Since Pits are “Aging Slowly,” Is Expanded Plutonium Pit Production Needed?

Why does it matter whether plutonium pits are “aging” before their time? We allage. We get old and we die. But that’s not what the Department of Energy (DOE) andNational Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) want for their plutonium pits. Theywant to make sure that they will “live” forever.

After working for nearly five years, Los Alamos County and the Department ofEnergy updated their original 1985 Electric Coordination Agreement (ECA) for theinterconnected electric system that has powered homes, businesses and Los AlamosNational Laboratory (LANL) for over 40 years. After months of painstaking work, theECA was approved by the Los Alamos County Council on Tuesday, August 25th. DOEhas until Monday, August 31st to also sign.

Once again, the Department of Energy and its semi-autonomous NationalNuclear Security Administration has denied the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Boardaccess to nuclear weapons facilities, including at Los Alamos National Laboratory(LANL). At a time when LANL is ramping up production of plutonium pits, the triggersfor nuclear weapons, the DOE is restricting access to the Board and its residentinspectors preventing them from fulfilling critical oversight and public reportingresponsibilities. As a result, the public is no longer informed about potential issues ofadequate protection at defense nuclear facilities.

In compliance with the Trump administration Executive Orders 14300 and 14154,the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is proposing to scrap long-standingradiation exposure standards for the general public and nuclear workers. The proposedrulemaking is called “Reforming and Modernizing the NRC’s Radiation ProtectionFramework,” which will result in more radiation exposures, not less. With cuts tomedical assistance for so many in the U.S., the proposed changes will be even moreharmful. And people will die as a result.

Did you know that the nuclear bomb the United States of America dropped onNagasaki, Japan on August 9th, 1945 was fabricated at Los Alamos NationalLaboratory? Or that the radioactive waste from that fabrication remains buried atLANL? This is a circle that needs to be closed by removing the waste to a place where itcan do no harm.

Roger Kent Snodgrass passed peacefully in his sleep very early on Saturday,July 18th with his partner, Myra, at his side.Roger was a great friend and colleague of CCNS. We met Roger when he was areporter, then assistant editor and finally the editor of the Los Alamos Monitor. We hadmutual respect for the work we each did to inform the public about Los Alamos NationalLaboratory (LANL) operations and impacts on communities, land based peoples, andthe environment.

On Sunday, July 19th, the Secretary of the New Mexico EnvironmentDepartment, James C. Kenney, was the keynote speaker at the 81st Anniversary of theTrinity Atomic Bomb Test in central New Mexico. The event took place at the St.Michael’s High School in Santa Fe.

There are two opportunities to commemorate historic events in New Mexico thisweekend. On Saturday, July 18 th , the Commemoration of the Church Rock Uranium MillTailings Spill begins at 6 am, and on Sunday, July 19 th , the Commemoration of theTrinity Test begins at 2 pm. Details included.

On Monday, July 6 th , a South Carolina Environmental Law Project lawyer made aneeded request for three Department of Energy and National Nuclear SecurityAdministration (DOE/NNSA) documents that should have been available at the start ofthe current public comment period for the draft Plutonium Pit Production ProgrammaticEnvironmental Impact Statement (PEIS). Public comments about the draft PEIS aredue to DOE/NNSA on or before Thursday, July 16 th .

Mark your calendar for some important upcoming events: the PEIS commentsare due on Thursday, July 16 th , then on Saturday, July 18 th , the Commemoration of theChurch Rock Uranium Mill Tailings Spill, and on Sunday, July 19 th , the Commemorationof the Trinity Test. Details for each of these follows.