CBS Colorado: Proposed RECA Expansion Could Bring Recognition and Compensation to Colorado Communities

New federal legislation could significantly expand who qualifies for compensation for radiation exposure in Colorado, including people who lived near Rocky Flats.

In a September 1 report, CBS Colorado examined the proposed Radiation Exposure Compensation Reauthorization Act of 2026 and spoke with Colorado Congresswoman Brittany Pettersen and community members about why they believe the legislation is needed.

Expanding RECA in Colorado

Pettersen, who represents Colorado's 7th Congressional District, helped introduce the bipartisan legislation. Congressman Joe Neguse has also signed onto the bill.

According to CBS Colorado, the proposal would expand eligibility to residents in 57 Colorado ZIP codes, with compensation tied to qualifying diseases and cancers. The legislation addresses communities affected by Rocky Flats as well as the former Cotter uranium mill in Fremont County and radiation exposure associated with nuclear weapons testing.

Pettersen told CBS Colorado that communities are still dealing with the consequences of radiation exposure and that the legislation seeks to address cancers and diseases among people who have not previously received compensation.

Community health concerns remain part of the discussion

The CBS report also focuses on community members who believe patterns of cancer around Rocky Flats deserve greater scientific attention.

The story features a breast cancer survivor who has collected self-reported cases of breast cancer among women in northern Jefferson, Broomfield and Boulder counties. She told CBS that the information is not a formal epidemiological study, but that she believes the patterns warrant additional research and government attention.

That distinction is important. Community-reported health experiences can identify questions that deserve investigation, but they do not by themselves establish that Rocky Flats caused individual illnesses or a geographic cancer pattern.

Recognition as well as compensation

The proposed legislation is significant for Rocky Flats Downwinders for another reason: recognition.

For decades, people who lived around Rocky Flats have raised questions about historical releases, environmental contamination and possible health effects. Inclusion in a federal radiation-exposure compensation program would represent a major change in how those communities are acknowledged.

The legislation has not yet become law. CBS reports that it must advance through Congress, and that action is needed before the end of 2027 to prevent a lapse in RECA coverage affecting other eligible communities.

Rocky Flats Downwinders will continue following the legislation as it moves through Congress.

Read and watch the original CBS Colorado report