Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Set for Expansion and Restart Amid Tax and Budget Policy Bill

Strategic Insights -

A provision added to the Senate version of the major tax and budget policy bill could restart and expand the Radiation Exposure Compensation Program, which compensates people exposed to radiation from past nuclear weapons testing and manufacturing. The revamped program would cover a wider range of illnesses and expand coverage to states including Missouri and Tennessee, among other places. Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, has long advocated for the expansion, citing the need to compensate people who developed serious illnesses due to nuclear testing and manufacturing.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, originally enacted in 1990, expired about a year ago and was set to compensate people in about a dozen western states who developed serious illnesses from nuclear testing and manufacturing.
  • The new Senate provision would expand coverage to states including Missouri and Tennessee, among other places, and cover a wider range of illnesses.
  • Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, has pushed for the expansion of the program to include uranium sites in St. Louis and victims in other states, which has led to the Senate passing a major overhaul of the program twice.
  • Despite broad Senate support, the addition of the radiation compensation measure's pathway remains uncertain as the House considers the Senate's changes.
  • The provision aims to compensate many more people at a far lower cost than previous legislation, according to Senator Hawley.
  • The federal government and companies responsible for nuclear bomb production and atomic waste storage sites in the St. Louis area in the mid-20th century were aware of health risks, spills, improperly stored contaminants, and other problems but often ignored them.
  • The new provision would also expand coverage areas in several states for those exposed to radioactive contamination that blew downwind from government sites, including New Mexico, where advocates have sought to expand the program for people near the spot where the first Manhattan Project-era bomb was tested.
  • Environmentally concerned lawmakers and citizens, including Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, have expressed support for expanding the program to include those who have been left out for far too long.
  • Senator Josh Hawley has still withheld support for the overall tax package, questioning cuts to Medicaid programs and the potential effects on rural hospitals and low-income residents.

Statistics:

  • The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act was originally enacted in 1990.
  • The law compensated people in about a dozen western states who developed serious illnesses from nuclear testing and manufacturing.
  • The new Senate provision aims to compensate many more people at a far lower cost than previous legislation.
  • The federal government and companies responsible for nuclear bomb production and atomic waste storage sites in the St. Louis area in the mid-20th century were aware of health risks, spills, improperly stored contaminants, and other problems but often ignored them.
  • The new provision would expand coverage areas in several states for those exposed to radioactive contamination that blew downwind from government sites, including New Mexico.

Sources:

  • Michael Phillis and Mary Clare Jalonick, "US Senate Adds Measure to Help Radiation Victims," AP News, (No Date Provided)
  • The Associated Press, "Nuclear waste contaminated Coldwater Creek, and those who live nearby worry their cancers and other severe illnesses are connected."
  • Sen. Josh Hawley, Republican of Missouri, interviewed by The Associated Press on Friday
  • Dawn Chapman, co-founder of Just Moms STL, interviewed by The Associated Press on Friday
  • Sen. Martin Heinrich, Democrat of New Mexico, interviewed by The Associated Press
  • https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment