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LANL may need to double plutonium pit production

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By scooby



LANL may be asked to double plutonium pit production, per federal memo.

Up to 60 pits per year.

The comment section in the news article devolves in the usual fight between the two anti-nuke groups "The Los Alamos Study Group" vs The nuclear watch group. These groups are like two age old enemies forever locked in the battle to the death. You almost get the feeling that Los Alamos is really just playing a minor role in what really motivates these guys which is their hatred for each other.

If there is ever WW3 and the earth every last nuke is used and the only two people left alive are Greg Mello and Jay Coughlan, they would still be fighting. It will be like "Let this be your last battlefield from the old Start Trek show" in which each is half black and half white (though on opposite sides from each other), and committed to destroying the other.
https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/lanl-may-be-asked-to-double-plutonium-pit-production-per-federal-memo/article_3266b341-fb84-4877-8e67-10e8e60145e3.html#comments

Comments

Anonymous said…
Another article from the other day

https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/plan-on-lanls-path-for-next-15-years-expected-any-day-now/article_55761919-c85b-458c-94a6-6e205f5450ae.html

Plan on LANL's path for next 15 years expected 'any day now'

And yes the the online comment section is once again the two heads of the anti-LANL groups Greg Mello and Coughlin going nuclear on each other.

3/07/2026 12:46 AM
Anonymous said…
Mason has been making some interesting gyrations this week about the need for the lab to do a 180 deg and change from a fervent no-work zone into a hard work zone that never makes any mistakes or has any accidents. Somehow Project Velocity is supposed to deliver this transformation without cutting the ranks of our massive bureaucracy. It seems like NNSA is saying unpleasant things to TRIAD like "figure out how to deliver output for the billions we send you our we'll find somebody else who can." But is any of this real or just more empty bluster from Washington? In all likelihood, TRIAD is thinking that they can outlast the administration, just make the motions for three years, then go back to the good old days of counting the money while the lab excells at exceeding all of their targets in the production of paperwork.
3/11/2026 10:46 PM
Anonymous said…
…so, from one to two. The best and the brightest!
3/12/2026 5:48 AM
Anonymous said…
How does LANL become this super efficient entity and also a "force for good" which consists of mass dissipation of money on useless things. These are in contradiction.
3/12/2026 6:03 AM
Anonymous said…
Mason also wants to move from stockpile maintenance and essentially remodeling the existing stockpile with the latest technology to replacing the stockpile with completely new designs.

Speaking of remodeling and increasing output at the production plant… where does he think all these new production plant workers plan on living?
3/12/2026 2:50 PM
Anonymous said…
"Speaking of remodeling and increasing output at the production plant… where does he think all these new production plant workers plan on living?"

Santa Fe, Abq and Espanola.

Of course one thing could be to try and get rid of the older science workforce but they may not move out of the town. You can at least take there old offices.

It is almost like nobody thought this through.
3/13/2026 3:44 AM
Anonymous said…
They can all commute from Los Lunas, or maybe Rio Rancho for the rich ones. It's only a three or four hour round trip drive every day. There are 8 hours in a work day, so that still leaves 4 or 5 hours to get work done. And let's be honest, most of these new hires don't have any real value to add anyway, so if they get nothing done, it likely helps the lab.
3/14/2026 5:08 PM
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