[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 128 (Thursday, September 20, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Page S6525]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 RECOGNIZING THE END OF NUCLEAR TESTING

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, it has been 20 years since our Nation's 
final nuclear weapons test. ``Divider'' was the name appropriately 
given to the final test on September 23, 1992; 8 days later, President 
George Bush, Sr., declared a moratorium on testing that is still in 
place today. That last test, along with nearly 1,000 others, was 
carried out at the Nevada National Security Site, formerly known as the 
Nevada Test Site.
  This site has a storied history; it was used intensively during the 
Cold War to test nuclear weapons in our fight against tyranny and is 
remembered by all Americans for the iconic images the atomic bomb 
continues to invoke. Testing weapons and building our nuclear arsenal 
was necessary, but there was a price to pay--and it was the health of 
our hard-working and patriotic Cold War veterans and the many people 
who lived downwind of the test site.
  Since January 11, 1951, hundreds of thousands of men and women--
including miners, millers, and haulers--played a critical role in 
building the nuclear deterrent that kept our Nation secure during the 
Cold War and still contributes to our national security today. These 
American heroes were on the front line of our national security. They 
served valiantly to help our Nation defend itself, but their personal 
sacrifice was immense. While serving their country honorably during one 
of the most dangerous conflicts in our Nation's history, many of 
Nevada's Cold War veterans sacrificed their health and well-being for 
their country.
  After personally meeting with and listening to many unfortunate 
stories from brave Nevadans about illnesses they had gotten from their 
nuclear weapons work, I was pleased to help pass the bipartisan Energy 
Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act in 2000, as 
well as an expansion of the law in 2004. This important program 
provides vital monetary compensation and medical coverage to Nevada's 
test site workers suffering from radiation-induced cancers, beryllium 
disease, silicosis, and other illnesses caused by toxic chemicals.
  In 2005, I began to hear from workers and survivors saying that they 
were being put through a seemingly endless stream of bureaucratic 
redtape only to be denied compensation in the end. I was enraged that 
workers who had developed cancer while protecting our Nation were being 
denied compensation simply because their employer failed to keep 
accurate records of each worker's radiation exposure.
  While we succeeded in securing automatic compensation for workers 
during the atmospheric testing years, those who served their Nation 
during the underground testing years were let down by their country. I 
fought on their behalf and finally secured automatic compensation for 
thousands of workers during the underground testing years. I am proud 
that this important program resulted in the payment of almost $500 
million to 4,599 sick test site workers and their survivors. Nevada's 
Cold War heroes have made immeasurable contributions to our Nation's 
security, and the sacrifices they have made--to their health and their 
lives--make it impossible for us to ever adequately thank them.
  Today, the Nevada National Security Site has taken on new roles to 
address 21st-century threats. This includes detecting dangerous 
weapons, treaty verification, fighting terrorism and nuclear smuggling, 
and training first responders. The site can even play a role in clean 
energy demonstration and development to meet our Nation's energy needs 
using a resource southern Nevada has an abundance of--sunshine. I am 
also proud of the growing nonproliferation mission at the Nevada 
National Security Site. These critical activities are playing a vital 
role in the Nation's arms control efforts while putting Nevadans to 
work making our Nation more secure.
  There are many more opportunities to utilize the Nevada National 
Security Site's ultrasecure location to bolster out Nation's security. 
It is an installation whose relevance is timeless because we will 
always need a place to test new technologies, house sensitive materials 
and equipment, train our security forces, and know for sure that 
unwanted eyes are not watching.
  Finally, I am proud that while we work to grow and modernize the 
mission of the Nevada National Security Site, the site's storied past 
and the people behind it will never be forgotten. The National Atomic 
Testing Museum in Las Vegas is an affiliate of the Smithsonian 
Institution and recently was named by Congress as a ``National'' 
museum. This important institution collects and publicly displays 
artifacts and documentation that tell the stories of how the Nevada 
Test Site helped protect our country during the Cold War.
  I am proud to stand here today to recognize this historic day in 
Nevada and America's history, marking 20 years since we have ended 
nuclear testing.

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