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 Pueblo de San Ildefonso lands.  The Environment Department released two administrative compliance orders, both with civil penalties, totaling over $15,775,000.00.

This Update focuses on the first Environment Department administrative compliance order, No. 26-01, which revolves around the Environment Department’s consideration of LANL’s application for a discharge permit for the extraction, treatment of the contaminated waters and injection of those waters back into the regional drinking water aquifer and the requirements to take action to protect the regional drinking water supply.  https://cloud.env.nm.gov/resources/_translator.php/MjMzYzM5YTExNTJlYjUwNTA0MTQ3ZGQzNl8yMTc2NzU~.pdf

In 2015, LANL submitted an application to the Environment Department for a groundwater discharge permit to investigate the protective interim measures that could be taken to protect the regional drinking water aquifer and to characterize the hexavalent chromium plume to determine the best course of action to clean up the contamination and to stop future contamination.  After a public hearing, the Environment Department issued the groundwater discharge permit, DP-1835, to LANL.

The 44-page administrative order details the steps that were taken, the obstacles that were placed in the way, and the back and forth between the parties to address the plumes.

That changed in 2022 when hexavalent chromium, or chromium six, was detected in a well drilled on Pueblo de San Ildefonso above New Mexico water quality standards.  Since then, an additional well was drilled and a third well is in process.  All three are located across the “magic line” between LANL to the north and the Pueblo to the south in Mortandad Canyon.

During that time, the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer got involved when LANL contractors failed in drilling a new Regional Monitoring Well 73, or R-73.  The well casing broke during its removal.  The State Engineer required the well to be plugged and abandoned.  A new well has not been drilled.

In developing the civil penalties for the violations of the groundwater discharge permit, DP-1835, the Environment Department found that for both violations, the potential for harm is major.  This is an important finding because the chromium plume was first discovered over 20 years ago.  It has yet to be fully characterized.  It has yet to be cleaned up.

LANL now has 30 days to provide an answer to the administrative order and to request a public hearing before the New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission.

1. Thursday, February 12^th from 3 pm to 7 pm (in person, by zoom, watch via YouTube or by phone) – The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (PRC) is holding its first public comment hearing on Blackstone’s proposed takeover of PNM. This is a critical opportunity for New Mexicans to speak directly to regulators about what’s at stake.  For more information and talking points:  https://www.nmconsumerprotection.org/ and https://www.nmconsumerprotection.org/take-action-stop-blackstone  and  https://www.prc.nm.gov/2026/02/10/nmprc-to-resume-public-comment-hearing-on-potential-pnm-sale/

2. Friday, February 13^th 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. Join with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others. Bring your flags, signs and banners.

3. Join informal INFO/ORGANIZING SESSIONS to learn how to respond to the White House’s Executive Order to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to allow more radiation exposures to communities, workers and the whole of the living planet EARTH.  For more information and additional opportunities to participate in the informal INFO/ORGANIZING SESSIONS: https://www.radiationproject.org/online, https://www.nirs.org/radiation, https://beyondnuclear.org/health-impacts/

4. Saturday, February 14^th – 12^th year since underground explosion of one or more waste drums from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP).

5. Tuesday, February 17^th – Public comments due to EPA about proposed changes to Section 401 of the Clean Water Act that would limit state and Tribal review of water quality impacts before federal projects move forward. https://www.eli.org/vibrant-environment-blog/states-may-lose-cwa-section-401-powers

6. Submit by Sunday, March 1, 2026 – Youth Environmental Photo Contest NOW open for Submissions. Hosted by Tri-Valley Communities Against a Radioactive Environment (Tri-Valley CAREs), Livermore, CA.Submit an original photo focused on environment issues for a chance to win up to $750 in cash prizes.  Entries should be accompanied by a caption or short passage (up to 500 words).  All styles welcome.  Contestants must be 10 to 25 years old.  https://trivalleycares.salsalabs.org/livermore-lab-announces-dangerous-new-plutonium-plans-youth-vid_copy2_copy1_copy3_copy2_copy2_copy2_copy1_copy2_copy1_copy3_copy1_copy1_copy1_copy1_copy1_copy2_copy1

From our colleagues at YUCCA (Youth United for Climate Crisis Action Project):

ACTION ALERT!  HB 207 before the House Agriculture, Acequias and Water Resources Committee (HAAWC).

HAAWC also announced that they will be hearing HB-207 on Saturday morning February 7th, at 9:00 AM in room 315. We need people to show up and give a public comment opposing this dangerous bill. 

HB 207 seeks to bypass the hard won rules established last summer, that prohibit the reuse of “produced water,” based on robust public input and scientific evidence that toxic fracking waste is a risk to our public health and environment.

This bill would require the Water Quality Control Commission to adopt new rules allowing permits for treated “produced water” to be transported and used off the oil field for a variety of industrial and commercial uses, but even direct discharge into surface and groundwater! We cannot let our water and land be contaminated for short-sighted profit!

Please join us THIS SATURDAY in SANTA FE to SAY NO to HB 207!

If you cannot join in person, please call and email HAAWC Committee Representatives urging them to VOTE NO on HB 207: 

Chair Ortez: 505-986-4840, kristina.ortez@nmlegis.gov

Vice Chair Cates: 505-986-4432, Kathleen.Cates@nmlegis.gov

Ranking Member Mirabal Moya: 505-986-4214, Tanya.MirabalMoya@nmlegis.gov

Ranking Member Zamora: 505-986-4211, martin.zamora@nmlegis.gov

Rep. Lara Cadena: 505-986-4210, micaela.cadena@nmlegis.gov

Rep. Herrera: 505-986-4464, susan.herrera@nmlegis.gov

Rep. Matthews: 505-986-4248, marian.matthews@nmlegis.gov

Rep. Pettigrew: 505-986-4220, randall.pettigrew@nmlegis.gov

Rep. Rubio: 505-986-4210, angelica.rubio@nmlegis.gov

Call/Email Script for HB-207: 

Good afternoon Representative [BLANK],

My name is [NAME], I live in [LOCATION]. I am [CALLING/WRITING] to urge you to VOTE NO on HB-207. This bill dangerously undermines the latest science and rule making established by the Water Quality Control Commission. Fracking waste water is not safe to discharge off the oil field!

Thank You,

[NAME]

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 currently exist that might allow for the safe discharge of produced water to water resources.

House Bill 207 would require the New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission (WQCC) to authorize the discharge of “treated” produced water to New Mexico’s waters despite the scientific findings from the lengthy and extensive 2025 rulemaking.

The WQCC found the oil and gas industry had not identified all of the toxins and contaminants found in produced water, estimated to be at least 1,000 potential contaminants, many are considered proprietary or trade secrets. Further, there are no water quality standards for these harmful contaminants.

The WQCC found that existing treatment technologies could not effectively remove all the contaminants to a level that would be protective of New Mexico water resources.

Dan Mueller, a Professional Engineer, and member of the New Mexico Produced Water Consortium, said, “Data is lacking from sufficiently scaled pilot studies operated for required durations to determine the capabilities and limitations of treatment technologies to treat produced water.  In short, there is currently insufficient information on the efficacy, reliability, and economics to assess the feasibility of beneficial use of treated produced water.”

It is a wonder why the Governor is pushing New Mexico to ignore the results of the lengthy WQCC public hearing process that was undertaken last year when industry has not taken the necessary steps to inform the public about the harm these contaminants can cause, create safeguards, and to discover if there is any beneficial use of produced water.  After the new WQCC rules went into effect, the oil and gas industry challenged those rules.  While that challenge continues, the Governor put forward House Bill 207 during a short 30-day legislative session that is limited to budget items, not general policy decisions.  https://westernlaw.org/house-bill-207-would-require-discharge-of-oilfield-wastewater-to-new-mexico-waters-crops-industrial-applications/

It is anticipated that House Bill 207 could be heard early next week in the House Agriculture, Acequias and Water Resource Committee, chaired by Representative Kristina Ortez.

To access the bill, go to www.nmlegis.gov/.  Under Legislation, go to Bill Finder and search for House Bill 207 with the title of “Water Quality Commission Produced Water Rule.”

To follow its developments, go to:  https://www.nmlegis.gov/Legislation/Legislation?chamber=H&legType=B&legNo=207&year=26

Contact your legislators and urge them to vote NO on House Bill 207.  https://www.nmlegis.gov/Members/Find_My_Legislator

1. Thursday, February 5^th – NY Times article: Nuclear Arms Control Era Comes to End Amid Global Rush for New Weapons, by David E. Sanger and William J. Broad. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/us/politics/new-start-nuclear-arms-control.html

2. Thursday, February 5^th from 4 to 7 pm (in person, by zoom, or by phone) – The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (PRC) is holding its first public comment hearing on Blackstone’s proposed takeover of PNM. This is a critical opportunity for New Mexicans to speak directly to regulators about what’s at stake.  For more information and talking points:  https://www.nmconsumerprotection.org/ and https://www.nmconsumerprotection.org/take-action-stop-blackstone

3. Friday, February 6^th 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. Join with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others. Bring your flags, signs and banners.

4. Join informal INFO/ORGANIZING SESSIONS to learn how to respond to the White House’s Executive Order to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to allow more radiation exposures to communities, workers and the whole of the living planet EARTH. For more information and additional opportunities to participate in the informal INFO/ORGANIZING SESSIONS: https://www.radiationproject.org/online,     https://www.nirs.org/radiation,    https://beyondnuclear.org/health-impacts/

5. Saturday, February 14^th – 12^th year since underground explosion of one or more waste drums from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP).

6. Tuesday, February 17^th – Public comments due to EPA about proposed changes to Section 401 of the Clean Water Act that would limit state and Tribal review of water quality impacts before federal projects move forward. https://www.eli.org/vibrant-environment-blog/states-may-lose-cwa-section-401-powers

7. Monday, February 23^rd – Public comments due on Project Jupiter’s Air Quality Permit Applications for the West Microgrid and East Microgrid.  Sample public comment available at https://nmelc.org/2026/01/20/nm-orgs-demand-public-transparency-and-access-concerning-project-jupiter-air-quality-permits/ and https://nmelc.org/2026/02/02/letter-to-nmed-re-language-access-and-acoma-llc-west-and-east-microgrid-air-quality-permit-applications/

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 Republican U.S. Senators. Request that President Trump respond to President Putin’s proposal to informally extend the treaty for one year.  https://www.senate.gov/senators/

Without this treaty, there will be nothing to stop a new, dangerous and wasteful nuclear arms race. The consequences could be deadly: the United States and Russia will likely upload multiple warheads onto land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs, which would be deeply destabilizing. We have limited time to Save New START.  https://www.state.gov/new-start-treaty

Reuters is reporting that Russia is still waiting for the United States to respond to President Putin’s proposal made last fall to informally extend the treaty for one year.

What you can do:  Go to https://defusenuclearwar.org/save-new-start , a coalition of more than 200 organizations and organizers dedicated to reducing the risk of nuclear war. It has created an informative social media toolkit to get the word out.

Now is the time for your advocacy to Save the New START Treaty.  Five key messages are:

1. After February 4, 2026, New START – the last remaining arms control treaty between the United States and Russia – will expire. Without these limits, there will be nothing to impede a new arms race, which would further increase the risk that nuclear weapons will be used again.
2. Nuclear weapons built by the United States and Russia are already more than capable of destroying civilization as we know it. Together, the two countries hold around a 90 percent share of the world’s nuclear arsenals.
3. This is a small, easy step in the right direction. Both President Trump and leading Russian government officials have expressed willingness to extend this treaty’s limits.
4. We can’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. An extension of New START would be an easy, mutually beneficial step at a moment when the United States and Russia see their interests as opposed across the board.
5. The path to peace is taking concrete steps toward making conflict less likely.

If you feel more comfortable writing about the need to extend the New START Treaty, Defuse Nuclear War has a sample letter to the editor for you to use at https://defusenuclearwar.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/New-START-toolkit.pdf

1. Friday, January 30^th 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. Join with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others. Bring your flags, signs and banners.

2. Join informal INFO/ORGANIZING SESSIONS to learn how to respond to the v.

Friday January 30, 2026 – noon to 1 pm eastern; 10 am – 11 am mountain

Organizing with Mary and Jim Lampert –speaking on the impacts to their community that NRC changing the rules to allow more radiation exposure and more radioactive pollution from Pilgrim Nuclear Reactor near Plymouth MA, and its wastes.

The new radiation rules could be 5–100 times less protective, and likely still based on Reference Man.

REGISTER HERE:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/WUtzuuBgQcmdTcNpA44AYA

Thursday February 5, 2026 – 2 to 3 pm eastern; noon to 1 pm mountain

INFO on the Executive Order and the NRC Rulemaking

Story of the restart of the Duane Arnold reactor in Iowa and how more radiation will impact

Cindy Folkers Beyond Nuclear, Diane D’Arrigo NIRS, Wally Taylor, Sierra Club Iowa Chapter

REGISTER HERE:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/4vJ0kpyUSWSgsEMr4R-6rw

For more information and additional opportunities to participate in the informal INFO/ORGANIZING SESSIONS: https://www.radiationproject.org/online, https://www.nirs.org/radiation, https://beyondnuclear.org/health-impacts/

3. Friday, January 30^th at 2 pm at Civic Plaza – ABQ: Stand With Minnesota – ICE Out! National Day of Action: Shut Down Albuquerque.  https://www.facebook.com/abqpsl/

Join the Friday Forum at 6:30 pm at the ABQ Party for Socialism and Liberation, 225 San Pedro Dr. NE, ABQ at https://www.findaprotest.info/event/albuquerque/evt-2213f8bf35747d6b

4. Sunday, February 1^st at 6 pm local time in front of VA Medical Centers – Nationwide Vigil for Alex Pretti. For VA locations in New Mexico, go to https://www.va.gov/new-mexico-health-care/locations/

5. Monday, February 2^nd – New Mexico Acequia Association Day and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo Day at the New Mexico State Capitol. https://lasacequias.org/

6. Thursday, February 5^th from 4 to 7 pm (in person, by zoom, or by phone) – The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (PRC) is holding its first public comment hearing on Blackstone’s proposed takeover of PNM. This is a critical opportunity for New Mexicans to speak directly to regulators about what’s at stake.  For more information and talking points:  https://www.nmconsumerprotection.org/ and https://www.nmconsumerprotection.org/take-action-stop-blackstone

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.

Defuse Nuclear War, a coalition of more than 200 organizations and organizers dedicated to reducing the risk of nuclear war, has created a great toolkit for you to use.  It contains resources for one-on-one conversations, key messages, great graphics, social media posts, letters to the editor, and op-eds calling on the United States and Russia to preserve the limits established by a treaty. https://defusenuclearwar.org/ and https://defusenuclearwar.org/save-new-start/

Now is the time for your advocacy to Save New START.  Five key messages that you can use are:

1. On February 4, 2026, New START – the last remaining arms control treaty between the United States and Russia – will expire. Without these limits, there will be nothing to impede a new arms race, which would further increase the risk that nuclear weapons will be used again.
2. Nuclear weapons built by the United States and Russia are already more than capable of destroying civilization as we know it. Together, the countries hold around a 90 percent share of the world’s nuclear arsenals.
3. This is a small, easy step in the right direction. Both President Trump and leading Russian government officials have expressed willingness to extend this treaty’s limits.
4. We can’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. An extension of New START would be an easy, mutually beneficial step at a moment when the United States and Russia see their interests as opposed across the board.
5. The path to peace is taking concrete steps toward making conflict less likely, not the endless pursuit of global military dominance.

If you feel more comfortable writing about the need to extend New START, Defuse Nuclear War has a sample letter to the editor for you to use with a focus on sharing local issues and concerns. Please adjust as needed for your community. https://defusenuclearwar.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/New-START-toolkit.pdf, see p. 4.

For example, did you know that the budget for Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in fiscal year 2026 is $6 billion dollars? And of that amount, $5 billion dollars, or 84 percent of LANL’s budget, is dedicated to nuclear weapons?  And LANL is the only place where plutonium pits, or triggers, for nuclear weapons are fabricated?  https://nukewatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/FY26-Lab-Table-spreadsheets-Chart-1.pdf

1. Thursday, January 22^nd from noon to 1 pm – Commemoration of the Fifth Year of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Join the nuclear disarmament community at the intersection of East Alameda and Sandoval in Santa Fe in support of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Join with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others. Bring your flags, signs and banners. Bring your signs, banners, etc.

 Get your letters to the editor in NOW about how the TPNW has changed the world!  Ideas, actions, talking points, graphics, join the campaigns, etc. available at https://www.icanw.org/take_action_now and https://warheadstowindmills.org/5-year-banniversary/      https://www.ippnw.org/

2. Friday, January 23rd 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. Join with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others. Bring your flags, signs and banners.

3. Friday, January 23 from 11 am to noon MT – Join informal INFO/ORGANIZING SESSIONS to learn how to respond to the White House’s Executive Order to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to allow more radiation exposure to communities, workers and the whole of the living planet EARTH. For more information and additional opportunities to participate in the informal INFO/ORGANIZING SESSIONS:  https://www.radiationproject.org/online,  https://www.nirs.org/radiation,    https://beyondnuclear.org/health-impacts/

 and

 Tuesday, January 27^th from 5 pm to 6 pm MT – INFO on the President’s Executive Order and the NRC Rulemaking; Story of Three Mile Island. Join Diane D’Arrigo NIRS; Cindy Folkers BEYOND NUCLEAR, and Eric Epstein THREE MILE ISLAND ALERT.

4. Tuesday, January 27^th at 8 am MT – Doomsday Clock Announcement by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. https://thebulletin.org/2026/01/join-us-for-the-2026-doomsday-clock-announcement/

5. Monday, February 2^nd – New Mexico Acequia Association Day and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo Day at the New Mexico State Capitol.

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. https://disarmament.unoda.org/en/our-work/weapons-mass-destruction/nuclear-weapons/treaty-prohibition-nuclear-weapons

In Santa Fe, on Thursday and Friday, January 22^nd and 23^rd from noon to 1 pm, we’ll be gathering on the corners of West Alameda and Sandoval to peacefully commemorate the fifth year of the Treaty. Join us!

In 2017, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, or ICAN, for its work to bring the Treaty to fruition. https://www.icanw.org/nobel_prize

ICAN continues its work. Currently most countries support the nuclear weapons ban treaty because they understand that any use of nuclear weapons carries extreme risks – by design, miscalculation or accident – causing catastrophic humanitarian consequences. We must continue to demand policy reform to debunk the myths of nuclear deterrence and defund the costs of continuing down that road.

In 2026, ICAN will work closely with states parties to the Treaty to make sure that diplomatic efforts reduce the risks of nuclear weapons and build towards nuclear disarmament. https://www.icanw.org/

Did you know about some of the changes have happened since the Treaty went into effect? In the last five years over $4.7 trillion dollars have been divested from nuclear weapons and the majority of the world refuses to accept doomsday as our destiny. https://www.icanw.org/take_action_now

Also, the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, or IPPNW, another Nobel Prize winner, has launched an online social media campaign called – 5 years, 5 reasons – to celebrate the 5-year anniversary of the Treaty’s entry into force and to mark the work ahead. Go to https://www.ippnw.org/ to learn more and contribute your thoughts, photos and videos. Tag them on social media. Tag 5 friends and encourage them to join you in sharing their 5 reasons for supporting the Treaty. https://www.ippnw.org/?s=nobel+peace+prize

Five reasons could include health, peace, security, justice and democracy.  A different five could be that the majority of the world supports the Treaty; the Treaty challenges deterrence; it reframes global security; nuclear weapons threaten everything we know and love; and emerging generations deserve a future without the threat and trauma of living with nuclear weapons.

Be sure to reach out to your elected officials, local governments and others to ask them whether they support the manufacture of plutonium triggers, or the pits, for nuclear weapons, at Los Alamos National Laboratory.  Do they know that nuclear weapons are illegal? Post what you discover.  Here are links to county commissions and city and town councils:

https://www.rio-arriba.org/Departments/County-Commission

https://www.espanolanmusa.org/266/City-Council

https://www.santafecountynm.gov/county-commissioners

https://santafenm.gov/elected-officials

https://www.taoscounty.org/238/County-Commissioners

https://taosnm.gov/225/Town-Council

1. Friday, January 16^th 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. Join with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others. Bring your flags, signs and banners.

2. Saturday, January 17^th – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. March in Albuquerque. Meet at the intersection of Dr. MLK Avenue and University Blvd. Lineup begins at 9:30 am. March will start at 10 am. The 1.5-mile march will end at Civic Plaza. Dress warmly.

 The New Mexico MLK Jr. Commission encourages your participation.  “We march to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s call for justice, equality and dignity for all through peaceful collective action.  In that same spirit, communities across New Mexico will come together to continue his legacy. In additional to the flagship march in Albuquerque, marches will take place statewide.”  A schedule of commemorations is available at https://nmmlksc.org/2026-king-holiday-2/    The January 17^th march will be live streamed on Facebook @NMMLKJRC. For more information, email info@mlkjrc.nm.gov

3. Tuesday, January 20^th at 10:30 am – Gathering at the Santa Fe Plaza for a march to the Roundhouse for a powerful rally and mutual aid fair on the opening day of the New Mexico Legislature.

 Join the We Got Us Mass Mobilization where thousands of New Mexicans will march on the State Capitol to show the State what it looks like when New Mexico’s movements move together as one.

 Hosted by Youth United for Climate Crisis Action (YUCCA). RSVP, share the Mass Mobilization on Facebook, uplift latest Mass Mobilization flyer on Instagram at https://www.yuccanm.org/post/we-got-us-is-less-than-two-weeks-away-what-role-can-you-play 

4. Thursday, January 22^nd from noon to 1 pm – Commemoration of the Fifth Year of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Join the nuclear disarmament community at the intersection of East Alameda and Sandoval in Santa Fe in support of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Join with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others. Bring your flags, signs and banners. Bring your signs, banners, etc.

 Get your letters to the editor in NOW about how the TPNW has changed the world!  Ideas, actions, talking points, graphics, join the campaigns, etc. available at https://www.icanw.org/take_action_now and https://warheadstowindmills.org/5-year-banniversary/    https://www.ippnw.org/

5. Tuesday, January 27^th at 8 am MT – Doomsday Clock Announcement by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. https://thebulletin.org/2026/01/join-us-for-the-2026-doomsday-clock-announcement/

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. 

Defuse Nuclear War, a coalition of more than 200 organizations and organizers dedicated to reducing the risk of nuclear war, has created a great toolkit for you to use.  It contains resources for one-on-one conversations, key messages, great graphics, social media posts, letters to the editor, and op-eds calling on the United States and Russia to preserve the limits established by a treaty.  https://defusenuclearwar.org/save-new-start/ and https://defusenuclearwar.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/New-START-toolkit.pdf

Now is the time for your advocacy to Save New START.  Five key messages that you can use are:

1. On February 4, 2026, New START – the last remaining arms control treaty between the United States and Russia – will expire. Without these limits, there will be nothing to impede a new arms race, which would further increase the risk that nuclear weapons will be used again.
2. The United States and Russian nuclear weapons are already more than capable of destroying civilization as we know it. Together, the countries hold around a 90 percent share of the world’s nuclear arsenals.
3. This is a small, easy step in the right direction. Both President Trump and leading Russian government officials have expressed willingness to extend this treaty’s limits.
4. We can’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. An extension of New START would be an easy, mutually beneficial step at a moment when the United States and Russia see their interests as opposed across the board.
5. The path to peace is taking concrete steps toward making conflict less likely, not the endless pursuit of global military dominance.

If you feel more comfortable writing about the need to extend New START, Defuse Nuclear War has a sample letter to the editor for you to use with a focus on sharing local issues and concerns. Please adjust as needed for your community. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1O4BegYu7PotsHZxhlHVzhqXfk0NpGXk9C6Z91ehU23c/edit?tab=t.0

For example, did you know that the budget for Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in fiscal year 2026 is $6 billion? And of that amount $5 billion, or 84 percent of LANL’s budget, is dedicated to nuclear weapons?  And LANL is the only place where plutonium pits, or triggers, for nuclear weapons are fabricated? https://nukewatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/FY26-Lab-Table-spreadsheets-Chart-1.pdf

1. Friday, January 9^th 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. Join with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others. Bring your flags, signs and banners.

2. Sunday, January 11 at 11 pm – Bombshell: They Created the Bomb. Then Created Its Story will air on PBS – KNME-HD 5.1. It explores the bombings of Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. Bombshell sheds light on the efforts of a group of intrepid reporters to let the world know the truth.  watch preview here

3. Sunday, January 11^th at 1 pm – at Albuquerque Liberation Center, 225 San Pedro Dr. NE, Albuquerque – Public information and work session on PROJECT RANGER, a proposed missile production facility being constructed NOW less than three miles from a Rio Rancho neighborhood. For more information, https://commongroundrising.org/castelions-project-ranger-solid-rocket-motor-plant/

4. Sunday, January 11^th at 2 pm – at FUSION 708, 708 1^st Street NW, Albuquerque, El Palacio Winter Issue Reading and Q&A, with Laura Paskus, Myrriah Gómez, Rica Maestas and Santana Shorty. For more information, https://www.fusionnm.org/upcoming/2026/1/11/el-palacio-winter-issue-reading-and-q-and-a

5. Wednesday, January 14 from 5:30 pm to 7 pm – hybrid meeting at Cities of Gold, Tribal Room, 10 Cities of Gold Road, Pojoaque, NM – NMED and EM-LA Public Meeting about the Annual Planning Process for the 2016 [Cleanup] Consent Order between the New Mexico Environment Department and LANL, with Q&A. Connection info available at https://www.energy.gov/em-la/events/annual-planning-process-2016-compliance-order-consent

6. Thursday, January 22^nd – Fifth Anniversary of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons becoming international law – TPNW: Changing Nuclear History. Get your letters to the editor in NOW about how the TPNW has changed the world!  Ideas, actions, talking points, graphics, etc. at https://www.icanw.org/5years_tpnw and https://warheadstowindmills.org/5-year-banniversary/

 Join the nuclear disarmament community on the corners of East Alameda and Sandoval in Santa Fe from noon to 1 pm that day!  Bring signs, banners, etc.

7. Tuesday, January 27^th at 8 am MT – Doomsday Clock Announcement by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. https://thebulletin.org/2026/01/join-us-for-the-2026-doomsday-clock-announcement/

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 triggers, or plutonium pits, fabricated for nuclear weapons. The people of northern New Mexico are unaware of the effects that this potentially may have on nearby communities. The effects of eight decades of nuclear weapons development has had a cumulative impact on New Mexico, especially in Rio Arriba County, which borders Los Alamos County to the north and west.

During the Bush II and Obama Administrations, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) proposed three new weapons systems: the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator (RNEP), the Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW), and the Interoperable Warhead (IW). Grassroots organizations networked, educated each other, spoke at public meetings, wrote informed public comments, and worked with technical experts, elected officials and the media to understand how increased weapons development would impact frontline communities, which are mostly comprised of Indigenous and Hispanic people. With leadership from New Mexico and colleagues and NGOs throughout the world and through active organizing and public engagement in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, those proposed weapons systems were defeated and eventually canceled.

Note:  Through the NEPA processes during the 2000s, the following occurred: the defeat of the Supplemental Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement on Stockpile Stewardship and Management for a Modern Pit Facility (aka “The Bombplex”) (2006) – additional references and details at https://www.nuclearactive.org/docs/MPFindex.html; challenges to the Complex Transformation Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement to produce 80 pits per year at LANL (2008); challenges to the Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for Continued Operation of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico; and the defeat of the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the (Super Walmart-sized) Nuclear Facility Portion of the Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Building Replacement Project at Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico (2011).

New possibilities for similar successful public opposition are now available in the face of the on-going NEPA processes for the draft Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for Continued Operation of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico and scoping for the Programmatic Environment Impact Statement (PEIS) for Plutonium Pit Production at LANL and the Savannah River Site in South Carolina.

Under the leadership of CCNS Board Member Myrriah Gómez, CCNS will develop an educational program titled Nuclear Literacy:  Educating Nuevomexicano Communities on the Los Alamos National Laboratory Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Plutonium Pit Production to engage northern New Mexicans.  Gómez is an Associate Professor at the University of New Mexico Honors College.

A curriculum specifically designed for frontline communities in Northern New Mexico will be used to engage community members, with a focus on youth engagement, about how to prepare comments about the scope of the PEIS and then how to read and respond to the forthcoming draft PEIS document.

We are honored and excited at the prospect of bringing this educational series to New Mexicans in the New Year!

1. Friday, January 2^nd 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. Join with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others. Bring your flags, signs and banners.

2. Watch A House of Dynamite on Netflix. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has published a resource guide to viewing “A House of Dynamite.”  https://thebulletin.org/2025/10/a-bulletin-resource-guide-to-viewing-a-house-of-dynamite/

3. SAVE THE DATES – April 4^th – 11^th, 2026: Shut Down Drone Warfare at Alamogordo and Holloman AFB. For more information, email  nmvetsforpeace@gmail.com

4. If you appreciate our work, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to CCNS before the end of the year. Or sign-up to contribute monthly! We’re on Paypal or mail your contribution to: CCNS, POB 31147, Santa Fe, NM  87594-1147.  Thank you!!!

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 Nuclear Security Administration have big plans. Specifically, we’ll continue to oppose them.

From a proposed LANL electrical line across the Caja del Rio, to venting of radioactive tritium from containers that had been in storage for decades, to the discovery of the expansion of the chromium plume to Pueblo de San Ildefonso, the harm continues.

In 2026 new proposals for expanded plutonium pit production are on the table. In the spring, we’ll have the opportunity to provide comments about the scope of the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Plutonium Pit Production at LANL and the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. Presidential Executive Orders may well be used to change and obliterate the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, limiting the public scoping comment period to 30 days.  And inevitably, it will be scheduled during Holy Week or other traditional spring holidays.

There will be educational trainings about the nuclear weapons complex in New Mexico and how to prepare effective scoping comments.

CCNS will continue the fight for proper regulation of LANL’s Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility (RLWTF).  It is a key facility that handles, treats and stores plutonium-contaminated and low-level wastewaters from the Plutonium Facility, or PF-4.  Underground pipes and trucks deliver contaminated waters to the RLWTF.

There is one discharge pipe from the RLWTF into Effluent Canyon.  For nearly a decade, LANL used a mechanical evaporator system to dispose of the treated liquids into the air. Then LANL began discharging through the pipe again.

That one discharge pipe is regulated by both the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the New Mexico Environment Department.  The federal and state discharge permitting processes generally run in tandem, which doubles the work for small grassroots organizations, like CCNS.

Currently, EPA and LANL’s nuclear weapons contractor, Triad National Security, LLC, are challenging our standing before the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.  And Triad is challenging our standing before the New Mexico Supreme Court. Our filings are due to both courts in early January.

Your financial support is needed more than ever.  Please consider signing up to make a monthly contribution on our website at nuclearactive.org.  Together we are making a difference!

1. Friday, December 26th 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. Join with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others. Bring your flags, signs and banners.

2. Watch A House of Dynamite on Netflix. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has published a resource guide to viewing “A House of Dynamite.”  https://thebulletin.org/2025/10/a-bulletin-resource-guide-to-viewing-a-house-of-dynamite/

3. SAVE THE DATES – April 4^th – 11^th, 2026: Shut Down Drone Warfare at Alamogordo and Holloman AFB. For more information, email  nmvetsforpeace@gmail.com

4. If you appreciate our work, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to CCNS before the end of the year. We’re on Paypal, or mail your contribution to:  CCNS, POB 31147, Santa Fe, NM  87594-1147.  Thank you!!!

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.

It was signed in 2010.  It limits the number of strategic long-term nuclear warheads and launchers that the United States and Russia can deploy.

And, without any New START Agreement, there would be no limits on United States and Russian nuclear weapons stockpiles.

In September, President Putin offered a one-year extension; President Trump, unfortunately, has not responded in an official manner. https://nuclearactive.org/putin-proposed-to-extend-new-start-treaty-for-one-year-trump-has-not-formerly-responded/

This is where you come in.  The Treaty must be extended for at least one year.  Engage your social media contacts, make calls and texts to friends, family and talk shows, pray, write letters to the editor.  Contact your Congressional members and urge them to do everything they can to extend the New START Agreement. The U.S. Capitol Switchboard Line is (202) 224-3121.

Indeed, we are in dark times. Under the existing Treaty, Russia and the United States have roughly 10,000 nuclear weapons, or 87 percent of the global inventory.  According to the Federation of American Scientists, China possesses about 600 warheads.

The Treaty sets caps on the numbers of strategic nuclear warheads, land- and submarine-based missiles, and delivery vehicles that the United States and Russia may deploy in the event of nuclear war. In doing so, the Treaty increases and strengthens verification measures, transparency, encourages increased communication, and reduces the risk of miscalculation.

This week Tri-Valley Communities Against a Radioactive Environment (Tri-Valley CARES) https://trivalleycares.org/,  Friends Committee on National Legislation https://www.fcnl.org , Arms Control Association https://www.armscontrol.org/ , and numerous partner groups across the country are mobilizing to urge Members of Congress to act now to ensure that the limits on nuclear weapons in the New START Agreement do not expire. Talking points are available on Tri-Valley CARES website at https://trivalleycares.org/2025/national-call-in-day-december-17th-to-stop-new-u-s-russia-arms-race Make your calls today!

Reports from congressional offices tell us that when they receive a sustained number of phone calls in a short time, it helps to raise issues on legislators’ priority lists.  Always mention that you are a constituent of the legislator you are calling and remind them that diplomacy is far superior to a dangerous new arms race and should be vigorously pursued.

A successor to the New START Agreement can, and should, serve as a stepping-stone to further reductions in the nuclear weapons stockpiles of both countries and hold open the door to future negotiations.

Peace is Possible.

1. Friday, December 19th 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. Join with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others. Bring your flags, signs and banners.

2. Watch A House of Dynamite on Netflix. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has published a resource guide to viewing “A House of Dynamite.”  https://thebulletin.org/2025/10/a-bulletin-resource-guide-to-viewing-a-house-of-dynamite/

3. Saturday, December 20^th at 2 pm on the Santa Fe Plaza – The Santa Fe Raging Grannies invite you to sing along with them on your favorite holiday “carols” turned into protest songs. Join us, won’t you?

 Sing along to songs like:

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Fascism

Auld Lang Syne for Freedom

Walking in a Nuclear Wasteland

I’m Dreaming of a Kind Christmas … and many more.

4. SAVE THE DATES – April 4^th – 11^th, 2026: Shut Down Drone Warfare at Alamogordo and Holloman AFB. For more information, email  nmvetsforpeace@gmail.com

5. If you appreciate our work, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution before the end of the year. We’re on Paypal (see button on top right of page) or mail your contribution to:  CCNS, POB 31147, Santa Fe, NM  87594-1147. Venmo coming soon! Thank you!!!