The government is restarting the production of Plutonium Pits (nuclear bomb cores) for the first time since 1989. A public hearing is scheduled in Livermore because of Livermore Lab’s (LLNL) involvement—which includes “major new plutonium pit support” work. This new plutonium pit production will be for LLNL’s new nuclear weapons designs.
New plutonium pit production is unnecessary. While rationales for the program emphasize a need to replace aging pits, the national laboratories offered no evidence that the nation’s existing pits (or the 10,000+ existing surplus plutonium pits) are anywhere near the end of their service lives (plutonium has a half-life of 24,000 years!) or are at risk of age-related failure that would reduce the safety, security, or reliability of present warhead designs.
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), which operates LLNL, released a Draft Programmatic Environmental Income Statement (PEIS) as the result of litigation brought by Tri-Valley CAREs and others.
The Draft PEIS is inadequate. For example, it doesn’t list the total amount of plutonium to be stored and tested at LLNL, potential accident scenarios, impacts on workers, the public, and the environment. No mention of how thousands of LLNL nearby residents would be alerted about a leak, serious accident, or intentional act.
Draft PEIS- www.energy.gov/nepa/articles/doeeis-0573-draft-environmental-impact-statement-april-2026
Go to pitpeis.com for more information.
NNSA is hosting a public hearing on Tuesday, May 12, at Garre Vineyard, 7986 Tesla Road, Livermore, 5-8 p.m. We encourage you to attend this public hearing to give oral comments!
Tri-Valley CAREs is organizing a Zoom meeting to help people prepare for giving oral comments: Thursday, May 7, at 5:30 p.m.; Zoom link at www.trivalleycares.org. Written comments can be submitted until July 16 via email to: PitPEIS@nnsa.doe.gov Include the document number: DOE/EIS-0573.