[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 59 (Monday, April 26, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E661]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 INTRODUCTION OF THE RADIATION EXPOSURE COMPENSATION ACT AMENDMENT OF 
                                  2010

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                           HON. BEN RAY LUJAN

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 26, 2010

  Mr. LUJAN. Madam Speaker, I am proud to introduce the Radiation 
Exposure Compensation Act Amendment of 2010. More than 50 years ago, 
Americans throughout the Southwest took jobs mining and refining raw 
uranium. These individuals, looking to provide for their families and 
creating a stable future for their children, are an important part of 
the history of the 20th Century and the Cold War. Unfortunately, they 
were unknowingly endangering their own lives by working in poorly 
ventilated mine shafts with little to no protective equipment. After 
they left work, they returned home to their families where their 
clothes, covered in yellow cake uranium, were washed along with that of 
their loved ones.
  Sadly, the pursuit of the American Dream ended with tragedy for many 
of the miners exposed to uranium. Many of them fell ill from the 
radiation they were exposed to at work in the mines. Some people who 
had never stepped foot in a mine fell victim to the same illnesses due 
to wind patterns that carried this dangerous source of energy. As these 
Americans mined for a resource vital to the Nation's security, too many 
of them made the ultimate sacrifice.
  This Congress now has the opportunity to right this wrong. By 
extending the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to Americans exposed 
to radioactive uranium by wind patterns or after the current cutoff in 
1971 or those with newly recognized conditions, we can finally come to 
terms with the dark legacy of America's nuclear policy. Too many RECA 
claims by my constituents in New Mexico as well as by those throughout 
the Southwest and in Guam are denied by the government because they 
lacked documentation from decades before. This legislation makes it 
easier for people to access the compensation they deserve.
  The Americans who worked in uranium mines were serving our Nation 
every day, but were unaware of the extreme danger they were in. It is 
time to recognize these heroes of the Cold War and provide them with 
fair and equitable compensation for their suffering. We can never fully 
compensate these Americans for what they have lost--there is no 
compensation for the loss of a loved one. More than 50 years later, too 
many of these Americans are no longer with us. We have ignored their 
plight for too long. It is time to correct this long overdue wrong for 
those still with us.
  I encourage my colleagues to consider and support this legislation.

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