WAND urges: No new bomb plant

December 14, 2006

CONTACT: Marie Rietmann or Bobbie Paul of Women’s Action for New Directions (202/544-5055 x195 or 404/524-5999)

Women’s Action for New Directions (WAND) opposes federal plans for a new nuclear weapons complex. Instead, we urge local economic development through real cleanup of existing nuclear weapons sites.

Complex 2030, developed by the National Nuclear Security Administration, includes the construction of new facilities to manufacture plutonium warheads, to conduct nuclear weapons research and development, and to consolidate nuclear materials.

Bobbie Paul, Executive Director of Atlanta WAND, says, “WAND was founded as Women’s Action for Nuclear Disarmament in 1980. Now we must carry on that work since our leaders are once again putting people’s lives at stake. This proposed nuclear weapons complex is old wine in new bottles.”

Our nation needs to kick the bomb habit and switch to protecting the environment from our nation’s deadly nuclear waste inventory and stockpiles of weapons-grade nuclear materials. Addressing nuclear waste and securing nuclear materials that make bombs will provide important, high-tech jobs for many decades.

We have more important priorities than to rebuild the US nuclear weapons complex in order to develop and produce thousands of new nuclear warheads.