

CCNS UpdateSep 21, 2023

United Nations Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty Continues to Gather Strength
On Wednesday, September 19 th , the landmark Treaty on the
Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons had been signed by almost half of
all countries in the world after a ceremony at the United Nations
General Assembly in New York where Sri Lanka acceded to the
Treaty and the Bahamas signed it.

NMED Hybrid Public Meeting on Friday, September 22 nd about Changes to WIPP Operating Permit
Friday, September 22 nd will be the last opportunity to make your public
comments about the changes to the operating permit for the nuclear
waste dump, called the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, or WIPP. WIPP is a
deep geologic repository for plutonium- contaminated radioactive waste
from the production of nuclear weapons, located 26 miles east of
Carlsbad, New Mexico.

For LANL Cleanup, GAO Recommends a Facilitator to Improve Relationship between New Mexico Environment Department and DOE
In a July 2023 report the federal Government Accountability Office
recommended that a third-party facilitator be brought in to improve the
relationship and build trust between the New Mexico Environment
Department and the Department of Energy (DOE) as they try to resolve
outstanding cleanup issues at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).

LANL’s Toxic Hexavalent Chromium Plume Must Remain a Priority
CCNS provided the following response to a recent Santa Fe New Mexican Our View:
“In response to Stop Stalling: Clean up chromium plume, no one is stalling.
The plume does need immediate attention and does need to be analyzed
with a computer model that everyone can use. The consequences of
getting the cleanup of the toxic hexavalent chromium plume wrong would
be disastrous.

CCNS Urges State Legislature to Protect the Española Aquifer from LANL Pollutants
Did you know that in 2008 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
designated the 3,000 square mile Española Basin System as a Sole Source Drinking Water Aquifer? One ongoing concern is that Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) sits on its western edge, near the Valles Caldera. And a recent dispute between the New Mexico Environment Department and the Department of Energy about the LANL hexavalent chromium plume, which is being pushed deeper into the regional drinking water aquifer, highlights the need for state agencies to have the resources to protect it.
Hexavalent chromium is a known human carcinogen.

Join the Continuation of Dr. King’s Work at 60 th Anniversary of March on Washington in Albuquerque on Saturday, August 26 th
On August 28, 1963, more than 200,000 peaceful demonstrators from across the United States of America joined together for the first March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. They came together to demand voting rights and equal opportunity for African Americans and to appeal for an end to racial segregation and discrimination.

Medical Journals Issue Urgent Call for Elimination of Nuclear Weapons
More than 100 medical journals, including the Lancet, the British Medical Journal, the New England Journal of Medicine, and the JAMA, have issued a joint call for urgent steps to decrease the growing danger of nuclear war and to move rapidly to the elimination of nuclear weapons. At a time of expanded fighting in Ukraine and increased tensions in Korea, leaders of the global health community underscore that any use of nuclear weapons would be catastrophic for humanity.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki Commemorative Events: The Forgotten Bomb Documentary, Inaugural Albu(r)querque Peace Festival and Gathering at Ashley Pond
Near the end of World War II, on August 6 th , 1945, the United States dropped a uranium atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. Three days later, the United States dropped a plutonium atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan. To acknowledge the harm done in the development, testing and use of the atomic bombs by the United States, two events are taking place on Saturday, August 5 th in Albuquerque and one event on
Wednesday, August 9 th in Los Alamos. For more information or to find similar
commemorative events in your area, please see the Physicians for Social Responsibility
website at psr.org.

Archdioceses of Santa Fe and Seattle Delegation to Hiroshima and Nagasaki
A delegation from the Archdioceses of Santa Fe and Seattle is embarking on a transformative Pilgrimage of Peace to the Japanese cities of Tokyo, Akita, Kyoto, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki, from July 31 to August 12, 2023. The delegation comprises Most Reverend John C. Wester, Archbishop of Santa Fe, and Most Reverend Paul D. Etienne, Archbishop of Seattle, along with representatives from various organizations and archdiocesan offices dedicated to nuclear disarmament and social justice. Funding for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe delegation is strictly through grants and personal contributions; no funds from the Archdiocese of Santa Fe are being used.

Announcing the Inaugural Albu(r)querque Peace Festival on Saturday, August 5 th at Roosevelt Park
Rain or shine, please join diverse organizations and individuals at the
Inaugural Albu(r)querque Peace Festival on Saturday, August 5 th from 2 to
6 pm at Roosevelt Park for music, speakers, informational tables and food
trucks.. The Albu(r)querque Peace Festival is an effort by multiple
organizations to bring attention to the danger of nuclear weapons, the
horror of nuclear war, and promote efforts toward longstanding peace
locally, nationally, and globally.

Sunday, July 16 th Vigil to Commemorate the 1945 Trinity Nuclear Test in New Mexico
You are invited to come to a free in-person and live stream public vigil entitled “From Reflection to Action: An Interfaith Remembrance of the Trinity Test” on Sunday, July 16 th from 4 to 6 pm at Santa Maria de la Paz Church at 11 College Avenue in Santa Fe. The vigil will commemorate the 78 th year since the detonation of the first atomic weapon, called The Gadget, at the Trinity Test Site in south central New Mexico and provide you with tools to work for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons. Doors open at 3:15 pm so you may view exhibits and visit with representatives of local organizations, including CCNS.

Local Groups to Host Interfaith Vigil to Commemorate July 16, 1945 Trinity Nuclear Test in New Mexico
To commemorate the 78 th anniversary of the first detonation of an atomic weapon
at the nearby Trinity Test Site, the complete elimination of nuclear weapons must be
prioritized. A free in-person and livestreamed public event entitled “From Reflection to
Action: An Interfaith Remembrance of the Trinity Test” will be held at the Santa Maria de
la Paz Community Hall in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Sunday, July 16 th from 4 to 6 pm.
Doors open at 3:15 pm so you may view exhibits on nuclear issues and visit with
representatives of local organizations.

CCNS and NMED Negotiate Settlement Agreement for the WIPP Hazardous Waste Renewal Permit
CCNS and five other non-governmental organizations and one individual
successfully negotiated a settlement agreement last week to revise the draft ten-year
hazardous waste renewal permit for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). Also at the
table were the New Mexico Environment Department and the co-Permittees, the U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE) and Salado Isolation Mining Contractors, LLC (SIMCO).

Please Contribute to CCNS This Summer! Together We Are Making a Difference!
Each week you depend on CCNS to provide you with the latest nuclear safety
issues through the radio, on the internet and by email. We’ve been producing the
weekly CCNS News Update for over 35 years! We need your financial support to keep
our programs going.

Communities for Clean Water Urge LANL to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for Hexavalent Chromium Plume
Los Alamos National Laboratory plans to prepare an environmental assessment
to address the hexavalent chromium contamination in the deep regional drinking water
aquifer. In comments submitted this week, the Communities for Clean Water
recommended that LANL conduct a more detailed environmental impact statement in
order to protect the regional drinking water aquifer and the Environmental Protection
Agency-designated Española Basin Sole Source Aquifer from the migrating
contamination.

Saturday, June 10 th Forum “Radioactive Contamination, Environment and Public Health and the Future of the Portsmouth Nuclear Site”
You are invited to join the Ohio Nuclear Free Network for its important virtual public forum, Radioactive Contamination, Environment and Public Health and the
Future of the Portsmouth Nuclear Site, on Saturday, June 10 th beginning at 10:45 am Mountain Time. The in-person and virtual forum offers an opportunity to
learn from world-renowned experts about contamination at the Piketon, Ohio site and at
Department of Energy (DOE) sites across the country.

Public Comments Needed for the Scope of Sandia National Laboratory Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement
CCNS has prepared sample public comments you can modify about the scope of a new draft site-wide environmental impact statement for Sandia National
Laboratories in New Mexico. Comments may be submitted electronically to SNL-
SWEIS@nnsa.doe.gov through Monday, June 5 th , 2023.

G7 Summit in Hiroshima Fails to Contribute Meaningfully to Nuclear Disarmament
In response to the lack of concrete progress on nuclear disarmament by the G7
leaders in Hiroshima last week, Ivana Nikolić Hughes, Ph.D., and President of the
Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, wrote the following op-ed in Common Dreams. We
provide excerpts:

Four Archbishops Urge G7 Leaders to Undertake Concrete Steps Toward Nuclear Disarmament
On May 15 th , four Archbishops, including Archbishop John C. Wester of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, sent a letter to the Group of Seven leaders gathering for
a three-day summit in Hiroshima, Japan to urge the leaders to take concrete steps toward nuclear disarmament.

WQCC Denies CCNS and HOPE Standing to Challenge DP-1132
The New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission not only denied Honor Our Pueblo Existence (HOPE) and CCNS standing to challenge the groundwater
discharge permit DP-1132, but also denied the public any opportunity to provide comment during
Tuesday’s hearing.

What’s at Stake at Tuesday’s WQCC Hearing on HOPE and CCNS Standing?
The health of the Rio Grande watershed in the area of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is at stake. The protection of the 3,000 square mile sole source
drinking water aquifer is at stake. LANL has contaminated it with hexavalent chromium and the plume is migrating towards the Pueblo de San Ildefonso, the Rio
Grande, and the Buckman wells and diversion facility. Every drop of water is precious and must be free from contamination. Honor Our Pueblo Existence (HOPE)
and CCNS work to ensure that every drop is protected.

May 9 th New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission Hearing about CCNS and HOPE Standing
Honor Our Pueblo Existence (HOPE) and CCNS will be before the New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission on Tuesday, May 9 th at the New Mexico
State Capitol to argue that they have standing to challenge the groundwater discharge permit, DP-1132, for the Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility at
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The Hearing Officer, who reports to the Commission, recommended to the Commission that the non-governmental
organizations do not have standing.

Seismic Analyses Needed for LANL’s Two New Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facilities
There has not been an adequate examination of the seismic vulnerabilities and increasing risk of seismic activity in the area of Valles Caldera, with Los Alamos
National Laboratory on the eastern slope.

DOE Tries to Hire Away Another New Mexico WQCC Decision Maker
It was revealed at the Tuesday, April 11 th monthly meeting of the New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission that the Department of Energy (DOE) had
approached Kelsey Rader, an at-large member of the Commission, on Good Friday about a job with DOE. If Commissioner Rader took a position with DOE, she
would be the third official who was hired away by DOE during the Commission’s review of DOE’s
New Mexico Environment Department ground water discharge permit.

NMED’s Permit Allows LANL Loopholes for Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility
It’s time to break the silence about the permitting of the Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Since 1963, the Facility
has handled, treated and stored radioactive and hazardous liquid waste generated at the Plutonium Facility, where the triggers, or plutonium pits, for nuclear
weapons are fabricated.

NNSA and DOE Officials Will Be in Santa Fe on Tuesday, April 4 th to Answer Your Questions
The National Nuclear Security Administrator Jill Hruby and Senior Advisor to the Department of Energy Office of Environment Management Ike White will be in
Santa Fe next week for a public town hall. It is essential that they hear from you!

Santa Fe County Commission Chair Anna Hansen to Moderate Public Q&A with NNSA and DOE Officials on Tuesday, April 4 th in Santa Fe
For nearly three years, the public has requested a town hall type of event in which officials from the Department of Energy (DOE) and National Nuclear Security
Administration (NNSA) would answer questions about the plans to expand operations at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP).

Get Your Surplus Plutonium Draft EIS Comments Into DOE ASAP
As if there is not enough going on, it’s time to get your personalized comments into the Department of Energy (DOE). It has published its unsupported draft
environmental impact statement about DOE’s proposal for handling more than 48 metric tons of surplus plutonium – and maybe more – for decades to come.

DOE Must Withdraw the Unsupported Surplus Plutonium Draft EIS
A review of the Department of Energy (DOE) National Environmental Policy Act website shows that it is behind schedule in providing the public with up-to-date
site-wide environmental impact statements, or SWEISs, for the four main sites involved in DOE’s
proposed surplus plutonium plans.

Public Comments Needed about DOE’s Surplus Plutonium Plans
What would you do with more than 30 metric tons of “surplus” plutonium in the form of triggers for nuclear weapons? The Department of Energy (DOE) has been working to find a solution for at least 30 years.

CCNS and HOPE Petition for Mandamus from New Mexico Supreme Court
CCNS and Honor Our Pueblo Existence (HOPE) filed a Verified Petition for An Original Writ of Mandamus with the New Mexico Supreme Court about the improper regulation by the Water Quality Control Commission of the Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

On Ninth Anniversary of WIPP Explosion, Neighborhoods Along Transportation Routes Offer Roses to Governor Lujan Grisham
On February 14 th , 2014, radioactive waste exploded at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant underground disposal site. To raise public awareness of the
Valentine’s Day anniversary and the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) expansion plans, individuals and organizations held a press conference at the New Mexico
State Capitol.

On Ninth Anniversary of WIPP Explosion, Join Us at New Mexico’s Capitol on Tuesday, February 14th at 1:15 pm
On February 14 th , 2014, one or more drums of radioactive and hazardous waste exploded in the deep underground disposal site of the Waste Isolation
Pilot Plant (WIPP). To raise public awareness, non-government organizations are joining together on Tuesday, February 14 th at 1:15 in the Rotunda at the New
Mexico State Capitol for a press conference.

CCNS Urges Santa Fe City Council to Use Its Emergency Powers to Install Tent Over Eberline Facility on Airport Road
On Wednesday night, the Santa Fe City Council heard from dozens of people, both in person and virtually, about the proposed rezoning of 22 acres of
open space on South Meadows to housing. Dave Englert, a retired New Mexico Environment Department geologist, and Joni Arends, CCNS Executive Director,
urged the City Council to prioritize cleanup of the Eberline site that borders the 22 acres to the south. Arends asked the Council to use its emergency powers to
install a tent with HEPA filtration over the building now.

Santa Fe City Council Must Consider Impacts of Eberline Operations on the South Meadows Open Space.
The Santa Fe City Council will hold a special meeting on Wednesday, February 1 st at 7 pm to consider the proposed rezoning of the 22 acres of open
space on South Meadows. CCNS urges you to contact your city councilors and encourage them to vote no on the rezoning proposal. There are too many
unanswered questions about possible contamination of the open space remaining from decades of operations of the industrial Eberline / ThermoFisher
radiation detection manufacturing facility to the south.

It’s Time to Speak Out at DOE’s Surplus Plutonium Hearings in Carlsbad and Los Alamos
On Tuesday, January 24 th and Thursday, January 26 th , the Department of Energy will hold in-person public hearings in Carlsbad and Los Alamos,
respectively, about their plans to handle, treat and dispose of surplus plutonium in New Mexico.

DOE’s Dramatic Plan to Move Tons of Surplus Plutonium for Processing at LANL and Disposal at WIPP
Two in-person public hearings in New Mexico and one virtual public hearing will be held about the Department of Energy’s plan to ship more than 30
tons of surplus radioactive plutonium for processing at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP).

CCNS and HOPE Return to Water Quality Control Commission for Justice in the Discharge Permit DP-1132 Matter
On Tuesday, January 10 th , CCNS and Honor Our Pueblo Existence (HOPE) will return to the New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission to ask it
to vacate the decisions in which former Commission Chair Stephanie Stringer was involved. CCNS and HOPE have appealed the issuance of the groundwater
discharge permit, DP-1132, for the Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to the Commission.

EPA’s Environmental Appeals Board Remands LANL’s Outfall 051 Permit Back to Region 6 for More Public Input and Action
In May 2022, CCNS, Honor Our Pueblo Existence (HOPE), and Veterans
for Peace appealed the federal Clean Water Act discharge permit for Outfall 051,
which is connected to the Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility at Los
Alamos National Laboratory, to the EPA’s Environmental Appeals Board (EAB).
On December 28 th , the three-judge panel in Washington, DC ruled unanimously
to remand the federal permit, or send it back, to EPA’s Region 6 office in Dallas.

Please Support CCNS and HOPE Request for Sanctions in the LANL DP-1132 Appeal before the New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission
CCNS and Honor Our Pueblo Existence (HOPE) request your support of our request for sanctions in the appeal of the groundwater discharge permit DP-
1132, issued to Los Alamos National Laboratory for operation of the Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility. The appeal is before the New Mexico Water
Quality Control Commission, which has the authority to order sanctions. We seek sanctions requiring the Permittees, the Department of Energy / National
Nuclear Security Administration, to pay our expenses caused by DOE/NNSA’s unethical behavior.

NMED Releases WIPP Fact Sheet; draft Hazardous Waste Permit to be Released Tuesday, December 20th
On Thursday, December 8th, the New Mexico Environment Department released its fact sheet for the draft Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Hazardous
Waste Permit. The draft fact sheet is a way to let New Mexicans and the Department of Energy (DOE) know about the Environment Department plans for
the ten-year renewal of the permit.

Diplomacy is the Path to Peace” Events for the Week of December 19 th
Under the banner of “Diplomacy is the Path to Peace,” diverse organizations are holding nationwide activities the week of December 19 th to end
the war in Ukraine, not life on Earth.

What is the Los Alamos Seismic Network and Why Is It Not Working Properly?
The Earth has been rocking and rolling with large earthquake and volcanic activity lately. It makes us wonder how seismic activity along the north – south
running Pajarito Fault System and the massive Valles Caldera is being monitored and where the data is posted for easy public access.

Please Support CCNS on Giving Tuesday
For over 34 years, CCNS has been a leader for nuclear safety. We began in 1988 to address community concerns about the proposed transportation of
plutonium contaminated hazardous waste from Los Alamos National Laboratory, or LANL, to the proposed Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, or WIPP, for disposal in
the deep geologic repository. At that time, the proposal was to ship the waste through Santa Fe on Saint Francis Drive, near traditional neighborhoods, seven
schools and the hospital.

A Clear Case of Disqualification of NMED Deputy Cabinet Secretary Stephanie Stringer
This week the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) provided evidence to CCNS and Honor Our Pueblo Existence (HOPE) that Stephanie
Stringer, a New Mexico Environment Deputy Cabinet Secretary and Chair of the New Mexico Water Quality Commission, made adjudicatory decisions against
the non-governmental organizations while she was applying for NNSA employment. This is the second time NNSA has hired an adjudicatory decision-maker
during an ongoing proceeding addressing the groundwater discharge permit, DP-1132, for the Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility at Los Alamos
National Laboratory.

What Does LANL Ship to WIPP—Legacy or Newly-Generated Transuranic Waste?
On Wednesday, November 16 th , during the first virtual and in-person public hearing session, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board will hear from three
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) officials about the stored and buried transuranic waste at the Area G dump. The Board wants to understand LANL’s
plans to “remove legacy transuranic waste while minimizing the amount of aboveground transuranic waste.” Let’s break down that description.

Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board to Hold Public Hearing at Santa Fe Convention Center on November 16th
On Wednesday, November 16th, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) will hold a virtual and in-person public hearing at the Santa Fe
Community Convention Center from noon to 9:45 pm Mountain Time. The DNFSB’s goal is to gather information regarding legacy cleanup activities,
nuclear safety, and increased production of plutonium pits, or triggers, for nuclear weapons at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). There will be two
opportunities for oral public comments. Written comments will also be accepted.

CCNS and HOPE Request the Water Quality Control Commission Lift its Stay on Review of DP-1132 for LANL
On May 5, 2022, the New Mexico Environment Department issued discharge permit DP-1132 under the New Mexico Water Quality Act for the
Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The Facility manages hazardous waste and the Water Quality Act is expressly
limited so that it does not apply to a hazardous waste facility. Nevertheless, the Environment Department issued LANL the Water Quality Act permit.

WIPP Community Forum on Monday, October 24 th at 5:30 pm at Buffalo Thunder
It is essential for folks to attend – either virtually or in person - the WIPP Community Forum on Monday, October 24 , beginning at 5:30 pm at Buffalo
Thunder Resort Casino. The Department of Energy (DOE), which owns both Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP),
has plans to greatly expand both facilities.

LANL SWEIS Scoping Comments due on Tuesday, October 18 th
It’s time again to submit comments about what the scope of a new Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for Los Alamos National Laboratory should
be as required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Comments are due on Tuesday, October 18 th , 2022 by 11:59 pm Mountain Time to
LANLSWEIS@nnsa.doe.gov .