What is a Plutonium Pit?

A plutonium pit is the bowling ball-sized bomb core that begins the chain reaction in every US thermonuclear weapon. 

What is this Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS)?

Since 2019, Nuclear Watch New Mexico, Savannah River Site Watch and Tri-Valley Communities Against a Radioactive Environment called on DOE and NNSA to prepare the mandated PEIS but were rebuffed with little explanation.

On June 29, 2021, we filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Nuclear Security Administration. This legal action is prompted by the agencies’ failure to take the “hard look” required by the National Environmental Policy Act at their plans to more than quadruple the production of plutonium pits and split their production between the Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Savannah River Site.

Is the PEIS out now?

Yes, NNSA released the PEIS April 10, 2026. Stay tuned here for comment traininings that will be widely available in advance of the public hearings and end of the formal comment period.

How can I get involved now?

Pledge Below to Make a Comment on the PEIS this summer:

We are also working with our partner organizations across the country: Visit the website of the organization working closest to you and learn about your local issues related to expanded nationwide Plutonium Pit Production!