StopDivineStrake.com

May 4, 2008 - Calling for a brand new NTS EIS

March 21, 2008 The latest motion by the Plaintiffs

Robert Hager, attorney for the plaintiffs in the ongoing Divine Strake lawsuit, recently returned from a brief stay in Europe to find that a federal district judge in Nevada would not grant any of his demands in the case. Hager wanted (1) continued oversight of the Department of Defense's proposed (future) conventional weapons tests at the NTS (aka Divine Strake babies), and also (2) wanted the court to rule that his legal team is declared the prevailing party in the Divine Strake case. 

Hager argues that his legal team has "crossed the prevailing threshold" that meets the criteria of determining a prevailing party. He also argues that a precedent be set: if the court does not rule Hager's team as prevailing, then the DTRA will try other Divine Strakes again and again and again because they will never bear the brunt of any legal punishment and know they can  get away with, in the future as they did with Divine Strake, sidestepping the NEPA administrative process as well as other opportunities of public participation and all the while lie and lie and lie about the safety of its test activities. 

March 4, 2008: The LVRJ and U.S. District Judge Lloyd George have their heads in the Nevada sands; they conveniently forgot, omitted and ignored what DTRA head James Tegnelia stated in his press release announcing Divine Strake's cancellation on February 22, 2007.  Read the following excerpts from 'Plaintiff's Response to Motion to Dismiss' (May 11, 2007)


 

Divine Strake hearing/lawsuit news

March 4, 2008 - Las Vegas Review-Journal -  DIVINE STRAKE: Judge rejects downwinders' request - Revival of bunker-buster bomb test a possibility

February 21, 2008 - Judge rules in favor of U.S. government; rejects downwinders request - fearing baby Divine Strakes - for continued oversight  read motion

August 7, 2007 - Read this final legal brief filed by the Plaintiffs

Section IV: 'The Plaintiffs pray that this court will enter an injunction and declaration that protects the downwinders from any further threat from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.'

June 27, 2007 - Experts: Divine Strake 'mushroom cloud' could have sickened many - by Ken Ritter (AP) - LAS VEGAS (AP) - A non-nuclear explosive test planned by the government could have spread lethal radioactive particles across the Nevada desert and beyond had it not been canceled, experts testified Wednesday. MORE

June 27, 2007 - By StopDivineStrake.com - Divine Strake lawsuit evidentiary hearing on Wednesday  -  If you were asked which person is more likely to die from cancer - a forty-year, two-pack-a-day smoker, or a rescue worker who inhaled large quantities of airborne toxins at the World Trade Center ground-zero site - what would be your answer? MORE

February 22, 2007: Divine Strake test cancelled. DTRA issued press release stating the intention to "develop advanced analysis techniques and conduct confirmatory experiments at a much smaller scale to assist in developing new capabilities to defeat underground facilities."

 

For more about Divine Strake follow-up and action steps, visit Idealist.ws

 

 

What was Divine Strake?

Divine Strake was the name of a 700-ton chemical explosives test designed to simulate the blast of a low-yield nuclear weapon on a hardened underground bunker.   Divine Strake was originally planned for detonation at the Nevada Test Site in June 2006, however a lawsuit filed by the Western Shoshone and several downwinders forced a postponement of the test until 2007.   Indigenous and environmental groups feared that the test would eject into the atmosphere radioactive particles that they suspect were deposited from several 1950s above-ground nuclear tests at the Nevada Test Site. These long-lived radioisotopes, including Plutonium-239 and Americium-241, which would have contaminated our air, soil, water and food supplies if they became airborne, are contaminants in the soils at the ground-zero that was chosen for Divine Strake.  If the Divine Strake test was conducted, the radioactive isotopes in the resulting 10,000-foot high dust cloud could have been deposited anywhere in the United States (1).  

Divine Strake cancelled with a big 'BUT'

On February 22, 2007, the agency responsible for the test cancelled Divine Strake without disclosing the reasons for its decision, however stated that in lieu of Divine Strake it would conduct 'confirmatory experiments at a much smaller scale.'  These plans to set off smaller blasts in Nevada in lieu of Divine Strake have renewed fears and worries in the population downwind from the Nevada Test Site.  The downwinders fought to prevent these smaller blasts through a lawsuit that was disappointingly dismissed in February 2008.  Faced with a Pentagon agency (DTRA) that is headed by an inexperienced environmental chief, that has already terrorized without mercy Utahns and Nevadans with Divine Strake, and that has stated absolutely no intention to conduct environmental studies before conducting smaller tests (baby Divine Strakes) at the Nevada Test Site, downwind communities have much to fear.  The DTRA will want this 'story' to fall off the radar.  It is up to you and I to keep it on the radar screen and ultimately force the DTRA to state unequivocally that it will not conduct any surface explosions at the NTS, without exceptions.

More analysis on Divine Strake:

Visit Idealist.ws

Was Divine Strake Safe?

Looking Down DTRA's Barrell

Divine Strake: A Warning of Things to Come

Baby Divine Strakes?

Other articles:

DTRA promotes environmental chief with no environmental/radiation/safety experience 

1993 article - Moratorium stimulates simulating bomb tests

Feb. 23, 2007 - Local cancer survivor happy "Divine Strake" called off


 

 


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