Tracy Press

A feedback session focuses on the impact of rebuilding a nuclear stockpile at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Enrique Gutierrez/Tracy Press - FIRST READ:Karen Nakamura peruses information about Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and its Site 300 test ground before a meeting regarding the federal government’s Complex 2030 program, which deals with the country’s nuclear arsenal.

Local peace activists Tuesday asked the government to consider the impact of a global nuclear war when it analyzes the environmental risks of consolidating and rebuilding the nation’s nuclear arsenal.

The evening meeting was hosted in Tracy to give people living near Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories’ sites a chance to help shape a planned environmental review of the Complex 2030 program. The program will see most nuclear weapons material removed from the Lawrence Livermore site and an increase, decrease or elimination of tritium experiments, high-explosives experiments and some other tests there and at Site 300 next to Tracy.

“Our nuclear complex is not sufficiently responsive to fixing the technical problems in the (nuclear) stockpile, or to reacting to a potential adverse political challenge,” said Ted Wyka, who is working on the environmental review for the National Nuclear Security Administration.

Wyka said the government is unable through its current nuclear program to produce certain warhead parts, including plutonium components, in the quantities that it would like. He also said the nuclear material is inefficiently scattered among 90 locations.

Local activist Bob Sarvey said it was hypocritical and dangerous for the U.S. to rebuild its nukes while condemning other countries for their nuclear programs.

“This plan that you have today is a plan of insanity,” said Sarvey. “You’ve been told by your own scientists that your nuclear stockpile is good for another 100 years, and yet you want to build more weapons.”

In fact, none of the community speakers supported Complex 2030, but Wyka poured cold water on any hopes that their comments could block or change the program.

“(The nuclear administration) cannot pick and choose which national security requirements to carry out — that is something that the president, through directives and policy, and the Congress, through the budget process, decides,” Wyka said, urging them to instead focus on the program’s environmental review.

Jimmy Spearow of freedomfromwar.org and Physicians for Social Responsibility was one of 11 activists and local residents to speak to an audience of about 35 people. Many wore “if we build it, they will too!” stickers, which expressed concern that Complex 2030 would spark a nuclear arms race.

“The scope of the Complex 2030 EIS (environmental impact statement) must address whether building the modern plutonium pit and other Complex 2030 bombplex facilities will … result in multilateral nuclear proliferation, global insecurity, nuclear war and environmental contamination and destruction,” said Spearow.

“U.S. pre-emptive nuclear first-strike policies as articulated in the 2002 Nuclear Posture Review, as well as the 2003 invasion of Iraq, have furthered international fears of unilateral attacks by the U.S.”

Loulena Miles, staff attorney for Tri-Valley Communities Against a Radioactive Environment, described Complex 2030 as a “dog and pony show” to justify spending upward of $150 billion to improve the U.S. nuclear arsenal.

Miles asked the nuclear administration to include in its environmental review the cost of spending that money on nuclear weapons instead of other programs, and to consider the alternative environmental benefits of “transitioning the nuclear weapons business to a world-class hub for renewable energy research.”

Wyka said he expects to hold a public hearing in Tracy on a draft Complex 2030 environmental impact statement late next summer, with a final report due a year later. He said comments on the environmental review can be sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

To reach reporter John Upton, call 830-4274 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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