The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) was a federal program established in the 1990s, aimed at providing financial support to people who were exposed to nuclear fallout and uranium mining dating back to World War II.
Members of several tribes including Navajo, Laguna Pueblo, and Zuni have raised funds to travel by bus from New Mexico to Washington, D.C. and stage a gathering starting on Sept. 24. They plan to begin with prayers and drumming outside the Capitol and are hoping lawmakers will meet with them.
Fighting for the revival of RECA is particularly impactful for the Navajo Nation, where uranium mining was critical in the making of the atomic bomb.
“We look at this as a social justice issue,” said Justin Ahasteen, the executive director of the Navajo Nation’s office in Washington, D.C. He believes the latest version of the RECA bill should be brought up for a vote.
“They were paid with sickness and death. And that's really just appalling and this bill gives them a chance to survive.”
Between 1944 and 1986, some 30 million tons of uranium ore was extracted on Navajo Nation land. Navajo uranium workers who started working after 1971 were not eligible for RECA support.
The Navajo Nation continues to fight against uranium mining and transporting these radioactive materials on its land. The Tribe has some of the highest levels of cancer and birth defects.
Ahasteen recalled the story of one person's battle to get help treating cancer.
“Lesley Begay had to sell all of his livestock, had to relocate to the city, he had to do everything he could to stay alive,” Ahasteen said. “And by the good acts of God was able to receive his double lung transplant. He's one person out of thousands who've been affected.”
Under the RECA program, those who qualified received about a third of the cost of cancer treatment.
The Senate passed an expanded version of the bill but House Speaker Mike Johnson refused to bring the bill to the floor for a vote citing its multi-million dollar cost. So far, Johnson has refused to meet with groups affected by the end of RECA.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio (KNPR) in Las Vegas, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
