Reminder: discussion Thurs May 7, 5:30 pm

May 4, 2015

Dear friends --

This is a reminder about the upcoming Study Group discussion on May 7 at 5:30 pm at the Study Group offices, 2901 Summit Place NE.  We're just sending this invitation to a hand-picked group of people in Albuquerque. 

This is not going to be a public meeting, since we want to talk about strategy.  Attendance will be restricted to those receiving this email and their spouses.  We don't see the benefit of a public gathering at this time but this could change.

We wrote on 4/21 with some background for our main discussion topic (outreach to churches), which I won't repeat here.  Meanwhile I (Greg) have returned from a week of discussions with congressional and White House staff, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) and others in Washington.  The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference has also gotten underway in New York at the U.N.  There are important developments in both places we ought to touch upon. 

So on Thursday we hope the meeting will go something like this:

• Introductions (5 minutes)
  
• Update on nuclear issues in Congress, the Administration, and NM (10 minutes, plus 10 minutes Q&A).
• $1+ trillion in nuclear weapons over next 30 years on track but will need considerable new money from civilian spending.
• Plutonium pit production and related construction: on track until we take it off-track.
  
• Albuquerque now almost certainly the largest cache of nuclear weapons in the world, with all this implies in war and in "peace."
  
• All excess plutonium (40+ tons) to be shipped into Los Alamos for processing and out again, over many years.
  
• LANL's plutonium factory and waste complex growing. No net cleanup occurring?
  
• WIPP reopening will be delayed.
• Related: spent nuclear fuel (SNF) storage site attempts in NM, and in Andrews, TX and Loving Co., TX both adjacent to NM.  Udall and Heinrich oppose the NM plan, for now.
  
• Meanwhile, the sun shines and wind blows.  Massive opportunities open or almost open, too few working on them.
  
• Update on current developments in nuclear weapons diplomacy (5 minutes, plus 5 minutes Q&A).
• NPT RevCon repeating tired clichés, provides nuclear weapons states with cover
• Reaching Critical Will (overlaps with Study Group board) and ICAN (Study Group a partner) distinguishing themselves.
• Opportunities for we in NM and key resources.
  
• Study Group plans and hopes to expand our staff.  We need your help with this. (10 minutes, plus 15 minutes discussion)
  
• Several openings available; no money; will describe possibilities, tasks.
• The need for full-time or near-full-time activist-revolutionaries and how best to reach out to religious leaders and other communities in Albuquerque to create those positions.  (See 4/21 email.) (10 minutes, plus 30 minutes discussion)
• Your urgent concerns not mentioned in the above (questions: 5 minutes; discussion of same: 15 minutes)
  

See you Thursday!

PS: U.K. general elections are also Thursday!