Watchdog groups call review at US nuclear lab ‘sham’ process

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN
Associated Press

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The U.S. government is planning to review the environmental effects of ongoing and expanded operations at one of the nation’s prominent nuclear weapons laboratories. Watchdog groups contend that regardless of the review, the National Nuclear Security Administration will march ahead with its plans for Los Alamos National Laboratory. The northern New Mexico lab is one of two sites where plutonium cores used in the nation’s nuclear arsenal will be manufactured. The other is in South Carolina. The U.S. Energy Department had set a 2026 deadline for ramping up production, but it’s unclear whether that will be met.