New Mexicans Over Nuclear: Demand a Governor That Stands For Us

Posted April 30, ,2026

I was raised in Northern New Mexico, my childhood spread out between Las Vegas and Santa Fe. I spent much of my time outside, digging in the clay-dense dirt in my yard, jumping feet first into murky lakes and rivers, and breathing in the mountain fresh air that surrounded me. I always felt so grateful for the relationship I had with our untouched natural resources, unburdened by anything that posed a risk to them.

It wasn’t until my teen years that I became more aware of the Los Alamos National Laboratory that sat on a hill high above many native New Mexicans like me. The lab has a long history as a vital security resource for the United States. However, anyone who has ever lived downwind from the lab’s operations knows that LANL casts a dark shadow over the livelihoods and natural resources of our communities.

The Department of Energy announced at the end of March that LANL launched a Expand Operations Alternative management plan, focused on improving infrastructure and increasing LANL’s existing capabilities. This is in addition to the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) demanding that LANL produce double the amount of plutonium pits – the critical component of nuclear weapon production – be built to “ensure national security”. This demand was made without a clear projection about its effect on our people, land and natural resources.

The lab has impacted our state since its establishment over 80 years ago. From the first test conducted at the Trinity Test Site in Alamogordo that resulted in deadly radioactive fallout in neighboring communities, to continued nuclear development throughout the Cold War Era that saw the labs alter and contaminate ecological systems around the Los Alamos area, it is difficult to trust that further harm will be avoided as LANL is directed to increase the amount of nuclear weapons in the next few years.

Lawsuits against LANL and other national labs across America have called for reparations, transparency and consideration of impact from the U.S. Government agencies like the Department of Energy and NNSA. These lawsuits have cited increased risk of cancer, evidence of rare cancers due to exposure to radioactivity, increases in infant mortality and other illnesses experienced by Downwinders.

It is not just those in proximity to the Trinity Site that are affected. By public health standards, the amount of plutonium found in Acid Canyon, a Los Alamos open space, was determined to be at a dangerous level, and is increasingly concerning considering that the state of New Mexico does not have a statutory limit of plutonium contamination in the soil or surface waters.

Despite the billions of dollars that have gone into “clean up” of contamination caused by LANL, the State of New Mexico is demanding that the DOE expedite the clean-up of legacy waste and is suing the labs for $16 million for violating groundwater safety standards. The pressure from the state highlights the rising issue of LANL creating new waste before harmful byproducts of Cold War era legacy waste have been properly mitigated.

New Mexico governors have the authority and responsibility to hold LANL accountable. This includes enforcing that legal agreements between the state and the DOE are complied with when it comes to waste clean-up, meeting safety standards and regulations and providing honest, science-backed impact statements. Our next governor should take preventative measures to positively impact our state and some of its most marginalized people. As LANL prepares to release a plan for the coming future, we should be looking for a governor that stands for protocol that puts New Mexicans and precious resources above nuclear weapons production.

I am currently a graduate student at Colorado State University, pursuing my MS in Conservation Leadership. In many of my classes, we discuss at length the importance of ethical conservation and the importance of relational values of our land, water and air. I’ve grown from a child who loved the Earth around me for all its wonders to a conservation professional who is critical of any agency that threatens and harms the natural resources of my home and my community. I prioritize voting in primary and midterm elections. New Mexicans deserve transparency from our public office candidates about how LANL, the NNSA and the DOE impact us.

As the race for governor progresses, where do the candidates stand on this issue? How will they take the repercussions of nuclear harm from the past and lead us into the future?

Alanie Rael is a New Mexico native, born and raised in Santa Fe, NM and surrounding areas (Pecos and Las Vegas). She is currently a graduate student at Colorado State University studying Conservation Leadership. This commentary is republished from Source New Mexico under a Creative Commons license.