Nuclear downwinder reparations bill clears US House

CARLSBAD, N.M. — When America’s first nuclear weapons were tested in south-central New Mexico they set off generations of strife as nearby communities struggled with cancers and other health problems many feared were a direct impact of associated radiation.

Those downwinders living in remote communities like Carrizozo now have two more years to fight for reparations after a federal bill passed the U.S. House this week, following its Senate passage, and was headed to President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed into law, the Carlsbad Current-Argus reported.

The bill will extend the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act that creates a structure for cash payments to nuclear workers and those living near nuclear activities that could be exposed to radiation.

The bill was set to sunset this summer, ending the payments, but with the recent bill’s passage RECA will stay active until May 2024.

Read more: https://lasvegassun.com/news/2022/may/14/nuclear-downwinder-reparations-bill-clears-us-hous/