New Union of Concerned Scientists Report - Plutonium Pit Production: The Risks and Costs of U.S. Plans to Build New Nuclear Weapons

In this week’s Update CCNS provides information about the upcomingcommemorations of two harmful atomic events that both occurred in New Mexico onJuly 16th. The first is the 80th commemoration of the plutonium bomb test at the TrinityTest Site on July 16, 1945 at the White Sands Missile Range.

This week, a coalition of 13 attorneys general issued Multistate Guidanceaffirming the necessity and legality of environmental justice initiatives to ensure ahealthy environment for all people to live, play, learn, work and worship. Despiteattempts by the Trump administration to eliminate this critical work by businesses,nonprofits, and other organizations as illegal through the use of Executive Orders, theattorneys general are pushing back.

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) planned to vent 30,000 curies ofradioactive tritium into the air during several weekends this summer but it must haveapproval from the New Mexico Environment Department. James Kenney, EnvironmentDepartment Secretary, citing significant public interest in the proposed plan, determinedthat prior to the Environment Department making any final decision, LANL would berequired to perform four additional steps.

It has been raining in Northern New Mexico this week, providing many blessingsof moisture and delaying the proposed venting of radioactive tritium from Los AlamosNational Laboratory (LANL), at least for now. Importantly, the New Mexico EnvironmentDepartment continues its review of LANL’s application for “temporary authorization” tovent up to 30,000 curies of tritium into the air from four Flanged Tritium WasteContainers, or FTWCs.

Dylan K. Spaulding, author of the new report, is a senior scientist in the Union ofConcerned Scientists Global Security Program. He holds an undergraduate degree inphysics from Brown University and a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley.His work focuses on technical issues related to nuclear stockpile stewardship andpolicies that can reduce the threat posed by nuclear weapons.

Just a few days ago, on May 9 th , the Department of Energy (DOE) and itsNational Nuclear Security Administration announced that virtual public “scoping”meetings would be held next week about their plans to prepare a nationwideProgrammatic Environmental Impact Statement for Plutonium Pit Production (PEIS).DOE and NNSA are working to turn Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) into amanufacturing facility for plutonium triggers, or pits, for nuclear weapons.

If you haven’t already signed the electronic petition to STOP Los AlamosNational Laboratory (LANL) plans to vent large quantities of radioactive tritium into theair beginning on or after June 2 nd , 2025, there’s still time.Access the petition at actionnetwork.org/petitions/petition-to-deny-lanls-request-to-release-radioactive-tritium-into-the-air The text of the petition is also available atnuclearactive.org

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) plans to vent large quantities ofradioactive tritium into the air beginning on or after June 2 nd , 2025. Tritium is a form ofhydrogen that forms radioactive water in the environment. It can cross the placenta andfetuses, babies and children may receive a radiation dose about three times greaterthan adults.

During the early days of the pandemic, on March 10, 2020, LANL mailed a noticeto people on the facility mailing list about the proposed venting of radioactive tritium intothe air from four metal containers stored at Area G. LANL’s request providedinformation about its plan to seek temporary authorization to vent from the New MexicoEnvironment Department, specifically from the Hazardous Waste Bureau.

the bomb is a groundbreaking multimedia installation that immerses audiences inthe strange, compelling and unsettling reality of nuclear weapons. Since GeneralGroves and Robert Oppenheimer arrived in New Mexico in late 1942 to establish theManhattan Project, the danger has only increased. The world is confronted by the ninenations that possess about 12,000 nuclear weapons. And those nations aremodernizing their arsenals, including the United States at Los Alamos National