A compensation program for nuclear radiation exposure will expire Monday, despite decades-long pleas from Idahoans who lived downwind of Nevada nuclear test sites in the 1950s to extend compensation to Gem State
Adopted by the federal government in 1990, the Radioactive Exposure Compensation Act, or RECA, provides financial compensation to people who developed specific cancers and other serious illnesses due to radiation exposure during nuclear testing.
Only people living in parts of Utah, Nevada and Arizona, uranium miners, processors and shippers before 1971, and federal workers at above-ground nuclear test sites were eligible for the expiring program.
Idahoans who live downwind are not eligible for compensation, even though Gem, Custer, Blaine and Lemhi counties are among the five U.S. counties most affected by testing fallout Nevada nuclear power plants in the mid-20th century, according to research by the National Cancer Institute. Institute.
Since last summer, U.S. senators have twice passed legislation that would expand RECA to other states, including Idaho. But the most recent legislation, passed in March, has not advanced in the House of Representatives, even with the support of President Joe Biden.
‘The fight is not over’: Idaho downwinders persist after Congress cuts compensation for them
The legislation, S. 3853, would add more parts of Arizona, Utah and Nevada to the program and provide coverage to residents of Idaho, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico and Guam. It would also offer coverage to residents exposed to radioactive waste in Missouri, Tennessee, Alaska and Kentucky.
“This is the closest we’ve ever gotten,” Tona Henderson, director of Idaho Downwinders, previously told the Idaho Capital Sun.
U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, has advocated for the expansion of RECA for nearly 20 years, working alongside Republicans and Democrats as a co-sponsor of S. 3853.
“I am deeply disappointed that Congress has not reached an agreement to at least extend RECA before its current authorization ends,” he said in an email to the Sun on Friday. “The expiration of RECA will not mark the end of my efforts. “I will continue to work with my colleagues to advocate for RECA and promote efforts to reauthorize and update the program to meet modern needs.”
The United States Department of Justice will accept RECA claims until June 10.
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