WASHINGTON, May 10 (UPI) -- A legal challenge has forced the U.S. Department of Defense to postpone a major explosive test blast in the Nevada desert planned for next month.
Officials at the National Nuclear Security Administration said the June 2 test at the agency's former nuclear test site was meant to teach the military how to best target underground facilities such as those allegedly used by Iran and North Korea.
But a lawsuit was filed by opponents, including U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, who claim the test could be part of an experiment to develop a new nuclear weapon, which he said would amount to ignoring a requirement for congressional approval, CNN reported.
The test, known as "Divine Strake," would see more than 700 tons of fuel oil and fertilizer exploded in a huge pit in an attempt to heavily damage or destroy a 1,100-foot tunnel beneath the pit.
That combination of chemicals is 280 times the amount used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
The Pentagon estimates the blast could send a cloud of dust more than 10,000 feet into the air north of Las Vegas, but said the dust would be free of radioactive particles.
