Located in Los Alamos, New Mexico, LANL was—and remains—ground zero for nuclear weapons production, with a long history of operations that continue to endanger the health and wellness of local and Tribal communities, contaminate air, water, and soil, and threaten Tribal sacred sites and cultural resources. The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE NNSA) is developing the LANL Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement (SWEIS) to justify expanding these dangerous operations for the next 15 years (to 2040!)—without fully accounting for the devastating environmental, human, and cultural costs. Now is the time to act! Help our local and Tribal communities urge for meaningful Tribal consultation, environmental protections, and accountability for legacy and planned impacts by submitting your public comment today!
Summary of Template Comment
I am submitting this comment regarding the Draft LANL SWEIS because its decisions will have lasting consequences for local and Tribal communities, natural resources, public health, and cultural heritage. First and foremost, I urge DOE NNSA to fulfill its federal statutory obligations for meaningful government-to-government Tribal consultation with Pueblos and Tribes. Additionally, public engagement must be transparent and comprehensive ensuring that disproportionately affected communities especially have a meaningful voice in the decision-making process.
The DOE NNSA has failed to meet its federal statutory obligations for meaningful public and Tribal engagement, particularly by limiting timely access to physical copies of the 1,200-page document. The Draft SWEIS also fails to assess all reasonable alternatives, omitting a true No Action Alternative based on maintaining current operations without expansion as well as a Reduced Operations Alternative that prioritizes community and environmental protection over any expanded operations. The Expanded Operations Alternative (DOE NNSA’s proposed path forward) poses severe risks, including increased plutonium pit production, nuclear waste generation, water contamination and scarcity, seismic and wildfire hazards, radiation exposure, local socioeconomic strain, and harm to Tribal sacred lands including the Caja del Rio. Given these significant shortcomings, DOE NNSA must restart the public comment period, revise and reissue the Draft SWEIS, and fully evaluate a No Action Alternative that does not expand operations as well as a Reduced Operations Alternative that prioritizes nuclear safety, cultural preservation, and public and environmental health protection.
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Thank you for standing with us in defense of local and Tribal communities, our environment, and beloved relatives afar!
In solidarity,
Honor Our Pueblo Existence and Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety
