It's not too late to protect Northern New Mexico

My View
Jean Nichols & Suzie Schwartz
November 7, 2020

In early August, having received no response to their individual letters and phone calls to their state and federal representatives, a group of Taos County citizens asked Taos County and the Town of Taos to urge our state and federal representatives Sens. Martin Heinrich and Tod Udall, Rep. Ben Ray Luján, and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to request the Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration to conduct a new sitewide Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed multi-billion-dollar industrial-scale plutonium pit manufacturing facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Unfortunately, since the Department of Energy and the security agency recently issued Amended Records of Decision for the 2008 sitewide statement for continued operations of LANL plutonium operations, a new sitewide Envrionmental Impact Statement is no longer an option. The records of decision state that there are no significant new circumstances or information relevant to environmental concerns, and that no further National Environmental Policy Act documentation was required. That eliminates all opportunities for public input under the act.

While the protections a new environmental impact statement would have provided Northern New Mexico are no longer possible, it is still not too late! Key considerations a new statement would have addressed are still relevant and can be addressed by other means.

These include: Land resources; visual environment; geology and soils; water resources; air quality; noise; ecological resources; human health and worker health/safety; cultural resources; socioeconomics; infrastructure; waste management; traffic and transportation; environmental justice; environmental remediation; facility accidents; climate trends and greenhouse gases; forest health and wildland fire preparedness; and mitigations.

Our elected representatives can still use their influence to protect the future of Northern New Mexico by:

• Asking for transparency from the Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration and LANL by providing information on proposed pit production to the regional governments.

• Requesting Sen. Udall to cut funding for pit production and new nuclear weapons in the Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee of which he is a powerful member.

• Considering the true costs of nuclear weapons and pit production and conducting a cost-benefit analysis for LANL pit production.

• Hosting public hearings with opportunities to question LANL representatives.

• Creatively collaborating with all local and regional stakeholders including informed constituents, to examine alternatives to nuclear weapons related work and form strategies that will bring us into a new era of resilience and true sustainability.

This week marked a historic milestone. The United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons reached the 50 ratifications needed to enter into force. The treaty will take effect on Jan. 22, 2021, and will cement a categorical ban on nuclear weapons. Until now, nuclear weapons were the only weapons of mass destruction not banned under international law. Now, nuclear weapons will finally join chemical and biological weapons for what they are, prohibited weapons of mass destruction.

Clearly none of the nuclear armed states will sign on or cooperate, especially the United States. But these nations will nevertheless feel the treaty’s power. Companies can be expected to stop producing nuclear weapons and institutions will stop investing in those companies. This historic moment shows there is a global momentum to abolish nuclear weapons. Northern New Mexico can and should be a part of that momentum to end nuclear weapons proliferation. We, as informed and concerned citizens, are willing to participate with our elected officials in supporting this crucial step toward a sane and sustainable future. Together we can make a difference.

Please contact your local representatives and ask them to act to protect Northern New Mexico.

Suzie Schwartz and Jean Nichols are writing on behalf of Taosenos for Peaceful and Sustainable Futures. For more information on what you can do, contact Suzie at eototos@gmail.com.