Welcome to A People's Atlas of Nuclear Colorado
To experience the full richness of the Atlas, please view on desktop.
Navigating the Atlas
You may browse the Atlas by following the curated "paths" of information and interpretation provided by the editors. These paths roughly track the movement of radioactive materials from the earth, into weapons or energy sources, and then into unmanageable waste—along with the environmental, social, technical, and ethical ramifications of these processes. In addition to the stages of the production process, you may view in sequence the positivist, technocratic version of this story, or the often hidden or repressed shadow side to the industrial processing of nuclear materials.
Using the buttons on the left, you may also browse the Atlas's artworks and scholarly essays, access geolocated material on a map, and learn more about contributors to the project.
If you would like to contribute materials to the Atlas, please reach out to the editors: Sarah Kanouse (s.kanouse at northeastern.edu) and Shiloh Krupar (srk34 at georgetown.edu).
Cover Image by Shanna Merola, "An Invisible Yet Highly Energetic Form of Light," from Nuclear Winter.
Atlas design by Byse.
Funded by grants from Georgetown University and Northeastern University. Initial release September 2021.
Using the buttons on the left, you may also browse the Atlas's artworks and scholarly essays, access geolocated material on a map, and learn more about contributors to the project.
If you would like to contribute materials to the Atlas, please reach out to the editors: Sarah Kanouse (s.kanouse at northeastern.edu) and Shiloh Krupar (srk34 at georgetown.edu).
Cover Image by Shanna Merola, "An Invisible Yet Highly Energetic Form of Light," from Nuclear Winter.
Atlas design by Byse.
Funded by grants from Georgetown University and Northeastern University. Initial release September 2021.
Jeff Gipe, Vandalism of "Cold War Horse", 2015, courtesy the artist
Artwork
Cold War Horse
Cold War Horse is a memorial created to acknowledge the history of Rocky Flats, its workers, and the surrounding community.
For nearly forty years, the Rocky Flats plant manufactured the plutonium triggers of nearly every nuclear weapon in the United States arsenal. It’s estimated that 70,000 plutonium triggers were produced at this plant. Plutonium is a highly toxic and radioactive substance, and special precautions had to be taken.
Operations and accidents contaminated the soil, water, and air in surrounding areas with radioactive and toxic material. After a second major plutonium fire in 1969, the second largest plutonium fire at the facility, citizen protests gained momentum and urged Rocky Flats to cease operations. In 1989, the FBI in conjunction with the EPA raided the complex in the first ever inter-governmental raid. Many violations were discovered and production was halted. The plant’s operators later admitted and pleaded guilty to environmental crimes. Soon after the raid, the plant site was put on the EPA Superfund cleanup list. In 1993, the Secretary of Energy announced the end of the Rocky Flats nuclear production mission.
The original estimate for remediation of the site was in excess of $37 billion and projected to require 70 years for completion. The Department of Energy and Kaiser-Hill devised an accelerated compromise plan that cut costs to $7 billion and just one decade for completion.
On the dedication of this memorial, 10 years after the “cleanup” of Rocky Flats, safety concerns still exist due to remaining contamination and questions of risk. Nonetheless, the history of this important national and international site, and the workers who sacrificed so much, have yet to be acknowledged by federal, state, or local governments. This memorial stands as a reminder of a history that we must not forget.
Jeff Gipe, Vandalism of "Cold War Horse", 2015, courtesy the artist
For nearly forty years, the Rocky Flats plant manufactured the plutonium triggers of nearly every nuclear weapon in the United States arsenal. It’s estimated that 70,000 plutonium triggers were produced at this plant. Plutonium is a highly toxic and radioactive substance, and special precautions had to be taken.
Operations and accidents contaminated the soil, water, and air in surrounding areas with radioactive and toxic material. After a second major plutonium fire in 1969, the second largest plutonium fire at the facility, citizen protests gained momentum and urged Rocky Flats to cease operations. In 1989, the FBI in conjunction with the EPA raided the complex in the first ever inter-governmental raid. Many violations were discovered and production was halted. The plant’s operators later admitted and pleaded guilty to environmental crimes. Soon after the raid, the plant site was put on the EPA Superfund cleanup list. In 1993, the Secretary of Energy announced the end of the Rocky Flats nuclear production mission.
The original estimate for remediation of the site was in excess of $37 billion and projected to require 70 years for completion. The Department of Energy and Kaiser-Hill devised an accelerated compromise plan that cut costs to $7 billion and just one decade for completion.
On the dedication of this memorial, 10 years after the “cleanup” of Rocky Flats, safety concerns still exist due to remaining contamination and questions of risk. Nonetheless, the history of this important national and international site, and the workers who sacrificed so much, have yet to be acknowledged by federal, state, or local governments. This memorial stands as a reminder of a history that we must not forget.
Citation
Jeff Gipe, Cold War Horse, site-specific monument at the former Rocky Flats Plant, Arvada, Colorado, 2015.Continue on "Friction"