BELEN, New Mexico (AP) — President Joe Biden says he’s open to expanding compensation for people sickened by radiation from nuclear weapons tests. He made the comments while visiting a factory here.
Before his visit, Biden heard from residents of New Mexico’s Tularosa Basin who say they suffer health consequences from the 1945 Trinity test. They and other victims are pushing for an amendment in the House version of a national defense bill.
Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium
The first atomic bomb test was detonated in 1945 at the Trinity Site, near Tularosa, New Mexico. The explosion threw fallout more than 50 miles, contaminating the area and sickening tens of thousands of people. These victims, who are known as Downwinders, suffered from illness and emotional distress. Some have even died from radiation exposure. Now, some of them are finally getting the recognition they deserve.
A group of New Mexicans has been lobbying Congress for several years to expand the definition of RECA, the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, which provides financial compensation for radiation exposure. The legislation would expand it to include New Mexico residents who lived downwind of the Trinity tests. The group claims that the nuclear blasts caused cancer, other illnesses, and death.
Tina Cordova, cofounder of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium, or TBDC, has been fighting for justice for New Mexicans affected by the bomb testing. She has documented the effects of the radiation on her community, and a study based on her work has been published this month in the Journal of Epigenetics. The study supports the Downwinders’ contention that they were harmed by the Trinity tests.
Cordova says that the most important thing for downwinders is recognition of the harm they have suffered. She and others describe how the blasts impacted their lives, causing them to change their lifestyles and families. This has led to a number of health problems, including depression and anxiety.
New Mexico lawmakers are supporting the expansion of RECA, which will bring compensation to more victims. This includes both Republicans and Democrats, like Sen. Josh Hawley and Rep. Cori Bush, both from St. Louis. This bipartisan support is helping to advance the legislation and ensure that the victims are taken care of.
Last year, the TBDC held an annual peaceful demonstration at the Tulie Gate and Stallion Gate of the Trinity Site to highlight their cause. The organization has also organized an online petition to urge the government to compensate downwinders. The petition has over 20,000 signatures so far. It will be submitted to the White House along with a letter of support from dozens of lawmakers.
Just Moms STL
The nonprofit organization Just Moms STL is dedicated to exposing the dangers of nuclear contamination in St. Louis and advocating for compensation for those affected. Founders Dawn Chapman and Karen Nickel have worked tirelessly for a decade to bring attention to the dangerous radioactive waste caused by the Manhattan Project’s efforts to make atomic bombs. They believe that the high rates of cancer, autoimmune diseases, and other ailments in the community are related to this contamination and have been ignored by the government.
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the Mallinckrodt Chemical Works in downtown St. Louis processed uranium for the Manhattan Project and other atomic weapons programs. This contaminated the nearby West Lake Landfill and Coldwater Creek. The landfill is now an EPA Superfund site, and the creek remains contaminated to this day. Residents who live near the sites rely on well water and are at risk for radiation exposure, which can damage DNA and lead to a variety of health problems including cancer and auto-immune disorders.
When residents living near these sites learned of the risks, they demanded answers from local officials. They found out that the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers had been ignoring their concerns and leaving toxic radiation levels above those that occur naturally in nature. This is known as environmental racism, which often harms minority communities more than other areas.
Just Moms STL has been working with lawmakers to push for action. They have partnered with other groups and have bipartisan support for their cause. This support includes both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, including U.S. Senator Josh Hawley.
Hawley has proposed legislation to compensate victims of nuclear contamination in the St. Louis area by expanding the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. The amendment was added to the National Defense Authorization Act last month and is expected to pass this year. It would add specific ZIP codes in the area to this existing program that provides compensation for those who developed illnesses because of nuclear testing and uranium processing.
Hawley has also been pushing for the Army Corps of Engineers to conduct additional testing at Jana Elementary School. The school is a predominantly black school, and the Centers for Disease Control reports that young people, especially girls and women, are more sensitive to radiation exposure.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm
In a speech in Belen Wednesday, the president signaled openness to expanding a federal program that compensates people who have become sick because of the country’s nuclear weapons development and testing programs. This is in response to a request from Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley to support an amendment in the National Defense Authorization Act supporting victims of Manhattan Project-era radiation contamination in the St. Louis area.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, who oversees the agency that provides compensation to those affected by Manhattan Project-era radiation, made a visit to the region on Tuesday. She was joined by Hawley and Senators from Connecticut, Maine and Vermont, who want to ensure that the money that would come from the new infrastructure plan is put toward clean energy projects.
The senators also praised the administration’s commitment to climate change mitigation and to helping the nation transition away from fossil fuels. They urged the Energy Department to use that funding as an opportunity for economic diversification. Granholm, who was Michigan’s first female governor and attorney general, has long been an advocate for using the national Energy Department to promote regional economic development based on clean energy technologies.
Granholm also emphasized the importance of a provision in last year’s historic climate law that allows tax-exempt entities to qualify for clean energy tax credits. She called it a “game changer,” positioning faith communities to save on their utility bills and be leaders in the nation’s response to climate change.
Earlier in the day, Granholm met with local community leaders at Greentown Labs, a clean energy incubator in downtown Houston. She then traveled to Kensington, where she toured the nonprofit Energy Coordinating Agency’s training facility for youth on West Clearfield Street. There, the head trainer explained how high school and adult students from low-income neighborhoods are taught how to weatherize homes and install solar to earn certifications that help them find jobs.
Granholm, a Detroit native who was born in Vancouver, Canada, graduated with honors from the University of California-Berkeley in 1984 and received a Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School. She was the Democratic nominee for Michigan’s governor in 2002, and she later became the state’s first woman attorney general.
President Biden
Biden is a former Democratic U.S. Senator from Delaware who has established himself as a leader on many of the nation’s most challenging domestic and international issues. As chairman or ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, he helped shape legislation related to crime and civil rights. He also played a critical role in advancing the United States’ foreign policy interests, including his work on post-Cold War Europe, Middle East, and Southwest Asia.
As Vice President, Biden has continued to build upon his legacy of tackling tough issues with bold action and immediate relief for families across America. This includes delivering on his promise to take immediate steps to control the COVID-19 pandemic, provide economic relief, and advance racial equity and justice.
In addition, Biden has led a national effort to accelerate breakthroughs in cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. The Cancer Moonshot isn’t just a top-down initiative, it’s a grassroots movement that’s been powered by millions of Americans who understand that we can only defeat cancer if we all pull together.
While in Utah on Thursday, Biden lauded leaders from both parties for uniting behind veterans, speaking about his late son and praising a year-old law that is delivering the largest expansion of benefits to veterans in decades. He also addressed the challenges facing his party and called for unity.
Biden’s visit to Belen comes just days after the president expressed his support for expanding compensation to New Mexicans sickened by nuclear weapons testing, calling it “something we have to look at in terms of making sure those folks are taken care of.” Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, who spoke before Biden, urged the administration to do just that.
Biden is also supportive of expanding federal compensation for those sickened by nuclear contamination from government-caused radiation exposure in Missouri and other states. His support for the legislation will help ensure that victims receive the financial resources they deserve to cover health and living expenses. He has vowed to include these provisions in a massive military spending bill. Supporters are hoping the House will include them as well.
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