On November 21st, Scott Yundt and Tanvi Kardile from Tri-Valley CAREs gathered at “Peace Camp” at the gates of the Nevada National Security Site (formerly known as the Nevada Test Site) to join other experts and activists from around the country in a display of opposition to Trump’s recent statement suggesting the US could conduct explosive nuclear tests at the site.
The gathering included the member groups of the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability (ANA), as part of the 2025 ANA Fall Meeting. Tanvi serves as the President of ANA and helped organize the gathering. These experts and activists from affected communities around the US, joined with Nevadans, including many local tribal leaders, to oppose resumption of any explosive nuclear testing and held a site visit at Peace Camp to conduct educational sessions. The next day, the group held a vigil opposing testing at the Federal Courthouse in Las Vegas.
Gathering outside gates of the Nevada National Security Site
Vigil outside the Federal Courthouse in Las Vegas
The site visit was in response to an October 29th Truth Social post from the President stating that, “Because of other countries’ testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our nuclear weapons on an equal basis.” The site visit was our effort to draw attention to this proliferation provoking threat and instead pursue peace.
The President could not have been referencing other countries conducting explosive nuclear tests, because no nation except North Korea has conducted an explosive nuclear test this century. His statement displayed the confusion on the topic, for example his instruction was directed at the “Department of War,” (aka Department of Defense) which is not responsible for conducting explosive nuclear weapons tests, a job that belongs to the Department of Energy and its National Nuclear Security Administration. Additionally, the reference to other “countries testing programs” suggest that the “equal basis” appears to be in reference to conducting these delivery system tests by both Russia and China, but, as a matter of fact, we already conduct these tests.
The United States has observed the moratorium on nuclear testing for the past 33 years and is a signatory to the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), but has not ratified the treaty. However, the US was the sole “No” vote on the recent, annual UN resolution calling for the entry into force of the CTBT. During Trump’s first term, the US abstained on the vote. The U.S. government’s first ever “No” vote raises further troubling questions about U.S. intentions.
Members of the Native Community Action Council (NCAC), a Nevada-based organization are concerned about the potential underground explosive nuclear testing at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). This concern centers on the impacts to the land, water and people. Underground testing contaminates underground aquifers. The NCAC, advocates for radiation awareness and risk mitigation for the Shoshone and all other Americans.
The 1,054 nuclear weapons tests conducted by the US during the 20th Century left behind a legacy of radioactive poison and ecological destruction. From New Mexico to Nevada to the Marshall Islands, US nuclear tests spread radioactive fallout that killed thousands, contaminated land, oceans, and continues to pose cascading health consequences for future generations.
ANA and NCAC stand alongside the state legislatures of Nevada who unanimously passed a joint resolution earlier this year urging the federal government to maintain the moratorium on the explosive nuclear testing, citing that over 72% of Nevada voters oppose the resumption of underground testing of explosive nuclear weapons.
U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), and their western senate colleagues recently introduced legislation to ensure that no president can unilaterally resume explosive nuclear testing. The No Nuclear Testing Without Approval Act (S. 4099) would require Congressional approval to restart any explosive nuclear tests. The bill would require President Trump, or any future administration, to show Congress proof of engagement with the state in which the tests would be conducted.
“Nevadans are still dealing with the fallout of explosive nuclear testing conducted during the Cold War era and the radiation unleashed in our state. Donald Trump’s directive to resume nuclear testing is reckless, unnecessary, and dangerous,” said Senator Rosen. “Senator Cortez Masto and I are introducing this legislation to require congressional approval for any and all future explosive nuclear weapons testing. A decision of this magnitude should not be made lightly or on a whim by an erratic President.”
In addition to the site visit and vigil, ANA held its annual two-day fall meeting, hosted by the Native Community Action Council, to do strategic planning for the next year, discussing our campaigns, goals, and opportunities. We concluded that two big campaigns for 2026 are to oppose nuclear testing and to draw public attention and comments to the programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS) on plutonium pit production. Tri-Valley CAREs, along with other ANA groups, will be taking those on! The meeting was also held in conjunction with the Uranium Film Festival, which screened a number of independent nuclear films. We attended films after our daytime events to learn more about different elements of nuclear issues, watching films about uranium mining, nuclear waste, and atomic bombings and testing.
Ian Zabarte holds an air monitoring workshop as a part of the ANA fall meeting
Uranium Film Festival
Tri-Valley CAREs is looking forward to standing alongside ANA and Nevadans during such a critical time. Stay tuned for updates on our visit!