Update: Congress fails to continue funding for radiation victims
Last week, UPHE board president and cofounder, Dr. Brian Moench, wrote a call-to-action op-ed in the Salt Lake Tribune, urging residents to reach out to Congress over the proposed expansion of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA).
This week, a Salt Lake Tribune headline writes, “Program to pay nuclear fallout victims expires due to U.S. House’s inaction.” The expiration of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) marks a significant failure of Congress to protect and support the victims of nuclear fallout from government testing during the Cold War. This inaction leaves thousands of victims, known as “Downwinders,” without crucial compensation and support.
There are many Utahns who were exposed to radiation from nuclear testing in Nevada, where 928 nuclear tests were conducted, 100 above ground.
When the Tribune asked Dr. Brian Moench to weigh in, he said, “It’s hard to express how frustrated and disappointed I am in our congressional delegation…They should be defending the health of Utah citizens more than anyone else. But for whatever reason, they seem to have decided they don’t care–and that’s shocking.” The issue is not just a public policy dispute, for him it’s personal, as he and four of his seven siblings have had cancer and several other diseases that are likely connected to the testing.
ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE:
–Contact Speaker Johnson at 202-225-4000
Ask him:
To meet directly with RECA advocates while they are in DC this week
And to bring S 3853 to a vote on the floor
-Contact your own member of Congress:
You can find your rep here. We recommend asking to speak to the staffer in the office that specifically works on RECA. Ask the staffer: will you/your boss push for a vote S 3853 NOW?
In the midst of all of this, another Salt Lake Tribune article reports that uranium mining is booming in Utah. Uranium is the fuel most widely used by nuclear plants for nuclear fission. Health risks of uranium mining include exposure to radioactive isotopes, similar to that from the nuclear testing mentioned above. Industry experts say that significant new measures have been taken to protect workers and the environment, but having been told things like that many times before, it is doubtful it will be enough.