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Any objective study of American history leads us to realize that there are many Americans who have quietly made, and continue to make, great sacrifices for our national security. Many of these women and men give themselves willingly to keep our country free.
Unfortunately, under the banner of national security, the United States government Americans exposed to radioactive uranium ore and radioactive dust – subjecting them to lung cancer and other respiratory diseases.
On July 16, we celebrated the 76th anniversary of the detonation of the world’s first nuclear weapon – code name Trinity – in the desert of New Mexico’s Tularosa Basin. Three weeks after Trinity was detonated, the United States detonated the Little Boy bomb over Hiroshima and, three days later, the Fat Man bomb Nagasaki. Six days later, Japan surrendered. In the aftermath of World War II, a nuclear arms race began which peaked with more than 60,000 nuclear weapons worldwide in 1986.
Many lives have been lost or seriously damaged by the nuclear weapons program. Fortunately, the global stockpile of nuclear weapons has declined steadily since 1986 and will hopefully continue to do so in the future. Yet the effects of the detonation of more than 1,100 nuclear weapons since Trinity test in 1945 continue to ruin the lives of Americans to this day.
Through atmospheric weapons testing, as well as the mining, transportation and crushing of uranium ore, many Americans have been slowly being killed by radiation exposure. Thousands of Utahns have been infected from radiation exposure simply while living “downwind” federal government nuclear weapons test sites. Other Utah miners were hit while working the uranium needed for these weapons. These downwinders and miners and their families, friends and communities have often suffered excruciating disease, loss and devastation.
In response to this malfeasance, Congress rightly enacted (and later amended in 2000) the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) in 1990. This legislation was a good first step in rewarding those who mined and transported the ore. uranium and those who processed uranium ore. ore in a mill. The RECA legislation also concerns people exposed to radiation downwind of nuclear test sites.
It has been more than 20 years since any significant reform of the RECA has been made for those whose lives have been taken or irreversibly altered by our foray into the arms race. Several categories of workers such as corers and ground workers have been denied justice by being completely excluded from the process.
Certain diseases which should have been compensable were excluded. Many geographic locations exposed to downwind radiation have been left out. Uranium miners continued to mine after the United States stopped buying uranium for its nuclear weapons programs in 1971. These so-called post-1971 workers were excluded from access to nuclear weapons. benefits since the original RECA legislation had an arbitrary deadline of December 31, 1971 – even though the federal government continued to regulate uranium mines long after 1971. To make matters worse, RECA is expected to sunset in July 2022 – potentially leaving all categories of exposure victims without recourse.
We are honored to represent some of these “downwinds” and their families and want them to know that their suffering – and the sacrifices they made for our nation – are not forgotten.
That is why we are happy to be the leading Republican members of the House of Representatives on the “RECA Amendments Act of 2021”, legislation that will re-authorize RECA for those still suffering the consequences of nuclear testing.
The tragic consequences of the nuclear arms race cannot be swept under the carpet of history. We urge our colleagues in Congress to support the “RECA Amendments Act of 2021”. Our country must act now to right the injustices of those who have been forgotten by their own government.
Representative Burgess Owens represents the 4th Congressional District of Utah. Representative Chris Stewart represents the 2nd Congressional District of Utah.
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