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 – the largest in the United States – on the West Mesa near Rio Rancho, New Mexico? https://www.castelion.com/project-ranger/
Snyder informed Castelion of the upcoming Thursday, October 22nd State Emergency Response Commission (SERC) meeting of the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. https://www.dhsem.nm.gov/preparedness/hazardous-materials-program/serc/ and https://www.dhsem.nm.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/August-2026-SERC-Meeting-Minutes.pdf
She also reported that Castelion attends the Sandoval County Local Emergency Planning Committee meetings, where members of the public can ask questions. But no notifications have been provided to the community members living near the weapons complex. https://www.sandovalcountynm.gov/departments/emergency-management/
These facts raise serious questions about agency transparency, hazardous materials oversight, and the public’s right to know. https://commongroundrising.org/castelions-project-ranger-solid-rocket-motor-plant/
For months, community members have sought permits, environmental assessments, hazardous materials inventories, emergency response plans, and regulatory records concerning Project Ranger. The New Mexico Environment Department has not produced the requested records. More troubling, the City of Rio Rancho and Sandoval County have stated in its formal response to an Inspection of Public Records Act request that it has “no responsive documents.”
This is the County where Castelion is constructing a major explosives manufacturing and static-fire testing complex, yet the County reports having no responsive records to the request, while it meets with the Local Emergency Planning Commission. Meanwhile, Castelion has direct access to state emergency preparedness officials and reportedly participates in county emergency planning meetings.
We question how Castelion meets with state emergency-preparedness officials and participates in county emergency planning meetings while Sandoval County formally reports it possesses no responsive records. Where are the hazardous-materials inventories, emergency response documents, correspondence, permits, and agency determinations? Which agencies possess them? Why have they not been produced?
Common Ground Rising, an non-governmental organization based in Rio Rancho, demands that these government entities reconcile these accounts in writing, identify the records held by each agency, and explains the basis for any withholding or claimed absence of responsive documents. https://commongroundrising.org/
Please plan to attend the Thursday, October 22nd public meeting of the SERC either virtually or in Ruidoso from 1 pm to 3 pm. There will be an opportunity to ask questions and to make public comments. For links to participate virtually, please visit https://nuclearactive.org/ and https://commongroundrising.org/ . 
For more information, see the October 9th WIRED investigation of Project Ranger entitled, “A New Mexico Community Was a Place to Build a Life. Then a Hypersonic Missile Factory Showed Up.” https://www.wired.com/story/a-new-mexico-community-was-a-place-to-build-a-life-then-a-hypersonic-missile-factory-showed-up/
AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK OUT — OCTOBER 22
The New Mexico State Emergency Response Commission will meet Thursday, October 22, 2026, from 1:00–3:00 PM Mountain Time.
This is not a public environmental permitting hearing. We are requesting an opportunity for oral public comment, including virtual participation.
Residents and others interested can attend, document the proceedings, request the official records, and submit written statements demanding answers.
Join virtually through Microsoft Teams:
https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/253620579677802?p=6YrHsm2pwsiHi01qP8
Meeting ID: 253 620 579 677 802
Passcode: 9Tk7Lr64
Send written comments and requests to:
DHSEM.LocalPrepared@state.nm.us
Ask that your comments be distributed to SERC commissioners and included in the meeting record. Demand disclosure of the hazardous-materials inventories, emergency-response plans, environmental permits, and records of agency meetings with Castelion.
We need to know if there have been any emergencies or accidents already or similar elsewhere and in the future how will the public be informed of what is going on or happened.
A meeting is not a permit. Private conversations with industry are not public oversight. And the right to know means nothing if government agencies refuse to produce the records.
Justice requires evidence, transparency, and consequences. Intend to pursue all three.
- Friday, October 16th from noon to 1 pm –
Join the nuclear disarmament community at the intersection of East Alameda and Sandoval in Santa Fe for the weekly peaceful protest in support of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Bring your flags, signs and banners.
- Saturday, October 17th – the 2026 White Mesa Spiritual Walk will be held at the White Mesa Community Center,
with a pre-conference in the evening of the 16th at the same location. https://protectwhitemesa.org/saturday-october-17-2026-10th-annual-white-mesa-ute-community-spiritual-walk-and-protest-against-energy-fuels-uranium-mill-dump-and-uranium-mines/
- Saturday, October 17th, Nationwide Day of Action –
NO KINGS: VOTE EARLY – No Thrones. No Crowns. No Kings. Nonpartisan events designed to increase participation from all eligible voters. For more information, https://www.nokings.org/
- Tuesday, October 20th from 1 pm to 2:30 pm Mountain Time –
webinar about Nuclear Weapons and the Responsibility of Scientists: A Conversation with Carlo Rovelli, organized by The Physicists Coalition for Nuclear Threat Reduction. Learn more and register: https://physicistscoalition.org/webinars-and-trainings/
5. Friday, October 23th – Sunday, October 25th on zoom –
World Beyond War Annual Global Conference. The #2026NoWar2026 Beyond Borders Conference focuses on the militarization of borders and how wars and violent conflict drive mass displacement, and importantly, envisioning what open borders could look like. 35 speakers from 20 countries. https://worldbeyondwar.org/

















































































