Individuals, and Businesses, Organizations, and Religious Groups who have endorsed
as of 20 May 2026
We call upon our elected officials to:
- Oppose plutonium warhead core (“pit”) production at LANL first and foremost, but also elsewhere.
- Oppose the design, testing, and production of new and “upgraded” nuclear weapons.
- Prioritize removal and disposal of legacy plutonium waste from LANL over production of additional nuclear waste from nuclear weapons.
- Choose human security, community resilience, and environmental protection over nuclear weapons production and our bloated military, which consumes roughly two-thirds of federal discretionary spending. We can no longer delay. We must use every opportunity, at every level of government, to prioritize human needs, invest in our communities, and build a more just and sustainable society.
Background
New Mexico’s two nuclear weapons labs lead the world in spending for weapons of mass destruction. But as the labs have grown, our state’s relative economic standing has declined and now trails almost all other states. We are consistently ranked at or near the bottom of all states in overall “child well-being.”
We cannot build our society, nurture our children, inspire our youth, or improve our communities by investing in apocalyptic nightmares.
At Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), plutonium warhead core (“pit”) production began in 2025 with one pit and is expected to ramp up through the late 2020s long before there is any “need” related to maintaining current US nuclear weapons. LANL’s pit production program is required only for producing new warheads as soon as possible, not for maintaining any old ones.
Plans for plutonium warhead core (“pit”) production at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) collapsed in 2012, in no small part due to litigation by this organization. But the danger is back. The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is now planning a vast expansion of LANL’s nuclear weapons programs, especially pit production. LANL is gearing up for round-the-clock pit production, involving thousands of additional radiation workers and support staff. Under this plan – the full scope of which has not been made public. LANL would become a new, mid-sized “Rocky Flats Plant.” Other LANL nuclear weapons missions are also slated to expand dramatically, along with nuclear waste production and shipping. This is a form of “development” we cannot afford or allow.
Now is the time to resist. Decisions are being made for us. We must speak up and inspire others to do so with us. If we do not, our silence will be taken for enthusiastic assent, because that is how our congressional delegation is characterizing New Mexico’s wishes. There is a very real danger that New Mexico’s future will be defined by nuclear weapons, preparations for war on earth and in space, and nuclear waste.
LANL, the Pajarito Plateau, and the area’s roads are in many ways “full,” so LANL and NNSA are expanding into surrounding communities, including Santa Fe. Office and conference space has been leased in Santa Fe in three buildings; pit production training space has been leased in Los Alamos. More space is being sought. New parking lots capable of feeding dozens of coach-class buses may soon be needed, as LANL has announced plans to bring thousands of people to the site daily by bus, to alleviate some of the serious road congestion LANL is causing.
We will not let northern New Mexico become a physical, political, and cultural sacrifice zone for the nuclear weapons industry.
For more background, see our press releases, bulletins, and letters.
If you want to be more involved (and we hope you do!), see here.
Contributions are also gratefully accepted. The Study Group is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and all donations are tax-deductible.