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The Department of Energy could stop open-air bomb tests at Site 300 under a plan for the nation's nuclear weapons complex. But some activists who showed up at a meeting in Tracy were not impressed.
 John Morearty (front right) of Stockton and others silently voiced their support of speakers who opposed revamping the nuclear arsenal. Glenn Moore/Tracy Press
If the NNSA’s plan is approved, it would build new, smaller buildings to support weapons missions and consolidate operations at its eight sites throughout the nation, according to Ted Wyka, document manager for the complex’s environmental impact statement.
That “complex” is the government’s catch-all term for the research, testing, maintenance and storage systems for the country’s nuclear weapons arsenal.
“We are maintaining what the nation has already decided — safe, secure and reliable nuclear weapons,” said Susan Houghton, spokeswoman for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which operates under the NNSA. “We already have nuclear weapons. They must be maintained.”
 A small crowd gathered to listen to the proposed changes to the nuclear weapons facilities during a public meeting to discuss the options. Glenn Moore/Tracy Press
But that doesn't necessarily mean the total number of open-air bomb tests at Site 300 would decrease. The lab could still run tests for the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense, Houghton said.
The move to consolidate the nation’s weapons arsenal is partially based on cost, as the NNSA says the revised complex would be less expensive to taxpayers. According to Wyka, a reconfigured nuclear network would reduce the number of workers who support and maintain weapons by 20 percent to 30 percent over the next decade.
Wyka also said the complex would allow weapons to be dismantled more quickly.
 Ted Wyka of the National Nuclear Security Administration Documents Complex Transformation outlined proposed changes to the nuclear weapons as he opened Tuesday’s meeting. Glenn Moore/Tracy Press
About half a dozen officers from Tracy Police Department stood watch in the Holiday Inn Express parking lot Tuesday night in case an anticipated anti-nuclear-weapons protest got out of control. There were no disturbances, but protesters verbally let loose during the meeting’s public comment period.
Groups like Western States Legal Foundation, Bay Area Physicians for Social Responsibility and Tri-Valley CAREs set up information booths and lined the room with photos of Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bomb victims.
“There’s no such thing as a safe nuclear weapon,” said Jacqueline Cabasso, executive director of Western States, a nuclear weapons watchdog. “This is just business as usual.”
 Visitors looked over materials on the proposed changes to the nuclear weapons facilities during a public meeting to discuss the options. Glenn Moore/Tracy Press
“It’s chilling to sit here in the audience and hear about these plans, especially during a time when we are urging other nations to get rid of their nuclear weapons,” said Harry Wang of Bay Area Physicians. He urged NNSA to present research on human health risks of the nuclear weapons complex.
Community feedback on the NNSA’s proposal will be accepted until April 10. Wyka expects he’ll receive 50,000 to 100,000 comments before the deadline. His staff will present a final report in August.
Two more public hearings will begin at 11:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. today at the Robert Livermore Community Center, 4444 East Ave., in Livermore.
The public can comment on the nuclear weapons complex proposal through April 10 at
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We are confused. Does "yes" mean you support the speaker who opposed the issue? Get back to the Tracy Press on that one on Sundays edition.
m. b