Latest news with #RadiationExposureCompensationAct
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Planning for uranium convention taking place Friday
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) — The City of Grand Junction was the center of the Manhattan Projects efforts to mine and refine uranium. Now, organizers are meeting Friday to discuss potential locations for a convention in hopes of passing the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act into law. Roxanna Bristow has resided in Colorado since 1957. Her father worked at a uranium mine in Uravan, a town once located north of Nucla off the 141. Bristow says exposure to uranium causes 'lung cancer, COPD, silicosis, heart conditions, diabetes, bone conditions (and) a lot of birth defects.' Bristow describes a moment as a girl she was invited to swim in the local pool. 'The time I was in Uravan or up above Uravan, there was a pool, and we were invited to swim in the pool, but the pool looked like mustard,' Bristow said. 'It was really yellow. So, I'm sure it had yellow cake in it.' Bristow has teamed up with others to help get the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act into law. They are meeting Friday morning all over the Grand Valley to discuss potential locations for a convention Sept. 12 and 13. Bristow says the convention is a unified collaborative grassroots activism between the Navajo Nation, Colorado uranium workers and their families, the state, Native American tribes and federal agencies. Bristow says anyone is invited. 'We invite people from all over the United States. If it's affected you, come!' Contacts for the event are below. Roxanna Bristow: (970) 201-3587 Gilbert: (505) 787-4140 Phil Harrison: (505) 635-5212 Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Navajo activists recall risks of coal and uranium mining, ask council to protect people
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — When Evie Tsosie walks, her limp is noticeable, something that wasn't always the case. She recalls the day it all changed. She was working at the Peabody coal mine on the northern part of the Navajo Nation when a front-end loader collided with her truck, injuring her and damaging her back. Tsosie became disabled while working at the coal mine and is now fighting cancer for the third time — a battle that may be linked to her years of working in the uranium mines operated by Kerr-McGee in Churchrock, N.M., and in the Ambrosia Lake mining district near Grants. 'It's probably because my dad used to work in the uranium mine for the war but he entered World War II from there,' said Tsosie, talking about why she decided to work in the uranium mines. She told her story on a day when she and others pleaded for more accountability from the Navajo Nation Council. She said she took the job at the coal mine to be closer to her parents, who lived between the Navajo communities of Kayenta and Dennehotso. Over the years, she's endured the physical toll of working in both uranium and coal mines, both on and off the Navajo Nation. But beyond the physical impact, she also faced another burden — harassment from male coworkers. In the male-dominated mining industry, she and the few other women at the uranium sites were often targets of inappropriate behavior. 'It was rough working in mines with nothing but men,' said Tsosie. 'There was a lot of harassment … even from supervisors.' Tsosie attended the second day of Navajo Nation Council with other former uranium miners and family members of uranium miners, who traveled to Washington, D.C., on a 38-hour bus ride last fall to advocate for the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA). Some of those, like Tsosie, who traveled on the bus were also battling stage four cancer. Council Delegate Amber Kanazbah Crotty recognized the miners and the families of those who have died from illnesses linked to uranium mining. 'The federal government has an obligation to our miners — not only to provide medical care, but also to compensate them for their pain and suffering,' she said. In Congress: Navajo uranium miners, many with cancer, just lost new compensation in defense bill These acknowledgments took place on April 22 — Earth Day — a time dedicated to honoring Mother Earth. This year marked its 55th anniversary, yet in the weeks leading up to it, many have viewed recent executive orders from President Donald Trump as a direct attack on the Earth, particularly on the Navajo Nation and other tribal communities. Some of the orders aim to revive uranium and coal mining on tribal lands — extractive practices that communities have spent decades working to shut down. Outside the council chamber were demonstrators from various community organizations who came together, concerned about Navajo President Buu Nygren and the Navajo Nation Council, and what they see as a neglect to prioritize Navajo water and failure to protect it from continued waste and pollution by industry. 'Our Navajo Nation does not have an energy plan,' said Leona Morgan, co-founder of the group Haul No! 'Our Navajo Nation does not have a plan to clean up all the more than 500 abandoned uranium mines. Our Navajo Nation does not have a plan for us, for our future, so we need to work together to figure these things out.' Unlike past uranium mining practices, Morgan said new concerns are emerging with potentially harmful impacts. As a community organizer, she emphasized that her focus is on nuclear issues, with uranium mining just the starting point. She pointed to other critical concerns, including extraction, mining, in-situ mining and ablation — practices the Navajo Environmental Protection Agency plans to use in efforts to clean up uranium mines. Ablation is a mining process that uses high-pressure water or air to separate uranium from surrounding rock, a practice that raises concerns about groundwater contamination and radioactive dust exposure. Morgan argued that these practices are not about environmental protection, but rather about profiting from uranium waste. 'We have uranium all over the place and the Navajo Nation made a law that said 'no uranium mining, no uranium transport,' but unfortunately they changed the ban on uranium transport to regulating,' said Morgan. 'So we need to make sure they don't get rid of the no-mining law. We need to make sure the Navajo Nation always stays a nation that does not allow uranium mining.' With just a handful of the 24 Navajo Nation Council delegates showing up to meet and hear the group, and President Nygren absent, Wendsler Nosie, Sr., of the group Apache Stronghold, addressed the crowd. Apache Stronghold has been fighting Resolution Copper over plans to develop a copper mine on the sacred site Oak Flat near Superior. 'What is happening here is happening in Apache country as well,' said Nosie. 'What you do today and tomorrow is really critical for the children yet to be born and everything God created. One of the big fights we are fighting is about Mother Earth, at this point she doesn't have a voice in what we call America.' As tribal leaders continue to show support for their people who have endured ailments and loss due to harmful work conditions in uranium and coal mining, as well as showing concern for the land and water, it's seen as contradictory by citizens when the same leaders also continue to back extractive businesses on tribal lands. 'This history of my community is the same as many other communities in Dinétah,' said community organizer Joseph Hernandez. 'This government was created because of three communities and their oil … one of those communities was my community where we had the Rattle Snake oil field. It's from that part of dealing with outside people coming into our community, our homeland, telling us we can be rich quick, giving our people money, it was through that time that we are known through policy as a sacrifice zone.' Hernandez, from New Mexico, recalled how his grandfather worked as a uranium miner at Kerr-McGee, and how he personally witnessed the suffering his grandfather endured, often driving him to his treatments. "Coming back from World War II he worked in the uranium mines in Cove ... they took breaks in the uranium mines and the government, the people in power, told them 'you don't have to worry about nothing,'" said Hernandez. "This is helping your community with jobs. That's the same message that we are hearing today! Jobs!" Ore transport: 'I was terrified': Uranium shipments worry Navajo, Ute tribal members along truck route Between 1944 and 1986, an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 Navajo worked in uranium mines, and exposure to uranium dust led to a sharp rise in lung cancer cases. It was noted that Nygren conflated the numbers of how many jobs were lost due to closure of Navajo Generating Station and Kayenta mines. Alvin John had traveled with Tsosie on the bus to Washington hoping to meet House Speaker Mike Johnson and explain why RECA for post-1971 miners was vital, but Johnson wasn't there. 'I guess he knew we were coming.' A former uranium miner at Kerr-McGee mine in Churchrock from 1977 to 1982, he said his job was working inside the mine using pillar stope, a method of extracting ore while leaving pillars of ore intact to support the mine's roof, ceiling and surrounding rock. 'It was dangerous. At the time I started working there, I didn't know it was going to put my life in danger,' said John. 'I just started working. At the time, I was young and back then the money was good. Now I am past 65 and I am suffering.' It was in the mid-1990s when the impact of his job suddenly hit him. One morning, while making coffee at his mom's house, he said he was overcome by a sudden illness and a wave of intense pain throughout his body. After visiting medicine men with no improvement, he finally went to the hospital, where doctors couldn't find anything wrong. He spent a month there, and after being discharged, John said it took nearly a year before he was able to walk again. 'So now I can't stand too long,' said John. 'I've been living with this pain for 27 years. I went to the doctors, but they couldn't do anything. Since I lived with this pain for so many years, I just said 'oh well, guess I'll live with it until the day I die.'' Nygren's position: Navajo president endorses Trump's coal order, but activists cite climate, health risks Nygren and his administration have negotiated the terms of uranium transport from being banned to regulated and also brought support to coal development, but the Navajo Nation Council continues to publicly state they are not part of these negations or talks. Most notably, community organizers are strongly against Nygren's recent decision. The Diné Coalition of grassroots organizers have demanded transparency and accountability from Navajo tribal government on energy and uranium development. "We call on the Navajo Nation President to stop making deals that degrade our land, water, and future," stated a news release from the group. "We urge tribal leaders not to repeat historical mistakes with respect to uranium extraction. The cleanup and remediation of hundreds of abandoned mines must be completed, prioritizing public health safety and ecosystem health." The group made several points, including: The Navajo people retain their right to free, prior, and informed consent. The group claims the Navajo EPA, Eastern Land Commission, Diné Uranium Remediation Advisory Commission and the Resource and Development Committee are not providing uranium policy updates to the general public. Support is needed for Navajo farmers, ranchers, and businesses. The recent actions and statements by President Nygren do not reflect the will of the Navajo people. There should be no new mining in or around the sacred mountain Mount Taylor, near the Roca Honda Mine. There should be no testing of "emerging technologies" on the people. "We oppose the recent initiative to the Navajo Nation President to unilaterally open the door to more coal development in the Navajo Nation," the group said. "With the Trump administration's announced intent to ramp up production of 'mission-critical' uranium the private energy offenders are again targeting Diné lands with no intention of ensuring public health, safety, or environmental concern." Arlyssa D. Becenti covers Indigenous affairs for The Arizona Republic and Send ideas and tips to This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: On Earth Day, Navajo activists ask council to oppose coal, uranium mining
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Missouri House backs bill to investigate radioactive waste
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – Advocates for cleaning up nuclear waste in the St. Louis area are wondering what is next after the Missouri House approved a bill for a radioactive waste investigation fund. The unanimous vote on the Missouri House floor was 152 representatives coming together to investigate the soil, dust and groundwater in areas with nuclear waste. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now 'We want to educate. We want people to be informed. I'm not trying to lower property values; I'm not trying to scare people away, but I do think that we need to inform people,' said Rep. Richard West, District 102. Lawmakers close to the subject hope the vote is a wake-up call to the elected officials in Washington, D.C., about the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. 'I am hoping that maybe a little piece of our story and all of our broken hearts matter to congress this time. Maybe they can support Senator Hawley's RECA,' said Rep. Tricia Byrnes, District 63. Five Senators reintroduced the bill back in January but are still waiting for a vote. Senator Hawley's office sent the following statement to FOX 2: Police identify missing woman connected to FBI search in south St. Louis 'This move by the Missouri House shows the importance of passing RECA now. For too long, Missourians have been poisoned by their own government. The U.S. Senate has passed the bill twice. The Trump administration has now committed to work to clean up radioactive waste in the St. Louis region. It's time for Congress to pass RECA and send it to the President's desk,' Hawley wrote. The RECA bill includes 20 Missouri zip codes, meaning people who lived in the affected areas for at least two years and have one of the specific diseases listed in the bill could receive compensation if the bill passes. 'I believe that the federal government is ultimately responsible for footing the bill here. This isn't our waste; this isn't our problem,' said Rep. Doug Clemens, District 72. The Missouri lawmakers said that while the federal government continues the cleanup of nuclear waste, they're hoping the state bill will wake people up. 'They don't know that they are sitting in poison right now, that they're raising their kids in poison,' Clemens said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Dozens of Utah lawmakers call on Congress to resume payments to downwinders
Utah Supreme Court Justice Matthew Durrant speaks to a joint session of the House and Senate at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on the first day of the legislative session, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch) A bipartisan coalition of Utah lawmakers are calling on Congress to resume and expand a program that pays people sickened by nuclear weapons testing, which expired nearly one year ago and has hung in limbo ever since. On Tuesday, 41 lawmakers, mostly from the Utah House of Representatives, signed a letter to Congressional leadership urging them to revive the now defunct Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, or RECA, which compensates people who lived downwind from nuclear weapons testing in the 1950s and early 1960s. Known as downwinders, an untold number of people in the West were diagnosed with cancer from Cold War-era nuclear weapons testing and development. In 1990, decades later, Utah GOP Sen. Orrin Hatch successfully sponsored RECA. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX But in June, the program expired after Congress failed to renew it, meaning any claim postmarked after June 10 was not considered. And in the year since, downwinders have been lobbying for some kind of action, with support from Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a number of members of Congress and dozens of advocacy groups. 'We support efforts to expand compensation for those affected by the nuclear testing that occurred throughout the West,' Cox said in a statement to Utah News Dispatch last year. 'It's the right thing to do.' In their letter — addressed to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. — Utah lawmakers echoed the governor. 'Our state legislature has a long history of nearly unanimous, bipartisan support for related legislation, as shown in previous resolutions passed by this body. Our state's tragic history of past uranium mining and downwind exposure from nuclear tests has compelled us to fight for Utahns who have been harmed, as well as to support those in other parts of the country who have similarly suffered,' the letter reads. 'We agree with the governor: reauthorizing and expanding RECA is simply the right thing to do.' Sen. Hawley blasts rumors of expanding payments for Utah downwinders only Since it expired in June, several versions of a RECA expansion have been proposed — that includes a bill from Missouri GOP Sen. Josh Hawley that would increase the compensation for downwinders, expand eligibility for certain uranium workers, and widen the current definition of an 'affected area' to include all of Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico and Guam. It would also cover parts of Hawley's district near St. Louis, where creek water was contaminated by radiation during nuclear weapons development. The original version of RECA only covered a handful of counties in Utah, Arizona and Nevada, despite ample evidence that all of Utah and other states in the West were downwind from nuclear weapons testing. Cold-war era uranium workers in 11 Western states were also included. Hawley's bill passed the Senate in March 2024, but it stalled in the House, with some Republicans concerned it was too broad and expensive. In the letter, Utah lawmakers called Hawley's bill 'significant progress.' 'Unfortunately, Speaker Johnson refused to bring up this bill for a vote,' the letter reads. Hawley has worked on a compromise, but there hasn't yet been a vote. Last week, The Hill reported that Hawley would not vote to raise the debt limit if there wasn't some kind of RECA reauthorization and expansion attached. In the letter, Utah lawmakers say the state's congressional delegation is on board with some kind of compromise. 'We are gratified that through negotiations and discussions with our congressional coalition throughout the year and in response to constituent concerns, the Utah delegation is now in support of these efforts and put forward a compromise in late December. Negotiations on the expansion details continue,' the letter reads. 'Efforts to pass RECA legislation are ongoing in 2025, and we urge the Senate and House leadership to act without delay. We request that legislation reauthorizing and improving RECA be included in the next viable legislative vehicle.' The letter was signed by the Utah Senate's six Democrats, and Republican Sens. David Hinkins of Orangeville, Ron Winterton of Roosevelt, and Derrin Owens of Fountain Green. In the House, all 14 Democrats and 18 Republicans signed the letter. Those 18 Republican representatives are: Carl Albrecht of Richfield Ryan Wilcox of Ogden Casey Snider of Paradise Joseph Elison of Toquerville Troy Shelley of Ephraim Logan Monson of Blanding Lisa Shepherd of Provo Colin Jack of St. George Jill Koford of Ogden Raymond Ward of Bountiful Rex Shipp of Cedar City Stewart Barlow of Fruit Heights Steve Eliason of Sandy Karianne Lisonbee of Clearfield Jefferson Burton of Salem Cory Malloy of Lehi Tyler Clancy of Provo Tracy Miller of South Jordan SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
They had a fairytale American childhood - but was radiation slowly killing them?
After Kim Visintine put her son to bed every night at a hospital in St Louis, Missouri, she spent her evening in the hospital's library. She was determined to know how her boy had become seriously ill with a rare brain tumour at just a week old. "Doctors were shocked," she says. "We were told that his illness was one in a million. Other parents were learning to change diapers but I was learning how to change chemotherapy ports and IVs." Kim's son Zack was diagnosed with a glioblastoma multiforme. It is a brain tumour that is very rare in children and is usually seen in adults over 45. Zack had chemotherapy treatments but doctors said there was no hope of him ever recovering. He died at just six years old. Years later, social media and community chatter made Kim start to think that her son was not an isolated case. Perhaps he was part of a bigger picture growing in their community surrounding Coldwater Creek. In this part of the US, cancer fears have prompted locals to accuse officials of not doing enough to support those who may have been exposed to radiation due to the development of the atomic bomb in the 1940s. A compensation programme that was designed to pay out to some Americans who contracted diseases after exposure to radiation expired last year - before it could be extended to the St Louis area. This Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (Reca) provided one-time payouts to people who may have developed cancer or other diseases while living in areas where activities such as atomic weapons testing took place. It paid out $2.6bn (£2bn) to more than 41,000 claimants before coming to an end in 2024. Among the areas covered were parts of New Mexico, where the world's first test of a nuclear weapon took place in 1945. Research published in 2020 by the National Cancer Institute suggested that hundreds of cancers in the area would not have occurred without radiation exposure. St Louis, meanwhile, was where uranium was refined and used to help create the atomic bomb as part of the Manhattan Project. After World War Two ended, the chemical was dumped near the creek and left uncovered, allowing waste to seep into the area. Decades later, federal investigators acknowledged an increased cancer risk for some people who played in the creek as children, but added in their report: "The predicted increases in the number of cancer cases from exposures are small, and no method exists to link a particular cancer with this exposure." The clean-up of the creek is still ongoing and is not expected to finish until 2038. A new bill has been put forward in the House, and Josh Hawley, a US senator representing Missouri, says he has raised the issue with President Donald Trump. When Kim flicks through her school yearbook, she can identify those who have become sick and those who have since passed away. The numbers are startling. "My husband didn't grow up in this area, and he said to me, 'Kim, this is not normal. It seems like we're always talking about one of your friends passing away or going to a funeral'," she says. Just streets away from the creek, Karen Nickel grew up spending her days near the water picking berries, or in the nearby park playing baseball. Her brother would often try and catch fish in Coldwater Creek. "I always tell people that we had just the fairytale childhood that you would expect in what you consider suburban America," says Karen. "Big backyards, big families, children playing out together until the street lights came on at night." But years later, her carefree childhood now looks very different. "Fifteen people from the street I grew up on have died from rare cancers," she says. "We have neighbourhoods here where every house has been affected by some cancer or some illness. We have streets where you can't just find a house where a family has not been affected by this." When Karen's sister was just 11 years old, doctors discovered that her ovaries were covered in cysts. The same had happened to their neighbour when she was just nine. Karen's six-year-old granddaughter was born with a mass on her right ovary. Karen helped found Just Moms STL, a group that is dedicated to protecting the community from future exposures that could be linked to cancers - and which advocates for a clean-up of the area. "We get messages every day from people that are suffering from illnesses and are questioning whether this is from exposure," she says. "These are very aggressive illnesses that the community is getting, from cancers all the way to autoimmune diseases." Teresa Rumfelt grew up just a street away from Karen and lived in her family home from 1979 until 2010. She remembers every one of her animals passing away from cancer and her neighbours getting ill from rare diseases. Years later, her sister Via Von Banks was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a form of motor neurone disease. Some medical studies have suggested there could be a link between radiation and ALS, but this is not definitive - and more research needs to be done to firm it up. That does not reassure people like Teresa who are concerned that more needs to be done to understand how locals are being affected. "ALS took my sister at 50," Teresa says. "I think it was the worst disease ever of mankind. When she was diagnosed in 2019, she'd just got her career going and her children were growing. She stayed positive through all of it." Like Hawley, Just STL Moms and other community members want the government's compensation act to be expanded to include people within the St Louis area, despite the programme being in limbo after expiring. Expanding it to the Coldwater Creek community would mean that locals could be offered compensation if they could prove they were harmed as a result of the Manhattan Project, during which the atomic bomb was developed with the help of uranium-processing in St Louis. It would also allow screenings and further study into illnesses other than cancer. In a statement to the BBC, the US government's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it took concerns very seriously and had actively worked with federal, state and local partners - as well as community members - to understand their health concerns, and to ensure community members were not exposed to the Manhattan Project-era waste. The BBC has also contacted the US Army Corps of Engineers, which is leading the clean-up - but has not received a response to a request for comment. "My sister would have loved to be part of the fight. She'd be the first to picket," says Teresa of her efforts to get greater support from the government. The trend in people around Coldwater Creek getting unwell has not gone unnoticed among healthcare professionals. Dr Gautum Agarwal, a cancer surgeon at Mercy Hospital in St Louis, says he has not noticed a "statistical thing", but notes that he has seen husbands and wives and their neighbours presenting cancers. Now, he ensures that his patients are asked where they live and how close they are to Coldwater Creek. "I tell them that there's a potential that there's a link. And if your neighbours or family live near there, we should get them screened more often. And maybe you should get your kids screened earlier." He hopes that over time more knowledge will be gained about the issue, and for a study into multi-cancer early detection tests to be introduced that could help catch any potential cancers, and help reassure people in the area. Other experts take a different view of the risks. "There is a narrative that many people are sick from cancers, specifically from exposures while living next to Coldwater Creek for the last few decades", says Roger Lewis, a professor in the environmental and occupations health department of St Louis University. "But the data and studies don't indicate that. They show that there is some risk but it's small. It doesn't mean that it's not significant in some ways, but it's very limited." Prof Lewis acknowledges the fear in the community, saying locals will feel safer if the government is clearer about its efforts to eliminate any hazards. For many people near Coldwater Creek, conversation with authorities is not easing the angst that comes with living in an area known for the dumping of nuclear waste. "It's almost a given in our community that at some point we all expect to have some sort of cancer or illness,' says Kim Visintine. 'There's almost this apathy within our group that, well, it's just a matter of time."
