Nevada 'Divine Strake' Explosion Canceled

[zengrifter]

Pentagon Cancel 'Divine
Strake' Explosion Again
2-22-7

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- The Pentagon on Thursday canceled plans to detonate a 700-tonne explosive charge in the Nevada desert that had drawn environmental protests and lawsuits. "I have become convinced that it's time to look at alternative methods that obviate the need for this type of large-scale test," said James Tegnelia, the director of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.

Dubbed "Divine Strake," the test was designed to gather data for use in developing weapons capable of destroying deeply buried bunkers containing chemical, biological or nuclear weapons.It called for detonating 700 tonnes of conventional explosives over a tunnel at a Nevada test site to study its effect on hard granite structures. But the "experiment" drew lawsuits and protests from Nevada residents worried about the possible environmental impact of the blast, which was expected to send a mushroom-like cloud 10,000 feet (3,048 meters) in the air. Tegnelia said his decision to cancel the test was not based on any technical information that indicated it would be harmful to workers, the public or the environment.xxx