Divine Strake

Looking down DTRA's barrel

Spring 2007 update from Idealist.ws - May 5, 2007 -

Will residents of the American West be looking down the barrel of another non-nuclear military experiment or set of experiments in late 2007 or 2008 that will threaten radioactive fallout?

Although the non-nuclear, military test dubbed Divine Strake, which incited widespread fears that the mega-explosion would stir up and disperse radioactive dust throughout the American West, was cancelled in February, the lawsuit that was originally filed to force an injunction of the test has not been dismissed.

The lawsuit, which was filed on behalf of the Western Shoshone and several downwinders by Reno lawyer Robert Hager, now focuses on the possible 'spinoffs' of the canceled Divine Strake test. The fear that there might be spinoffs in place of Divine Strake stems from language in a February 22nd press release by the DTRA, the Pentagon agency that planned Divine Strake. The DTRA stated that the agency intends to conduct smaller 'confirmatory experiments' instead of Divine Strake. In March, the Las Vegas Review-Journal mentioned that these 'confirmatory' experiments would be small-scale surface explosions at the Nevada Test Site. The DTRA has not mentioned that they would complete environmental studies to ensure that its tests pose no risk to those downwind. Moreover, the language in the DTRA's February press release does not specify what they mean by experiments that are 'smaller' than Divine Strake, which entailed 700-tons of conventional explosives. Is the DTRA planning several 3-ton tests, or 30-ton tests, or perhaps a single 600-ton test at the Nevada Test Site for late 2007 or 2008? All three scenarios are not out of the realm of possibility since they all would technically be 'smaller' than the 700-ton Divine Strake test.

The same information - most of it government data - presented by Hager's witnesses, and also used in formal comments filed by the State of Utah and several grassroots groups, to point out the hazards of the Divine Strake test is just as relevant to the proposed smaller-scale testing, which would most likely occur at or near Divine Strake's ground-zero in Area 16 at the Nevada Test Site. That information - including data regarding six large atomic blasts in the 1950s that dumped radioactive fallout in Area 16 - points to dangerously high levels of contamination that would be unsafe for exposure to any person in any community in Utah or Nevada or elsewhere. If the DTRA's proposed tests are even a fraction of the size of Divine Strake, the cloud from the testing could carry the contents of the soils from the blast site to communities thousands of miles downwind. We believe that any surface explosion, however small, at the Nevada Test Site will put residents downwind at risk again and should not be allowed to happen.

Aiming to force a permanent injunction of the smaller-scale tests, Bob Hager pointed to these above-stated concerns when he asked, shortly after the cancellation of Divine Strake in February, that the suit not be dismissed. The Judge agreed to Hager's request and set a legal status hearing for April 30. That status hearing, however, was re-scheduled for April 11. During that hearing, an evidentiary hearing was set for June 27.

Regrettably, no media outlet made public the information about the changes in dates of these hearings. In what can only be seen as sloppy journalism, LasVegasNow.com (KLAS-TV) published a story on their website on April 30th stating that a status hearing took place that day - which was erroneous - and included other incorrect information.

The hearing on June 27th, 2007, which is open to the public at Las Vegas's Lloyd D. George Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, Room 6B, at 8:30am, will be an important one. Both parties will present evidence to convince the Judge to render a final decision - either permit an injunction of the tests or grant the defendant, the Department of Justice, what it wants: to get the lawsuit dismissed on behalf of their 'client,' the DTRA.

What you can do is demand that KLAS-TV revoke their April 30th story, which has placed erroneous information into the public domain and is causing unnecessary alarm. Email your concerns to them at cbleakley@klastv.com

Andrew
www.idealist.ws
www.stopdivinestrake.com