Utah’s soils bear the scars of a nuclear past that continues to impact residents today. Between 1945 and 1962, nuclear tests at the Nevada Testing Grounds exposed Utah to nuclear fallout, and related uranium mining and industry left toxins throughout the Southwest. Many Utahns suffered from acute radiation exposure during those decades of active testing, but the health consequences of radiation extend beyond those immediate impacts thanks to the long lifetimes of radioactive materials. Contaminated soil, water and plants mean that indirect exposure has been far more insidious, but just as real. As a consequence, families across the state have continued to lose family members, neighbors and friends to cancers and illnesses related to radiation exposure.
In response to clusters of communities in Utah developing cancers and illnesses after testing, local advocates and downwinders worked for recognition and compensation for the impacts on their health. Thanks to their efforts, the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, or RECA, was passed in 1990. Originally drafted by Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, RECA is a critical piece of legislation designed to acknowledge and compensate those who were unknowingly harmed by nuclear fallout and related industries. RECA has historically been a beacon of support for those on the frontlines of nuclear fallout, providing one-time lump-sum financial compensation.
Unfortunately, many Utahns who should have been eligible were excluded from the original RECA program because of the narrow geographic and temporal boundaries the legislation put in place. As such, advocates have been calling for an expansion of the program for years. Recent research has shown that the path of nuclear fallout from the Nevada Testing Grounds did not stop at these arbitrary lines, and cancer researchers have already emphasized the necessity to expand RECA to include all of Utah.
Thanks to research and advocacy, a bill that aimed to expand and extend RECA was brought to the Senate floor in 2024. The bill expands the geographical areas covered to include all of Utah and other states exposed to radioactive materials, extends the program by six years, increases the compensation for individuals and expands the program for uranium miners. In March of this year, the U.S. Senate acknowledged the necessity to broaden the program by passing Senate Bill 3853.
However, the U.S. House of Representatives failed to bring SB3853 to a vote, and they let an integral program for Utah’s past and present expire on June 7, 2024. Now with RECA expired, countless Utahns who were exposed to cancer-causing radiation due to fallout from nuclear weapons testing and from exposure to uranium are now left without a financial lifeline.
The path forward
Despite the program’s expiration last month, this fight is not over. Downwinders and advocates are working to reauthorize the RECA program. Sen. Josh Hawley’s bill, SB3853, represents a bipartisan and much-needed compromise that has the support of downwinders and advocates. The expanded and extended support proposed in the bill is crucial for the well-being of downwinders, uranium workers and other impacted communities and should be the standard for reauthorization of the RECA program.
Instead of supporting SB3853, Utah’s federal delegation has proposed a patchwork of other bills that extend the existing program for a scant two more years, and fall far short of what downwinders and those who sacrificed for our country rightly deserve. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has emphasized his support of Hawley’s bill, stating, “It’s the right thing to do.” Utah’s leaders should focus their efforts on supporting SB3853, which offers a more equitable and far-reaching solution that has the support of researchers, advocates and Utah downwinders.
Take action: Support the reauthorization of RECA
We encourage you to contact Utah’s House representatives and the Speaker of the House Rep. Mike Johnson to advocate for the reauthorization, extension and expansion of RECA based on SB 3853. Your story can make a meaningful difference in this legislative effort. To learn more about how you can take direct action, please visit HEAL Utah’s dedicated page at healutah.org/reca.
Carmen Valdez is a policy associate for the Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah (HEAL Utah).