Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) says he is becoming "more upset" about the Pentagon's plan to blow up more than 700 tons of explosives at the Nevada Test Site.

Hatch wrote a letter to the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, seeking assurances that the test will be safe or he will stop it, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. But as recently as last week, he was defending the test at a public forum.

Now that he has more information, Hatch said he is concerned that the blast blast could stir up radioactive fallout left from nuclear weapons tests. The same concerns motivated members of the Western Shoshone Nation and downwinders to file a lawsuit.

Get the Story:
Explosion test has Hatch upset (The Salt Lake Tribune 4/25)

Relevant Links:
Western Shoshone Defense Project - http://www.wsdp.org
Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination - http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu2/6/cerd.htm

Western Shoshone Claims Distribution Act:
Bill Report | H.R.884 | S.618

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