Editorial: Let’s hear straight talk

Saturday, May 6, 2006 | 7:45 a.m.

A month ago, after it was disclosed that the Pentagon was going to detonate a 700-ton bomb at the Nevada Test Site, we urged the government to hold public information meetings to address the concerns of Southern Nevadans. We were glad, then, to read Friday in the Las Vegas Sun that the Defense Department has said it will hold town hall-style meetings in Nevada and Utah prior to the blast scheduled for June. The Sun's Launce Rake reports the move came about from requests made by Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah.

There is growing concern about the impact from the blast, which is believed to be the largest open-air chemical explosion ever to be conducted at the Test Site, the home to atomic tests until 1992. Information from the Pentagon has been erratic.

Initially, a spokesman said that the blast would create a "mushroom cloud over Las Vegas," causing reminders of past atomic explosions, which carried radioactive fallout downwind to Utah. After an uproar caused by the remarks, the Pentagon now says no mushroom cloud will be generated by the blast.

We hope that the town hall meetings will be more than just dog-and-pony shows. We expect that seismologists, geologists and other scientists will be on hand to let the public know exactly what to expect and answer residents' questions. We'd like to know if residents in Las Vegas will feel the effects of the blast and whether harmful emissions will be carried our way.

Nevada is seeking more environmental information about the effects of the blast before it will issue a permit for the explosion. Good. Nevadans deserve solid, honest answers before a test is conducted.