May 1, 2003

Project Gasbuggy Site

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Project Gasbuggy Site

Location: Carson National Forest, New Mexico

The Official Story: In 1967, the Department of Energy detonated a 19 ton nuclear explosive at a depth of 4222 feet. It was not a weapons test – it was an experiment designed to test the theory that an underground nuclear blast could stimulate the release of natural gas.

While You’re There: The rarely-visited site in the picturesque national forest is marked by a simple plaque. But be aware, drilling is not allowed within 600 feet of the site.

Quote: “It didn’t really work–it made the gas all radioactive.” — Frank Szasz

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OUR DEADLINE MATH PROBLEM

It’s risky, but also unavoidable: A full one-third of the dollars that we need to pay for the journalism you rely on has to get raised in December. A good December means our newsroom is fully staffed, well-resourced, and on the beat. A bad one portends budget trouble and hard choices.

The December 31 deadline is drawing nearer, and if we’re going to have any chance of making our goal, we need those of you who’ve never pitched in before to join the ranks of MoJo donors.

We simply can’t afford to come up short. There is no cushion in our razor-thin budget—no backup, no alternative sources of revenue to balance our books. Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the fierce journalism we do. That’s why we need you to show up for us right now.

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