Colorado Lawmakers Seek RECA Coverage for Rocky Flats Downwinders

A newly introduced federal bill could provide an important form of recognition and compensation for people who lived near Rocky Flats and later developed qualifying illnesses.

As reported by the Arvada Press, H.R. 10115 would expand eligibility under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) to include people who lived near Rocky Flats, along with communities affected by several other former nuclear sites.

The legislation represents a significant development for Rocky Flats Downwinders, who have long sought greater recognition of the health concerns experienced by people who lived in communities surrounding the former nuclear weapons plant.

Voices from the Rocky Flats community

The Arvada Press article includes several voices closely connected to Rocky Flats, including Rocky Flats Downwinders co-founder Tiffany Hansen, artist and filmmaker Jeff Gipe, chemist Michael Ketterer, and former Arvada resident Stephanie Dalton.

Dalton described cancer diagnoses within her family and said that recognition and assistance through RECA would represent a measure of long-awaited justice for affected families.

Hansen placed the legislation within the much longer effort by community members, families, scientists, healthcare professionals and organizations to have their experiences recognized.

“While no law can undo the suffering experienced by so many families, this expansion acknowledges that more Coloradans deserve recognition and assistance.”

Gipe, whose father worked at Rocky Flats and whose documentary Half-Life of Memory: America’s Forgotten Atomic Bomb Factory examines the site's legacy, told the newspaper that the bill could represent a change after decades in which workers and surrounding communities felt their concerns were not heard.

Ketterer connected the legislation to the broader nuclear history of Colorado, including Rocky Flats, the former Cotter uranium mill in Cañon City and fallout from Nevada nuclear weapons testing.

What happens next

Introduction of the bill does not mean Rocky Flats Downwinders are currently covered by RECA.

H.R. 10115 would have to advance through Congress and become law before the proposed expansion could take effect. The Arvada Press article also specifically notes that the Rocky Flats provision concerns people who lived near the site, not Rocky Flats workers.

For Rocky Flats Downwinders, however, introduction of the legislation represents an important development in a much longer effort for recognition, health support and assistance for affected communities.

Read the original reporting:Arvada Press — original article

Track the legislation:H.R. 10115 on Congress.gov