In today’s Senate Energy Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) renewed his push to reauthorize and expand the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA). Senator Hawley questioned the Director of Science-Security Initiative Integration at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Dr. Shaun Gleason, on his experience working in a facility instrumental to shoring up America’s nuclear prowess during the Manhattan Project and the Cold War.
Senator Hawley stressed the urgency in passing RECA in the House of Representatives after Dr. Gleason testified to the importance American communities played in developing U.S. nuclear technology.
“I couldn’t let the opportunity pass […] to call on my colleagues in the House to pass [RECA],” urged Senator Hawley. “Compensate these good Americans, who bore the brunt of our effort in the second world war and the Cold War, which we won because of the effort of people at Oak Ridge and in St. Louis […] who have suffered the effects of the nuclear radiation.”
“They’re proud to be Americans and to have served in this effort. They deserve compensation, however, just as they deserve to have their communities cleaned up,” Senator Hawley concluded.
Watch the full exchange here, or click on the image above.
Background:
Senator Hawley has led the effort to reauthorize and expand RECA to compensate Americans affected by decades-old nuclear waste that the U.S. government has failed to clean up.
Senator Hawley has continually urged the House to pass his updated RECA proposal to cover the thousands of radiation victims across the country, including those in Missouri, New Mexico, and the Navajo Nation.
Senator Hawley’s RECA legislation has already passed the Senate twice—most recently in March—with overwhelmingly bipartisan support.