[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 162 (Friday, December 16, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S13776-S13777]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RADIATION EXPOSURE COMPENSATION ACT
Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, on April 28, 2005 of this year, just hours
after the National Academy of Science released its report, I stood
before this body and declared the importance of amending this law. On
May 9, I introduced S. 977 which places Montana on equal ground with
others who have suffered from nuclear testing fallout. Again, on May
10, I stood in this Chamber and talked about the importance of this
legislation for the good people of Montana. Today, I am happy to be
joined in my efforts by the Senator from Idaho, who introduced similar
legislation for the people of Idaho. This bill is an important step
forward in securing the justice that the people of Montana deserve.
This bill combines my efforts with those of Senator Crapo to extend
RECA coverage to both Montana and Idaho in a single, simple bill.
Montana, more than any other State, was affected by the downwind
radiation that came from the nuclear testing in Nevada during the
1950s. The statistics are eye-opening. Of the 25 counties in the United
States with the highest exposure rates, 15 are in Montana. Meagher
County in Montana has a rate of exposure greater than any other county
in the United States. Fifty-five out of Montana's 56 counties
experienced elevated levels of radiation exposure. And yet, Montana is
the only State in the region that receives absolutely no compensation
from the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act whatsoever.
The reported rate of thyroid cancer--which is the health affect most
associated with the exposure to Iodine-131 from this testing--is 17.5
times the national rate. Between 1989 and 2003, while the national rate
of thyroid cancer increased 38 percent, Montanans saw an increase of
127 percent.
When Congress passed RECA in 1990, it was an important step toward
setting a grave injustice right. As a cancer survivor myself, I know
that no amount of money can heal the wounds suffered by the victims of
radiation exposure. Time and time again, I have heard from Montanans
who tell me that it is not about the money. The people of Montana
aren't coming to their Government with their hands out. They are
demanding justice. They are demanding acknowledgement of their
suffering. They are demanding that we do the right thing.
When RECA was passed in 1990, my colleagues did their best to do the
right thing. For that, they should be commended. For the 9,117
Americans who have received compensation for downwind exposure since
RECA became law in 1990, justice has been served. Responsibility has
been taken, so that wounds can begin to heal.
And, it wasn't an easy journey. The first hearings for RECA were held
way back in 1979, almost 30 years ago. The questions that needed to be
asked took time to answer: Was there downwind
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radiation? Were people exposed to that radiation? Were there health
consequences to that exposure? And while the Senate struggled with
these questions, Americans that were affected waited. As my colleagues
expressed 20 years ago, time is not on our side in this matter, and all
too often justice delayed is quite literally justice denied.
When Congress passed RECA in 1990, the extent of the damage done from
this radiation was not fully understood. New studies, by the National
Cancer Institute and the National Academy of Sciences, decades in the
making, have shown that for many Americans, like those in Montana,
justice has been denied. They live in the most affected regions of the
country, and yet they find the door of justice closed to them by lines
on a map. For some of these people, it is too late. The clock is
ticking, and many have not survived long enough for their Government to
do the right thing.
That is why I stand adamant that the time to act is now. We did the
right thing in 1990. It is time to do the right thing today.
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