At first, it seemed no one could stop Project Rulison — a plan from the US Atomic Energy Commission to frack Colorado's natural gas with a nuclear detonation. Set deep in a hole south of Battlement Mesa, the 40-kiloton bomb went off precisely at 3 p.m., September 10th, 1969. A subterranean shockwave rumbled outward; protestors who snuck within miles of the site were knocked off their feet.
Soon, the gas flowed, and a Texas oilman told the Denver Post: "everything exceeds our expectations!” But then tests found all that gas was too radioactive. Then another and bigger nuclear fracking blast in Rio Blanco county flopped. That brought an end to the federal government's effort to explore "peaceful nuclear explosions."
Both sites are now marked with plaques and warnings. Even the state constitution has a marker: its 10th Amendment, added in 1974, which prohibits the detonation of nuclear devices in the state unless approved by voters.
About Colorado Postcards
Colorado Postcards are snapshots of our colorful state in sound. They give brief insights into our people and places, our flora and fauna, and our past and present, from every corner of Colorado.
