Some good news.

Under pressure, the NNSA extended the public comments deadline by 15 days for the Draft LANL SWEIS. Not much, I know, but it helps! The damn thing is three hefty volumes.

We now have until 20 September to tell 'em what we think of their preferred "expanded operations alternative" to ramp up production of nuclear warheads to five times current annual levels within five years. You can email them at LANL_SWEIS@doeal.gov. Phone numbers, fax numbers, and snail-mail addresses are all listed a few posts back. You can also get 'em from the website linked above, or of course, from the SWEIS itself, which I hope everybody reads. It's fascinating stuff; besides which you already paid for it with your tax dollars, so why not get one?

I did hear back from a nice lady asking whether I wanted the "hard copy" I'd requested on CD or on paper, so if you're askin' for a copy, it's good to be as specific as possible so you get it in time. They seem to be very literal-minded in that office -- who can blame 'em, seeing as all life on this planet's kind of in their hands right now. But please, I beg of you, be nice to the office people.

It comes down ultimately to Congress, which sets the mission for the Los Alamos. NNSA only considers options that fulfill the congressionally mandated mission. NNSA definitely needs to know what you think, but so should your elected representatives in Congress.

And in the end, what Congress does depends substantially on what we tell our Congressmen and Senators we want from them.

Or doesn't it?