The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) cancelled the publication of a draft environmental report for public comment on plutonium use at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, a local publication reported.
According to Livermore Vine, NNSA intended to release the draft, and said so in a notice of intent January 2025, for comments and feedback from the public. The report discusses the “Enhanced Plutonium Facility Utilization at LLNL” project, which proposes increasing plutonium usage for research and experiments at the lab.
A November notice by NNSA said given regulatory changes it would no longer publish the draft for public consideration or host any relevant hearings. The notice said without the public comment period, the final report is expected to be published early 2026, along with NNSA’s record of decision. The notice also said this way NNSA can “fulfill its current and potential future national security requirements in a timely manner.”
“This decision makes it clear that the Lab, and the National Nuclear Security Administration prefers that the Livermore community and the American public not engage in decision making about nuclear weapons development programs and the impacts on the communities that house them,” Tri-Valley CARES, a Livermore-based environmentalist group, said in the article.