January 12, 2020

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This letter: Press conference outside Santa Fe City Hall at noon on Wednesday Jan. 15 (map) -- please come, and please recruit others

Dear New Mexico friends –

As we have explained in previous letters, Wednesday is the day on which the City will announce the finalists for "Master Developer" of the former College of Santa Fe site (and possibly surrounding properties as well, a 64- to ~100-acre project). The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has applied for this role. NNSA and/or Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) are present in some (not all) other proposals, as tenant(s).

The situation is opaque, fluid, and developing. So far, Mayor Webber has disdainfully rebuffed our requests to meet or discuss the momentous social, cultural, and economic development impacts of placing a nuclear weapons campus in Santa Fe. (Don't be deceived -- that is exactly what LANL is and what this would be.)

People power may be the only force stronger than LANL's money and corruption. We really need you to help us expand our numbers.

If you live anywhere nearby please come to this joint press conference, and please ask as many friends to come as possible. Sheer attendance matters. A strong showing Wednesday will save countless hours of work later, and will give wings to efforts to push back on LANL's entirely unjustified expansion. There are many powerful people in Washington who know LANL specializes in taxpayer ripoffs. Some of them need to see some spine from us out here to take to their bosses.

New Mexico is being selected to be a nuclear weapons support and sacrifice area. That now includes the Santa Fe metro area.

We may not know know the outcome of this first Midtown Campus decision by noon Wednesday but regardless of that we must seize the day.

While it seems absurd that NNSA could be a possible "master developer," we can't be sure that Mayor Webber and the people around him wouldn't want that -- or want, say, a training facility for plutonium workers. We just don't know.

This event will also give us a chance for us to network with each other and with representatives of any other groups present, as well as speak to any City officials willing to do so.

Getting people to come on Wednesday is the sole action item we are recommending right now. It is very, very important! 

Thank you!

Greg, Trish, Lydia, Ernie, Michelle, and the rest of the Study Group