 22^nd LANL submitted a 79-page letter with enclosures to support its request for the Environment Department to grant temporary authorization by Friday, August 29^th to vent in the future.  Los Alamos National Laboratorys Flanged Tritium Waste Container Temporary Authorization Request and Mitigation Project is Compliant with Law and Protective of Worker Safety, Public Health, and the Environment, and Should be Approved by August 29, 2025

The public, however, received notice of the August 22^nd LANL letter only on August 27^th through the LANL Electronic Public Reading Room.  [To receive such notices, you can subscribe too at https://eprr.lanl.gov/ ]  During that day, LANL did a data dump of key and long-requested documents to its Flanged Tritium Waste Container webpage.  https://www.lanl.gov/engage/environment/ftwc

As a matter of respect as well as transparency, these documents should have been made publicly available for review at least prior to the August 20^th in person and virtual meeting.  They were not.

Documents posted on August 27^th included a two-page list of venting alternatives that many non-governmental organizations and individuals have requested multiple times over several years.  The alternatives list is brief in details and contains suboptions that are not explained.  FTWC Project Alternatives Summary LA-UR-25-28815

Other posted documents include LANL responses to two of the technical reports commissioned by Tewa Women United, based in Española, New Mexico.  The first report, Review of LANL Radiation Dose Assessment for the Venting of Flanged Tritium Waste Containers (FTWCs) at TA-54 of Los Alamos National Laboratory, authored by Bernd Franke, a Director of the Institute für Energie und Umweltforschung (IFEU), contains results from a model used to assess the possible range of radiation doses to the public across various weather scenarios.

Franke, an expert in radiation dose assessment, stated, “I utilized the same model as LANL and incorporated weather data from the station in Area G, while also considering adverse weather conditions, such as days with low humidity and increased wind frequency directed towards White Rock. Additionally, I compared these factors across various age groups of the public, in contrast to LANL, which solely includes adults in their compliance calculations. Using this analysis, I found that infants and small children have a potential radiation exposure three times that of adults.” https://tewawomenunited.org/2024/11/press-release-new-report-reveals-lanl-tritium-venting-could-have-triple-the-radiation-exposure-to-infants-compared-to-adults

The second report by Dr. Arjun Makhijani of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research titled, “Out of Order:  An evaluation of the regulatory aspects of Los Alamos National Laboratory’s proposal to vent tritium from waste containers” assesses the compliance of LANL’s proposal with the applicable Clean Air Act radiation protection regulation set forth by the EPA in Title 40 CFR 61, Subpart H, as well as with Department of Energy (DOE) Order 458.1, which requires DOE facilities like LANL to keep public exposures and environmental contamination “as low as reasonably achievable.”

Out of Order indicates “using the very same assumptions about maximum possible releases at LANL, the proposed venting would not be in compliance with the Clean Air Act. The EPA was wrong to have approved the venting. That permit has expired. It should require that LANL completely re-do its application.”

Talavi Cook, former Environmental Justice Program Manager at Tewa Women United, said, “As important as they are, there are matters far beyond these technicalities.  Not only should the EPA radiation protection standards explicitly include children and infants in its definition of ‘any member of the public’, but Tewa Women United believes that radiation protection should extend to pregnant women due to fetuses comprising of 70% – 90% water; pregnant members of the public are not currently protected by the Clean Air Act or any other radiation protection regulation. It would be especially egregious if fetal health is compromised by LANL venting radioactive water vapor and making our rainwater and food radioactive. It is a matter of simple environmental justice for future generations.”  https://tewawomenunited.org/2024/11/press-release-new-report-reveals-lanl-tritium-venting-could-have-triple-the-radiation-exposure-to-infants-compared-to-adults

The LANL August 27^th responses to the two technical reports are similar to brief footnotes in a report, with no discussion and no cites to sources used to support the responses.  https://www.lanl.gov/engage/environment/ftwc

LANL also responded to Dr. Dylan Spaulding, a Senior Scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, who, on July 18^th wrote a letter to Environment Department Secretary Kenney about, among other things, the potential radiation doses to the most vulnerable members of the public from potential tritium venting releases.  https://www.lanl.gov/engage/environment/ftwc

1. Friday, August 29^th from noon to 1 pm – Join your neighbors and friends at the intersection of East Alameda and Sandoval for the weekly one-hour peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament and against expanded plutonium pit production at LANL. Join with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others. Bring your flags, signs and banners in support of nuclear weapons disarmament.

Join us to Commemorate the International Day Against Nuclear Tests – raise awareness of the effects of nuclear explosions and the need to end them to achieve a nuclear weapons free world.  The date also commemorates Kazakhstan’s historical decision in 1991 to close the Soviet nuclear test site in its territory.  For more information, check out Youth Fusion at https://www.youth-fusion.org/

2. Friday, August 1^st through Friday, August 29^th – Anti-Uranium Mapping Project Opening with photographer and activist Shayla Blatchford who documents her 14-year journey to expose the hidden truths of extractive mining practices on the Navajo Nation. CENTER, 1570 Pacheco St., Unit B1, Santa Fe, NM.  https://www.antiuraniummappingproject.com/   

3. Tuesday, September 2, 2025 – Public Meeting of the NM Legislature’s Interim Radioactive & Hazardous Materials Committee at the University of New Mexico, Student Support and Services Center, 1155 University Blvd. SE, in Albuquerque. More details are available at https://www.nmlegis.gov/Committee/Interim_Committee?CommitteeCode=RHMC   The meeting agenda is posted here:  https://www.nmlegis.gov/agendas/RHMCageSep02.25.pdf

4. Wednesday, September 10th from 5 to 7 pm at the SALA Theatre in Los Alamos – EM-LA, N3B To Discuss Legacy Waste Program Overview – Environmental Management Cleanup Forum. For meeting information, including login details, visit: https://n3b-la.com/emcf-9-10-2025/.

5. Thursday, September 18^th at 6 pm at the SALA Event Center in Los Alamos – Black Hole Museum Initiative meeting, film screenings and discussion panel and Q&A with filmmakers and the Grothus family. THINK PEACEFUL REUSE!  https://blackholemuseum.blogspot.com/2025/08/save-date-thursday-september-18th.html

 For more background information, see:  https://losalamosreporter.com/2025/06/29/black-hole-museum-a-new-idea-for-the-los-alamos-community/

6. Sunday, September 21, 2025 – International Day of Peace: End Racism; Build Peace.  https://internationaldayofpeace.org/

7. Thursday, November 13^th and Friday, November 14^th – International Uranium Film Festival at the Navajo National Museum in Window Rock. For more information, visit: https://uraniumfilmfestival.org/

This week’s so-called public meeting about the proposed venting of radioactive tritium into the air from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) showed once again how LANL silences communities while fast-tracking nuclear weapons projects.

In-person attendees were allowed three minutes to speak. Over 100 online participants—including many land-based community members who were not able to travel to the meeting in Los Alamos for health, distance or work reasons—were blindsided to find they were barred from giving verbal comments and limited to submitting just one emailed question. LANL gave no prior notice of this change.

Marissa Naranjo, with Honor Our Pueblo Existence, said, “This is not meaningful participation. It is deliberate exclusion.”  https://shuffle.do/projects/honor-our-pueblo-existance-h-o-p-e

The stakes could not be higher. Tritium —used in nuclear weapons development — is a radioactive gas that travels quickly through air, water, soil, and food. It can cause cancer, genetic damage, and health impacts across generations.  LANL insists venting is the only safe path forward—but their own “independent” technical review – one of four requirements ordered by the New Mexico Environment Department before it would review LANL’s request – exposed that claim as problematic. 250820 FTWC Public Mtg. la-ur-25-28603_1c11f

The LANL review admitted major gaps: no real-time monitoring, no container-specific risk analyses, and no serious study of safer alternatives like filtration or storage until decay. https://cdn.lanl.gov/files/nnsa-ftwc-independent-technical-report-20250812-final_2f154.pdf

Community members ask: How can a review be independent when LANL controlled the process, hired the one named reviewer, and defined the scope? This is not independence—it’s a conflict of interest.

And with LANL’s plutonium pit production expansion, even more tritium will be produced.  Talavi Denipah Cook, with Amigos Bravos, asked, “How many times will our communities be told to accept radioactive releases into our air and water? How much more trauma, sickness, and sacrifice will be demanded of us in the name of national security?”  https://www.amigosbravos.org

In particular, local community leaders noted LANL has repeatedly ignored four technical reports commissioned by Tewa Women United on the dangers of tritium. These reports document exposure pathways unique to Pueblo communities, including impacts on women, children, and traditional farming lifeways. By silencing this research, LANL once again dismissed Indigenous voices and lived experience—further eroding trust and perpetuating environmental racism.  https://tewawomenunited.org/2024/11/press-release-new-report-reveals-lanl-tritium-venting-could-have-triple-the-radiation-exposure-to-infants-compared-to-adults and https://tewawomenunited.org/2025/08/aug-20-public-hearing-on-tritium-venting-at-lanl-and-talking-points

Elder Kathy Sanchez declared, “The violence of building the world’s most destructive weapons in our backyard has desecrated our lands, our waters, and our Indigenous land-based religions since the Manhattan Project. That violence continues today with projects like tritium venting, plutonium pit expansion, the electrical transmission line project, and the WIPP oversubscription.”  https://tewawomenunited.org/sayain-circle-of-grandmothers

No one spoke in support of LANL.

1. Friday, August 22^nd from noon to 1 pm – Join your neighbors and friends at the intersection of East Alameda and Sandoval for the weekly one-hour peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament and against expanded plutonium pit production at LANL. Join with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others. Bring your flags, signs and banners in support of nuclear weapons disarmament.

2. Friday, August 1^st through Friday, August 29^th – Anti-Uranium Mapping Project Opening with photographer and activist Shayla Blatchford who documents her 14-year journey to expose the hidden truths of extractive mining practices on the Navajo Nation. CENTER, 1570 Pacheco St., Unit B1, Santa Fe, NM.  https://www.antiuraniummappingproject.com/   

3. Tuesday, September 2, 2025 – Public Meeting of the NM Legislature’s Interim Radioactive & Hazardous Materials Committee in Albuquerque. More details will be available soon at https://www.nmlegis.gov/Committee/Interim_Committee?CommitteeCode=RHMC

4. Wednesday, September 10th from 5 to 7 pm at the SALA Theatre in Los Alamos – EM-LA, N3B To Discuss Legacy Waste Program Overview – Environmental Management Cleanup Forum. For meeting information, including login details, visit: https://n3b-la.com/emcf-9-10-2025/.

5. Thursday, September 18^th at 6 pm at the SALA Event Center in Los Alamos – Black Hole Museum Initiative meeting, film screenings and discussion panel and Q&A with filmmakers and the Grothus family. THINK PEACEFUL REUSE!  https://blackholemuseum.blogspot.com/2025/08/save-date-thursday-september-18th.html

 For more background information, see:  https://losalamosreporter.com/2025/06/29/black-hole-museum-a-new-idea-for-the-los-alamos-community/

6. Sunday, September 21, 2025 – International Day of Peace: End Racism; Build Peace.  https://internationaldayofpeace.org/

7. Thursday, November 13^th and Friday, November 14^th – International Uranium Film Festival at the Navajo National Museum in Window Rock. For more information, visit: https://uraniumfilmfestival.org/

Over 24,000 people provided public comments to the Department of Energy (DOE) and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) in opposition to the proposed Electrical Power Capacity Upgrade (EPCU) Project during a convoluted multi-federal agency and multi-year review process to expand electric power to Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).  Nevertheless, on Wednesday, DOE and NNSA issued its Finding of No Significant Impact, or a FONSI. https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2025-08/fonsi-decision-notice-ea-2199-epcu-2025-08_2.pdf

The FONSI approves LANL’s plans to upgrade the electrical power supply system by installing a third line across the sacred and historical Caja del Rio and the Rio Grande.  LANL is the sole facility in the U.S. with the capability to fabricate plutonium pits, or cores, for nuclear weapons.

While DOE and NNSA state that they need more power for plutonium pit production, the annual electrical needs of LANL and Los Alamos County have remained steady at 90 megawatts for the past 25 years. https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2023-11/draft-ea-2199-epcu-project-2023-11_0.pdf, p. 13 of pdf.

DOE and NNSA find support for the third line in the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, in which Congress required the rebuilding of LANL infrastructure for plutonium pit production.  Unfortunately, there has been limited information available to the public about the passage of that provision.

Further, the FONSI may be supported by a significantly revised document called “Global 2017,” which supports statements found in the draft November 2023 EPCU Environmental Assessment (EA) that more electrical power would be needed by LANL by 2027.   https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2023-11/draft-ea-2199-epcu-project-2023-11_0.pdf, p. 10 of pdf.

In preparing comments for the draft EA, CCNS carefully reviewed the Global 2017 Integrated Resource Plan Report and found that it was prepared for the Caribbean Utilities Company, and dated July 28, 2017.  Surprisely, the Department of Energy, DOE, Los Alamos County, Los Alamos National Laboratory, LANL, National Nuclear Security Administration, or NNSA are not mentioned in the Global 2017 report, but it is cited to support the EPCU.  https://www.ofreg.ky/viewPDF/documents/energy-publications/2021-05-12-03-10-01-PACECUCIRPFinalReport1547843767.pdf

In our extensive public comments on the draft EA, CCNS questioned LANL’s unsupported statements that it could run out of energy by 2027.

Now, CCNS found in the final EA that the Global 2017 Integrated Resource Plan Report referenced there is not the same report as referenced in the draft EA.  The final EA version of the 2017 Integrated Resource Plan Report was prepared for Los Alamos County and dated June 30, 2017.  It was not provided for public review for the draft EA process.  https://www.losalamosnm.us/files/sharedassets/public/v/1/departments/utilities/documents/integrated-resource-plan-irp-2017-final-report.pdf

Why is this important?  It is important because LANL substituted a rewritten report in the final EA for one referenced in the draft EA – all without public notice.  CCNS questions:  What else has been changed?  How have those changes impacted the FONSI determination?

In related news this week, NNSA has completed an “independent” technical review of its plans to “depressurize” four Flanged Tritium Waste Containers stored at Area G.  On Wednesday, August 20th from 5:30–7:30 p.m., NNSA will host a hybrid public meeting.  See NNSA post below:

NNSA completes Independent Technical Review of proposed depressurization of four Flanged Tritium Waste Containers at LANL

The U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration’s (DOE/NNSA) Los Alamos Field Office has completed and posted the Flanged Tritium Waste Container Depressurization Independent Technical Report at https://cdn.lanl.gov/files/nnsa-ftwc-independent-technical-report-20250812-final_2f154.pdf

It’s now the first document listed under the “Downloads” section at https://www.lanl.gov/engage/environment/ftwc

The Report is in response to New Mexico Environment Department’s request, outlined in a June 2025 letter to DOE/NNSA, to conduct an independent, third-party technical review of alternative options for the depressurization of the four flanged tritium waste containers.

Also, at the request of NMED, the Los Alamos Field Office and experts from Los Alamos National Laboratory are hosting a hybrid public meeting to discuss the depressurization process and the report.

The public meeting will take place on Wednesday, August 20, from 5:30–7:30 p.m. at the Sala Event Center, 2551 Central Ave., Los Alamos, NM.

A virtual dial-in option is available for those who cannot participate in-person. Virtual access information is as follows:

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85989515275?pwd=PSiYLhJroaa7TRwUnGZTikeLsJ0auO.1

Meeting ID: 859 8951 5275

Passcode: 693831

For more information about the depressurization of the four flanged tritium waste containers process and to view the video walkthrough demonstration, please visit: https://www.lanl.gov/engage/environment/ftwc

1. Friday, August 15^th from noon to 1 pm – Join your neighbors and friends at the intersection of East Alameda and Sandoval for the weekly one-hour peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament and against expanded plutonium pit production at LANL. Join with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others. Bring your flags, signs and banners in support of nuclear weapons disarmament.

2. Friday, August 1^st through Friday, August 29^th – Anti-Uranium Mapping Project Opening with photographer and activist Shayla Blatchford who documents her 14-year journey to expose the hidden truths of extractive mining practices on the Navajo Nation. CENTER, 1570 Pacheco St., Unit B1, Santa Fe, NM.

 Special reception for the artist on Thursday, August 14^th from 5 to 8 pm.

https://www.antiuraniummappingproject.com/   

3. Wednesday, August 20^th from 5:30 to 7:30 pm – NNSA public meeting about the proposed venting of radioactive venting of tritium from four Flanged Tritium Waste Containers.  For more details, please see this week’s Update.

4. Thursday, November 13^th and Friday, November 14^th – International Uranium Film Festival at the Navajo National Museum in Window Rock. For more information, visit: https://uraniumfilmfestival.org/

Dr. Ghasson Shahrour, a medical expert and a Campaigner with the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, wrote the following piece.

“Every August 6, the world is asked to pause—for memory, for reflection, for conscience. We remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki: two cities reduced to ash in seconds.

Tens of thousands lost. Generations marked by invisible wounds. I still carry the voices of the Hibakusha—the survivors I met in Japan—etched in my memory. Their quiet pain. Their fierce plea for peace. Their insistence: Never again.

“But when I look at Gaza today, I ask: Did we ever truly listen?

“Nearly 80 years after Hiroshima and Nagasaki—and after Vietnam, Cambodia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and now Gaza—another catastrophe has unfolded before our eyes.

“In Gaza, children are pulled from the rubble. Entire families erased. Homes, hospitals, community centers, schools—obliterated.

“And still, the selective outrage. Still, the silence. Still, the complicity. This is precisely when international humanitarian law must speak loudest.

“It prohibits attacks on civilians. It demands distinction between combatants and non-combatants, proportionality in response, and humanity even amidst war.

“The Geneva Conventions, the Rome Statute, the UN Charter—these are not relics of diplomacy. They are collective promises, born from the blood and conscience of history. And they are being tested now, perhaps more than ever.

“Yet law alone is not enough.

“Without the courage to enforce it—and the will to apply it universally—the law becomes a hollow shield: one that protects some lives, but not others. When that happens, justice erodes, trust collapses, and the very fabric of shared humanity is torn.

“Gaza is not just another battlefield. It is a litmus test for the world’s moral integrity.

“Are indiscriminate bombings being investigated and condemned?

“Are siege tactics that deny water, food, and medical care being challenged as violations of international law?

“Is the international community fulfilling its duty to protect civilians—not just in statements, but in concrete actions?

“It is not enough to condemn atrocities after the fact. The real challenge lies in prevention, accountability, and deterrence.

“Civil society organizations, human rights defenders, and international legal bodies—from the UN to grassroots NGOs—have a critical role. Their work is a lifeline for truth, for memory, and for justice. But they need more than mandates—they need political will and meaningful support.

“Yes, we must recognize that we cannot stop future Hiroshimas if we’ve allowed today’s Gazas to burn.

“The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), was a landmark—a triumph of international humanitarian law and human conscience over mass annihilation.

“But disarmament is not only about dismantling weapons. It is about upholding the same legal and moral principles—protecting civilians, prohibiting indiscriminate violence, and ensuring accountability—that are being violated today in Gaza.

“Because we have failed to uphold humanitarian law in Gaza, we are betraying the very principles that led to nuclear disarmament in the first place.

“We cannot claim to honor the laws that ban nuclear weapons while turning a blind eye to war crimes committed with conventional ones.

“From the ashes of Hiroshima to the flames of Gaza, the geography changes—but the grief does not. A mother burying her child in Japan in 1945 felt the same unspeakable sorrow as one doing so in Palestine today. The pain is universal. The injustice, unmistakable.

“What is happening in Gaza is not merely a conflict—it is the collapse of legal norms, the erosion of accountability, and the betrayal of humanitarian principles. When hospitals become battlegrounds, when homes, refugee camps, and cities become graves, and when human rights are stripped away by siege and fire—killing more than sixty thousand people, thirty percent of them children—the world must not simply watch. It must act.

“Let this Hiroshima Day be not only a memorial to the past, but a mirror to the present—and a call to action:

“For equal enforcement of humanitarian and human rights law, everywhere.

“For international solidarity that transcends political calculations.

“For justice that restores—not only punishes.

“For a culture of peace that replaces cycles of destruction.

“Let this be the day we finally hear the voices of victims—from Hiroshima to Gaza.

“Let it be the day we say, with unwavering clarity:

“No peace without justice.

“No security without law.

“No future without shared humanity.”

1. Friday, August 8^th from noon to 1 pm – Join your neighbors and friends at the intersection of East Alameda and Sandoval for the weekly one-hour peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament and against expanded plutonium pit production at LANL. Join with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others. Bring your flags, signs and banners in support of nuclear weapons disarmament.

2. 80^th Anniversary Events: Remembering Trinity, Hiroshima and Nagasaki – July 16, August 6, and August 9, 2025.  Physicians for Social Responsibility provide a listing of commemoration events around the country.  Check for an event or events in your area at https://psr.org/get-involved/80th-anniversary-events/

3. Friday, August 1^st through Friday, August 29^th – Anti-Uranium Mapping Project Opening with photographer and activist Shayla Blatchford who documents her 14-year journey to expose the hidden truths of extractive mining practices on the Navajo Nation. CENTER, 1570 Pacheco St., Unit B1, Santa Fe, NM.

 Special reception for the artist on Thursday, August 14^th from 5 to 8 pm.

https://www.antiuraniummappingproject.com/   

4. Wednesday, August 6^th – “A Message to Humanity” – watch the Nobel Peace Conference and Festival 2025, in Oslo, Norway. Many presentations and learning opportunities.  https://www.nobelpeacecenter.org/en/nobel-peace-conference-and-festival

5. Saturday, August 9^th from 10 am to 3 pm – Nagasaki – Japan – 80^th Anniversary Commemoration in Los Alamos, NM. At two locations:  Manhattan Project National Historic Park (Ashley Pond) and SALA Event Center.  Vigil and Protest, March, Viewing Two Documentaries with Q&A with filmmakers, March, and Refreshments.  Please see July 24, 2025 CCNS News Update for details:  https://nuclearactive.org/join-us-on-saturday-august-9th-for-nagasaki-commemoration-events-in-los-alamos/

To prepare for a public meeting with the U.S. Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (“the Board”) in Santa Fe on Monday evening, CCNS followed its policy of reviewing at least the last eight weeks of the Board’s reports for Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and used that as a basis for questions and comments to present to the Board.  What we found:

In its May 2^nd, 2025 report, the Board looks at the status of the proposed venting of radioactive tritium from up to four Flanged Tritium Waste Containers stored at Area G. It states that a team completed the Contractor Readiness Assessment that resulted in six pre-start findings that were being reviewed.  It is unknown whether the pre-start findings were resolved.  https://www.dnfsb.gov/sites/default/files/2025-05/Los%20Alamos%20Week%20Ending%20May%202%202025.pdf

The Board’s May 16^th report reveals that the next level of review, called a Federal Readiness Assessment, was done.  Its purpose was to find out whether the LANL contractors, Triad and N3B, were capable of safely venting the tritium containers and whether the Department of Energy (DOE) and National Nuclear Security Administration would provide effective oversight.

As part of the assessment, a mock venting of a tritium container was staged at LANL’s Technical Area 49.

The Board reported:  “During the out-brief, the assessment team discussed six pre-start and one post-start finding. [In] three of the pre-start findings related to procedure quality and compliance, including instances where procedures could not be performed as written, steps were signed off as completed despite being incorrect or not fully understood, and steps were signed off as completed without being performed.”  https://www.dnfsb.gov/sites/default/files/2025-07/Los%20Alamos%20Week%20Ending%20May%2016%202025.pdf

Shockingly, the following weekly reports did not reveal what happened as a result of DOE not following procedures, signing off on tasks that were not completed or performed.   Yet, LANL claims:  “The main objective of radioactive waste management is to protect workers, the public and the environment from the potential harmful effects of radioactive waste and to minimize the burden for future generations.”  https://www.lanl.gov/engage/environment/ftwc

Joni Arends, of CCNS, reflected, “It is unconscionable that DOE signed off on essential steps to protect public health and the environment from exposure to tritium without performing the necessary tasks.  How can the public possibly believe what DOE says about the proposed venting when it misrepresents completing key steps in its process?  It’s time to go back to square one.”

The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, an independent oversight organization, was created in 1988 to provide advice and recommendations to the DOE Secretary regarding public health and safety at defense nuclear facilities, such as LANL.  https://www.dnfsb.gov/

1. Friday, August 1^st from noon to 1 pm – Join your neighbors and friends at the intersection of East Alameda and Sandoval for the weekly one-hour peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament and against expanded plutonium pit production at LANL. Join with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others. Bring your flags, signs and banners in support of nuclear weapons disarmament.

2. 80^th Anniversary Events: Remembering Trinity, Hiroshima and Nagasaki – July 16, August 6, and August 9, 2025.  Physicians for Social Responsibility provide a listing of commemoration events around the country.  Check for an event or events in your area at https://psr.org/get-involved/80th-anniversary-events/

3. Friday, August 1^st through Friday, August 29^th – Anti-Uranium Mapping Project Opening with photographer and activist Shayla Blatchford who documents her 14-year journey to expose the hidden truths of extractive mining practices on the Navajo Nation. CENTER, 1570 Pacheco St., Unit B1, Santa Fe, NM.

 Special reception for the artist on Thursday, August 14^th from 5 to 8 pm.

https://www.antiuraniummappingproject.com/   

4. Tuesday, August 5^th from 7 am to 9 am PDT and from 5 pm to 7 pm PDT – Two Virtual Celebrations of the Life of Joanna Macy, hosted by the Work That Reconnects Network.

“With full hearts, we invite you to gather in love and remembrance of Joanna Macy – our beloved root teacher, mentor, friend and now… ancestor.

“Joanna’s life was a profound gift to the world. Through her workshops, writings, teachings and mere presence – she gave us new ways to hold grief, cultivate resilience and to act with courage and tenderness in a complex world. The Work That Reconnects – possibly her greatest offering – continues to pulse through every one of us.

“Join us to celebrate her life, her legacy and the Great Turning she named and nurtured.”

To register for one or both celebrations, go to:  https://mailchi.mp/workthatreconnects/joanna-macy-celebrations?e=6bda6997d8

5. Wednesday, August 6^th from 11 am to 1 pm – Hiroshima Day Anti-War Rally in Taos. Gather on the corner of Paseo del Pueblo and Albright.  Sponsored by Taoseños for Peaceful and Livable Futures.  For more information:  eototos@gmail.com

* Remember:  U.S. Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima, Japan *

* Halt Nuclear Warhead Core Production at LANL*

* It Started Here! Let’s Stop It Here! *

* Fund Human Needs not WAR! *

* Halt the Genocide! *

* Never Again!

6. Wednesday, August 6^th at 5:30 pm MT – 80^th Anniversary of the Hiroshima Atomic Bombing at 1420 Cerrillos Road, Santa Fe, NM. Sponsored by:  Back from the Brink New Mexico Hub, International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, Nuclear Watch New Mexico, Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium, Up in Arms.  For more information and a link for online viewing, go to https://nukewatch.org

 Note:  Park in back of the building, via Taos Street, one block east of Cerrillos Road.

7. Saturday, August 9^th from 10 am to 3 pm – Nagasaki – Japan – 80^th Anniversary Commemoration in Los Alamos, NM. At two locations:  Manhattan Project National Historic Park (Ashley Pond) and SALA Event Center.  Vigil and Protest, March, Viewing Two Documentaries with Q&A with filmmakers, March, and Refreshments.  Please see last week’s CCNS News Update for details:  https://nuclearactive.org/join-us-on-saturday-august-9th-for-nagasaki-commemoration-events-in-los-alamos/

All are welcome to join peacemakers and activists on Saturday, August 9^th at 10 am in Los Alamos to commemorate the 80^th year since the U.S. bombing of Nagasaki, Japan on that day in 1945.

At 10 am, a vigil and protest will begin in the Manhattan Project National Historic Park at Ashley Pond.  We’ll come together to sing songs of peace and against nuclear weapons, to honor the victims and survivors of nuclear bombs development, testing and use around the world.  We’ll vow to never allow another nuclear atrocity.

At 11 am we’ll march to the SALA Theater, located at 2551 Central Avenue.  https://sala.losalamos.com/  Two documentaries, Nagasaki Journey, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_3Xs1iALx8 , followed by Dark Circle, https://www.pbs.org/pov/films/darkcircle/ , created by filmmakers Christopher Beaver and Judy Irving will be shown. The filmmakers will be present for Q & A sessions.

At 2:30 pm we’ll march back to the Manhattan Project National Historic Park for refreshments and an open mike session for anyone who wishes to say a few words.  We’ll end with a closing song.

Please note:  The seating at the SALA theatre is limited.  You may reserve your seat for five dollars.  Please visit the theatre’s website at https://sala.losalamos.com/ .  Click on “Tickets,” then scroll down to August 9^th and find the sponsor’s name:  NM Peace Festival.

Veterans For Peace, New Mexico Peace Festival, Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety, Nuclear Watch New Mexico and the Taos Environmental Film Festival are organizing the events.

The organizers are focused on the Nagasaki bombing, which was prepared for by the United States first testing a plutonium implosion bomb, named “The Gadget,” at the Trinity Site in south central New Mexico on July 16, 1945.  The second plutonium implosion bomb, “Fat Man,” was dropped on Nagasaki near the end of World War Two.  Both plutonium implosion bombs were fabricated at Los Alamos.

It has been 80 years since those atrocities occurred.  Now some world leaders are saying the quiet part out loud and urging the use of nuclear weapons to resolve conflicts.

In response, we’ll display Veterans for Peace flags, banners that declare, “Nuclear Weapons are Illegal,” that the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is in force, and quote Pope Francis stating that nuclear weapons are immoral.  Please bring your signs and banners.

1. Friday, July 25^th from noon to 1 pm – Join your neighbors and friends at the intersection of East Alameda and Sandoval for the weekly one-hour peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament and against expanded plutonium pit production at LANL. Join with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others. Bring your flags, signs and banners in support of nuclear weapons disarmament.

2. Watch the “Television Event” 2:13 minute trailer at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S5RGRsTwjM It is about the television movie of the week about nuclear war shown on television during the Reagan administration.  Watch the trailer to learn more.

3. Friday, August 1^st through Friday, August 29^th – Anti-Uranium Mapping Project Opening with photographer and activist Shayla Blatchford who documents her 14 year journey to expose the hidden truths of extractive mining practices on the Navajo Nation. CENTER, 1570 Pacheco St., Unit B1, Santa Fe, NM.

 Special reception for the artist on Thursday, August 14^th from 5 to 8 pm.

https://www.antiuraniummappingproject.com/

The Red Water Pond Road Community Association and the Pipeline Road Community invite you to attend the historic 46th commemoration of the Church Rock Uranium Tailings Spill on Saturday, July 19th beginning at 6 am near the tailings spill location, 12 miles north of Red Rock State Park on State Highway 566. Free t-shirts will be available for the first 100 participants.  https://swuraniumimpacts.org/red-water-pond-road-community-association/ , https://www.visitgallup.com/things-to-do/outdoors/red-rock-park/

Breakfast will begin at 6 am, followed by opening prayers. There will be a walk to the tailings spill site starting at 6:30 am.  The group will return to the shaded arbor for lunch.  There will be speakers, educational tables, a kid’s corner, and a silent auction.  At 4 pm, the event will end with a closing prayer.

Food and drink donations are welcomed.

In 1968, the United Nuclear Corporation began mining operations in the largest underground uranium mine in the United States. Mining wastes were disposed of in three lined lagoons behind a dam that United Nuclear Corporation and the state and federal agencies knew was subject to failure.  When, on July 16th, 1979, the dam was breached, 1,100 tons of uranium tailings waste and 94 million gallons of radioactive water flowed into and contaminated about 80 miles of the Rio Puerco.  Many Navajos relied on the Rio Puerco for their daily needs and watering livestock.  Uranium workers, their families and others have suffered for decades because of the unremediated radioactive and chemical tailings spill.  https://www.vice.com/en/article/church-rock-americas-forgotten-nuclear-disaster-is-still-poisoning-navajo-lands-40-years-later/

The organizers said, “This historic event is open to all ages and will share the struggles people face in their daily lives, the healing yet to come for our people and Mother Earth, and the awareness and education required in the local area, tribally, statewide and on the national level.

“We would like the younger generation to be present, advocate and carry on these traditions of caring for Mother Earth…

“Let’s collaborate to restore, preserve and protect our Mother Earth and to provide a life of balance and harmony for our people now and for the future generations.”

For more information about the tailings spill, please visit https://swuraniumimpacts.org/

1. Friday, July 18^th from noon to 1 pm –

   Join your neighbors and friends at the intersection of East Alameda and Sandoval for the weekly one-hour peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament and against expanded plutonium pit production at LANL. Join with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others. Bring your flags, signs and banners in support of nuclear weapons disarmament.

2. Watch the “Television Event” 2:13 minute trailer at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S5RGRsTwjM It is about the television movie of the week about nuclear war shown on television during the Reagan administration.  Watch the trailer to learn more.

3. Wednesday, July 23^rd from 5 pm – 6:30 pm MT – A virtual event at which Timmon Wallis will discuss his new book, Nuclear Abolition: A Scenario.  Sponsored by Massachusetts Peace Action.   Register here:  https://masspeaceaction.org/event/nuclear-abolition-a-scenario/

4. Friday, August 1^st through Friday, August 29^th – Anti-Uranium Mapping Project Opening with photographer and activist Shayla Blatchford who documents her 14 year journey to expose the hidden truths of extractive mining practices on the Navajo Nation. CENTER, 1570 Pacheco St., Unit B1, Santa Fe, NM.

Special reception for the artist on Thursday, August 14^th from 5 to 8 pm.

https://www.antiuraniummappingproject.com/   

5. Saturday, August 9^th from 10 am to – 3 pm – Nagasaki Commemoration in Los Alamos, NM, sponsored by NM PeaceFest, Veterans for Peace, Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety and Nuclear Watch New Mexico.