PODCAST · news
CCNS Update
by CCNS
A Weekly overview of Nuclear Safety issues.
Episodes
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Concerned about Project Ranger? Join State Emergency Response Commission Virtual Meeting on Thursday, October 22nd
Did you know that this week Tessa Snyder, the Hazardous Materials Coordinator, confirmed in writing that she recently met privately with Castelion Corporation about their Project Ranger, a 1,000-acre hypersonic missile motor manufacturing and static-firing testing complex on the West Mesa near…
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Navy Ordered 444 Missiles, 80% of Work to be Done in Rio Rancho, Including Static Weapons Testing
The U.S. Navy has ordered 444 fully functional Blackbeard hypersonic missiles from Castelion Corporation. The government has assigned 80% of the contract work to be done in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, where Project Ranger is nearing completion. Project Ranger is a 1,000-acre hypersonic manufacturing...
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Peace Week: Outer Space as a Global Commons
From Saturday, October 3 rd through Saturday, October 10 th , people around the world are organizing local events to bring outer space to greater public attention by proclaiming “Keep Space for Peace.” However, on Monday, September 14 th , the Trump administration announced it had placed weapons…
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New Billboard Urges Active Duty Military to Refuse Unlawful Orders
On Monday, September 14 th , Veterans for Peace lit their new electronic billboard featuring Uncle Sam pointing his finger at the reader and saying, “I want you to refuse unlawful orders.” The billboard is located on the south side of the I-40 exit at Wyoming Boulevard in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
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Michiganders Oppose Proposed LANL Data Center at the University of Michigan in Ypsilanti Township
Last week residents of Ypsilanti Township expressed their anger over a proposed high-performance computing facility near the Huron River in a partnership between the University of Michigan and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). Residents are concerned that the proposed project would fuel...
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Widespread Fraud Lawsuit Settled for Former Hunters Point Naval Shipyard Whistleblowers
From 1946 to 1969, the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard was used as the station for top-secret nuclear tests in the Pacific Ocean. It was also the place where decontamination was done on the ships used in hydrogen bomb tests. Radioactive and toxic waste was disposed there.
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Since Pits are “Aging Slowly,” Is Expanded Plutonium Pit Production Needed?
Why does it matter whether plutonium pits are “aging” before their time? We all age. We get old and we die. But that’s not what the Department of Energy (DOE) and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) want for their plutonium pits. They want to make sure that they will “live” forever.
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DOE and Los Alamos County Approve 10-Year Electric Coordination Agreement
After working for nearly five years, Los Alamos County and the Department of Energy updated their original 1985 Electric Coordination Agreement (ECA) for the interconnected electric system that has powered homes, businesses and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) for over 40 years. After months...
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DOE Again Denies DNFSB Access to Nuclear Weapons Facilities; Contact Your Elected Officials
Once again, the Department of Energy and its semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security Administration has denied the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board access to nuclear weapons facilities, including at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). At a time when LANL is ramping up production of...
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Public Comments about NRC’s Rollback of Radiation Exposure Standards due on Monday, August 31st
In compliance with the Trump administration Executive Orders 14300 and 14154, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is proposing to scrap long-standing radiation exposure standards for the general public and nuclear workers. The proposed rulemaking is called “Reforming and Modernizing the...
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Join the Nagasaki Commemoration on Sunday, August 9th and the Fire on the Mountain Billboard Unveiling on Tuesday, August 11th
Did you know that the nuclear bomb the United States of America dropped on Nagasaki, Japan on August 9th, 1945 was fabricated at Los Alamos National Laboratory? Or that the radioactive waste from that fabrication remains buried at LANL? This is a circle that needs to be closed by removing the…
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Roger Snodgrass Memorial on Saturday, August 1st in Albuquerque
Roger Kent Snodgrass passed peacefully in his sleep very early on Saturday, July 18th with his partner, Myra, at his side. Roger was a great friend and colleague of CCNS. We met Roger when he was a reporter, then assistant editor and finally the editor of the Los Alamos Monitor. We had mutual...
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NMED Secretary James C. Kenney Speaks about LANL Cleanup and WIPP at Fourth Annual Interfaith Vigil
On Sunday, July 19th, the Secretary of the New Mexico Environment Department, James C. Kenney, was the keynote speaker at the 81st Anniversary of the Trinity Atomic Bomb Test in central New Mexico. The event took place at the St. Michael’s High School in Santa Fe.
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This Weekend: Commemorate the Church Rock Uranium Mill Tailings Spill and the Trinity Test, Plus Other Upcoming Events
There are two opportunities to commemorate historic events in New Mexico this weekend. On Saturday, July 18 th , the Commemoration of the Church Rock Uranium Mill Tailings Spill begins at 6 am, and on Sunday, July 19 th , the Commemoration of the Trinity Test begins at 2 pm. Details included.
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PEIS Lawyer Requests Three Essential Documents and an Extension of Time for Public Review and Comment
On Monday, July 6 th , a South Carolina Environmental Law Project lawyer made a needed request for three Department of Energy and National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) documents that should have been available at the start of the current public comment period for the draft Plutonium...
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Submit Your PEIS Comments and Commemorate the Church Rock Uranium Mill Tailings Spill and the Trinity Test
Mark your calendar for some important upcoming events: the PEIS comments are due on Thursday, July 16 th , then on Saturday, July 18 th , the Commemoration of the Church Rock Uranium Mill Tailings Spill, and on Sunday, July 19 th , the Commemoration of the Trinity Test. Details for each of these...
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DOE Strongly Opposes NMED’s Proposal to Get Waste Off the Hill in Los Alamos: What Now?
By June 22 nd , hundreds of New Mexicans submitted comments in support of the New Mexico Environment Department’s strong stand to protect the People of New Mexico by requiring Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to remove plutonium- contaminated waste “Off the Hill.”
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Support New Mexico Environment Department’s Proposal to Get Waste Off the Hill in Los Alamos; Your Comments due on Monday, June 22nd
The New Mexico Environment Department has taken a strong stand to protect the People of New Mexico by requiring Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to remove plutonium-contaminated waste “Off the Hill.” On April 23rd, the Environment Department released an essential modification to the Waste...
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New Mexico Tribal, Federal and Local Leaders Support Bill to Protect Caja del Rio Plateau
On Monday, May 8th, 2026, at a press conference in front of La Cieneguilla Petroglyphs, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich, Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and co-founder of the U.S. Senate Stewardship Caucus, and U.S. Representative Teresa Leger Fernández,...
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“St. Petersburg vs. the Golden Dome: A 150-year-old warning we are ignoring”
Dr. Ghassan Shahrour, a medical doctor and human rights advocate, considers the need to choose limits over expansion of new weapons systems and provides historical examples.
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Take Action TODAY to Support LANL Cleanup; Submit Your Comments by Monday, June 8th
On April 23rd, the New Mexico Environment Department issued an important permit modification to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in order to speed up cleanup of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and focus on the disposal of legacy waste at WIPP. The draft Hazardous Waste Act permit...
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Newly Released Tritium Review Analyzes LANL Tritium Reports, Highlights Infant Doses
A newly released independent review of Los Alamos National Laboratory’s 2025 tritium venting raises serious concerns about radiation risks to children and infants and highlights major gaps in LANL’s public reporting and decision-making process. The review also questions LANL’s decision to proceed...
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New Mexico Takes Action to Support Clean-up at LANL; Submit Your Comments by Monday, June 8th
On Thursday, April 23rd, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) issued a draft permit modification to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in order to speed up cleanup of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and focus on the disposal of legacy waste at WIPP. The draft Hazardous Waste Act...
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Sample Comment Letter on draft Plutonium Pit Production Programmatic Environment Impact Statement – Public Hearing Thursday, May 14th in Santa Fe
Our colleague, Hunter Noffsinger, an organizer with the Union of Concerned Scientists, crafted a three-minute public comment about the draft Plutonium Pit Production Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) that you can use as a model for your comments at the Thursday, May 14 th public...
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Remembering Chornobyl at 40; The Harm Continues
Last week’s Nuclear in New Mexico conference in Bernalillo continued the myth that expansion of the nuclear cycle in New Mexico would be welcomed here. Activities such as expanded uranium mining and milling, generating plutonium-contaminated waste at Los Alamos National Laboratory for disposal at...
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May 14th Public Hearing about the Draft Plutonium Pit Production Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement in Santa Fe; What About Sandia?
Raise your voice on Thursday, May 14th from 5 pm to 8 pm about the proposed expansion of plutonium pit production at Los Alamos National Laboratory, or LANL, annually from 30 to possibly 100 pits, or triggers, for nuclear weapons. The hybrid public hearing will take place at the Santa Fe Farmers...
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Two Actions to Take – Protest the New Mexico Nuclear Alliance Conference and Tell DOE NNSA to Reopen Public Input on LANL Expansion
First, New Mexico is being targeted for new uranium and nuclear projects backed by billionaires, big tech, nuclear lobbyists and government entities. In 2025, the New Mexico Nuclear Alliance was established to push a pro-nuclear energy agenda. Working in tandem, the Clean Energy Association of…
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EPA Provides Public Review Period for Final LANL SWEIS and ROD
Did you know that the president, with the issuance of a new Executive Order, eliminated the opportunity for the public to comment on the Final Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for Continued Operations at Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Record of Decision? Nevertheless, the rules of...
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Public Comments Needed on Final LANL SWEIS Record of Decision
On Wednesday, March 25, 2026, the Department of Energy (DOE) released the Final Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for Continued Operations at Los Alamos National Laboratory, or the Final LANL SWEIS, and its Record of Decision, or ROD. Key to DOE and its National Nuclear Security...
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Final LANL SWEIS Released; Draft Nationwide Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Plutonium Pit Production to Follow
On Wednesday, the Department of Energy (DOE) released the final Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for Continued Operations at Los Alamos National Laboratory, or the LANL SWEIS, and its Record of Decision, or ROD. Expanded production of triggers for nuclear weapons, or the pits, would...
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LANL Responds to New Mexico Environment Department Administrative Compliance Orders – Requests Public Hearings
On Friday, March 13th, the Department of Energy (DOE) and Newport News Nuclear BWXT--Los Alamos, LLC, known as “N3B,” answered the February 11, 2026 Administrative Compliance Orders issued by the New Mexico Environment Department about the hexavalent chromium plume that has migrated across the...
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NGOs Apply for Appropriations Funding to Protect Communities from LANL’s Migrating Hexavalent Chromium Plume
On November 18th, 2025, the New Mexico Environment Department withdrew its temporary authorization to the U.S. Department of Energy and ordered it to cease the injection of “treated” groundwater back into the regional sole source drinking water aquifer. Elevated levels of hexavalent chromium…
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The US/Israeli Bombing of Iran: A Case Study in Contempt for International Law
Jacqueline Cabasso, Executive Director of the Western States Legal Foundation, and Board member, John Burroughs, provide analyses of the current situation in the Middle East. Read the entire OpEd at nuclearactive.org.
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Public Comment Period for Project Jupiter’s Proposed Microgrid Air Quality Construction Permits Must be Extended
After a careful review of the inconsistent public notices for the proposed Doña Ana County East and West Microgrids Air Quality Construction Permits for Project Jupiter, CCNS found them to be defective. The discrepancies require a restart of the public comment periods for the proposed $165…
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NMED Holds LANL Accountable for Hexavalent Chromium Plume
Today’s Update is continuation of our reporting on the diligent and thorough work done by the New Mexico Environment Department to hold Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) accountable for not responsibly addressing the hexavalent chromium plume beneath LANL that has now spread beneath Pueblo de...
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NMED Takes Necessary Action on LANL’s Hexavalent Chromium Plume
On Tuesday, February 11 th , the New Mexico Environment Department took bold actions to hold the Department of Energy (DOE) and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) accountable for the release and distribution of hexavalent chromium contamination into the regional drinking water aquifer and onto...
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Stop House Bill 207 – Keep Oil and Gas Waste Out of New Mexico Waters
Last week, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham issued a legislative message for House Bill 207, which calls for the discharge of “produced water” to New Mexico’s rivers, streams and groundwater. Produced water is a highly toxic waste byproduct of oil and gas operations. No treatment technologies...
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URGENT! Contact U.S. Republican Senators to Ask Trump to Save the New START Treaty
We have just a few days to ensure the last remaining arms control treaty between the United States and Russia continues with its numerical cap of 1,550 deployed strategic nuclear weapons for each country. The New START treaty is set to expire after Wednesday, February 4 th . Please contact...
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Save New START Before it Expires on February 4 th - Check Out the Advocacy Toolkit at Defuse Nuclear War.org
The last remaining arms control treaty between the United States and Russia will expire on Wednesday, February 4 th . Without this treaty, there will be nothing stopping a new, dangerous and wasteful nuclear arms race. Now is the time to demand that both countries agree to Save New START.
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Celebrating Five Years of the Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty
On Thursday, January 22 th , the world and New Mexicans will mark five years since the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons became international law. Nuclear weapons are now illegal.
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No New Arms Race: Save New START Before it Expires on February 4 th - Check Out the Advocacy Toolkit at Defuse Nuclear War.org
The last remaining arms control treaty between the United States and Russia will expire on Wednesday, February 4 th . Without this treaty, there will be nothing stopping a new, dangerous and wasteful nuclear arms race. Now is the time to demand that both countries agree to save New START.
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CCNS Nuclear Literacy Program to Educate Nuevomexicano Communities on the LANL Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Plutonium Pit Production
For over eighty years, the People of New Mexico have borne the burden of the 1943 establishment of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). Through the Congressional continuing resolution process, LANL may receive an additional $1 billion dollars to support expansion of the number of plutonium...
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2025 Highlights and What is in Store for 2026
Please allow us to state the obvious: 2025 has been a busy year in terms of addressing proposals for MORE to support the growing nuclear weapons complex in New Mexico. From Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), the Department of Energy and National…
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Less Than 50 Days Before New START Treaty Expires! Contact Your Congressional Members to Stop A New U.S. – Russia Arms Race
The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or the New START Agreement, is set to expire on Thursday, February 5 th , 2026 – in less than 50 days. The New START Agreement is the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty between the United States and the Russian Federation.
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Putin Proposed to Extend New START Treaty for One Year; Trump Has Not Formerly Responded
The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or New START, is set to expire on Thursday, February 5 th , 2026. In late September, President Putin proposed to extend the treaty for one year. President Trump has yet to formerly respond. On October 5th, he said, “[It] sounds like a good idea to me.”
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Resumption of Nuclear-Explosive Testing: A Dangerous Path -- Editorial by Dr. John Burroughs
In a Truth Social post that reverberated around the world, on October 29 President Donald Trump wrote: “Because of other countries’ testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis.”
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NMED Requires LANL to Stop All Injection Operations into Regional Drinking Water Aquifer
In a protective move, on Friday, November 18th, the New Mexico Environment Department required the Department of Energy (DOE) to cease all injection operations of treated waters back into the sole source regional drinking water aquifer shared by Pueblo de San Ildefonso, Los Alamos National...
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Los Alamos Warns the West Mesa: Stop the Next Perchlorate and Chromium Crisis
For over 25 years, Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety (CCNS) has fought to protect surface and groundwater from radioactive, toxic and hazardous contamination from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). In 2004, that campaign expanded to contain the co-located perchlorate and chromium plume –...
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LANL Reneges on Active Confinement Ventilation Systems at PF-4
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) continues to neglect its obligations to safely operate its nuclear weapons facilities in a manner required by laws, orders, guidance and common sense.
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Trump’s Threat to Resume Nuclear Testing
In 1963 John Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev signed the ban on atmospheric nuclear weapons testing, which was extended to a moratorium in 1992 and secured as the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty in 1996. The Treaty has been signed by 187 states. On October 31 st , United Nations member states voted on…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
A Weekly overview of Nuclear Safety issues.
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CCNS
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