[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 21]
[Senate]
[Page 28877]
[From the U.S. 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 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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