Remembering Chornobyl at 40; The Harm Continues

On April 23rd, the New Mexico Environment Department issued an importantpermit modification to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in order to speed upcleanup of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and focus on the disposal of legacywaste at WIPP. The draft Hazardous Waste Act permit modification proposes to requirea minimum percentage of legacy waste shipments from LANL to WIPP during specifictimeframes beginning soon on January 1, 2027.

A newly released independent review of Los Alamos National Laboratory’s 2025tritium venting raises serious concerns about radiation risks to children and infants andhighlights major gaps in LANL’s public reporting and decision-making process. The review also questions LANL’s decision to proceed with venting despite nomeasurable pressure buildup in the waste containers — meaning the explosion riskused to justify the releases may not have existed.

On Thursday, April 23rd, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED)issued a draft permit modification to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in order tospeed up cleanup of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and focus on the disposalof legacy waste at WIPP. The draft Hazardous Waste Act permit proposes to require aminimum percentage of legacy waste shipments from LANL to WIPP during specifictimeframes beginning on January 1, 2027.

Our colleague, Hunter Noffsinger, an organizer with the Union of ConcernedScientists, crafted a three-minute public comment about the draft Plutonium PitProduction Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) that you can use asa model for your comments at the Thursday, May 14 th public hearing in Santa Fe. It willtake place from 5 to 8 pm at the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Institute at 1607 Paseo dePeralta and on MS Teams.

Last week’s Nuclear in New Mexico conference in Bernalillo continued the myththat expansion of the nuclear cycle in New Mexico would be welcomed here. Activitiessuch as expanded uranium mining and milling, generating plutonium-contaminatedwaste at Los Alamos National Laboratory for disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot

Raise your voice on Thursday, May 14th from 5 pm to 8 pm about the proposedexpansion of plutonium pit production at Los Alamos National Laboratory, or LANL,annually from 30 to possibly 100 pits, or triggers, for nuclear weapons. The hybrid publichearing will take place at the Santa Fe Farmers Market Institute, located at 1507 Paseode Peralta, in Santa Fe.

First, New Mexico is being targeted for new uranium and nuclear projectsbacked by billionaires, big tech, nuclear lobbyists and government entities. In 2025, theNew Mexico Nuclear Alliance was established to push a pro-nuclear energy agenda.Working in tandem, the Clean Energy Association of New Mexico, or Clean NM, anindustry organization, also formed to push its pro-uranium agenda. CleanNM fronts asgood stewards of the environment, respecting community engagement and culturaltraditions while its member company, Grants Energy, proposes in-situ leach uranium

Did you know that the president, with the issuance of a new Executive Order,eliminated the opportunity for the public to comment on the Final Site-WideEnvironmental Impact Statement for Continued Operations at Los Alamos NationalLaboratory and the Record of Decision? Nevertheless, the rules of the EnvironmentalProtection Agency (EPA) allow the public to provide comments on the Final LANLSWEIS and the related Record of Decision, or the ROD.

On Wednesday, March 25, 2026, the Department of Energy (DOE) released theFinal Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for Continued Operations at LosAlamos National Laboratory, or the Final LANL SWEIS, and its Record of Decision, orROD. Key to DOE and its National Nuclear Security Administration plans are to expandproduction of the triggers for nuclear weapons, or the pits, at LANL until at least 2038.

On Wednesday, the Department of Energy (DOE) released the final Site-WideEnvironmental Impact Statement for Continued Operations at Los Alamos NationalLaboratory, or the LANL SWEIS, and its Record of Decision, or ROD. Expandedproduction of triggers for nuclear weapons, or the pits, would highlight future operationsat LANL until at least 2038.