Concerned Citizens For Nuclear Safety

Programs: Public education and outreach - through its media network, ccns produces a weekly radio program and maintains a website at www. Nuclearactive. Org. Ccns researches, writes and distributes public education materials, such as reports, fact sheets and sample comment letters, in order to encourage public participation in federal, state and local decision-making and policy-making processes impacting public health and the environment. In all of our work, ccns adheres to environmental justice principles.

environmental monitoring - ccns scrutinizes the environmental impacts of los alamos national laboratory (lanl)operations to the rio grande watershed and regional drinking water supplies. Ccns monitors discharges to surface and ground water, radioactive, toxic and hazardous emissions to air, and burial of wastes at lanl. In 2004, ccns began work with robert h. Gilkeson, an independent registered geologist,about lanl groundwater issues. Ccns also monitors the generation, treatment and storage of radioactive and hazardous waste at lanl and waste disposal at the waste isolation pilot plant (wipp). We monitor transportation of these wastes. Ccns reviews and provides technical comments to the department of energy (doe) about its proposals that may have public health and environmental consequences. Ccns actively participates in the core group of the communities for clean water (ccw), which brought a successful clean water act citizens' lawsuit against doe for violations at lanl. The suit resulted in the issuance of the strongest individual stormwater permit in the nation and expanded public participation requirements.

environmental health and cleanup - ccns ensures protection of the air, soil and surface, ground and drinking water resources and public and environmental health with the thorough review of proposed federal and state permits. The permits allow for discharge to surface and ground water, emissions to the air and the handling and storage of hazardous waste. Ccns reviews the draft permits and provides informed technical comments. In late 2010, ccns filed a citizens' suit in the new mexico court of appeals against the new mexico environment department (nmed) about the lanl hazardous waste permit, citing the lack of compliant groundwater monitoring, the need for closure and post-closure plans for the material disposal areas g, h and l dumps, and the open burning of hazardous waste. In 2011, ccns was granted intervenor status in the federal district court case filed by the doe and lanl against nmed.

weapons program - ccns monitors and encourages civic engagement in doe plans to expand nuclear weapons production in new mexico, including the construction and operation of new facilities at lanl, such as the proposed chemistry & metallurgy research replacement project - nuclear facility. In 2007, ccns expanded our work with robert h. Gilkeson, independent registered geologist, to include the seismic issues at lanl, which is located on the seismically active pajarito plateau in the jemez mountains.