NATIONAL LABS
Santa Fe nonprofit sues Trump administration for plutonium pit study
Nuclear Watch New Mexico says government has refused to release study as nuclear weapons production ramps up
Nuclear Watch New Mexico has sued the Trump administration under the Freedom of Information Act for failing to release a study on the government鈥檚 production of plutonium pits, the radioactive triggers inside nuclear weapons.
The federal , filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia late last month, names the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Nuclear Security Administration as defendants.
Jay Coghlan, director of Santa Fe-based nonprofit Nuclear Watch New Mexico, said this week that the agencies are withholding crucial documents from taxpayers. At issue is a federal study of the government鈥檚 production of plutonium pits at Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Savannah River Site in South Carolina.
鈥淲e hope this lawsuit will help to bring NNSA鈥檚 plutonium house of cards tumbling down,鈥� Coghlan said.
An NNSA spokesperson said the agency does not comment on pending litigation.
James Danly, deputy secretary for the Department of Energy, in an August memo to the NNSA, 鈥渆xpressed concern about the (agency鈥檚) ability to consistently deliver on nuclear weapons production capabilities needed to support the national defense of the 近距离内射合集 States,鈥� according to the lawsuit. Danly, the lawsuit said, mandated that the NNSA conduct a study on the issue by the end of 2025.
In December, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and U.S. Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., sent a letter to Secretary of Energy Chris Wright expressing concerns about NNSA鈥檚 efforts to reestablish plutonium pit production, the lawsuit said.
鈥淚f properly conducted, the special study should find that years of mismanagement have put billions of taxpayer dollars at risk with an unrealistic pit production schedule and goals,鈥� .
That same month, Nuclear Watch New Mexico submitted a request under the Freedom of Information Act seeking Danly鈥檚 special study.
The lawsuit said that the government has neither denied nor approved the request.
鈥淭he disclosure of the special study is likely to contribute significantly to the public understanding of government operations and activities related to the plutonium pit production,鈥� the lawsuit said.
Nuclear Watch New Mexico asked the court to order the agencies to conduct a thorough search for the study and to produce all records responsive to the FOIA request.
Justin Horwath covers tech and energy for the Journal. You can reach him at jhorwath@abqjournal.com.
