_edited.jpg){kind=logo}
Superior Passes Resolution Supporting H.R. 10115 and Rocky Flats Downwinders
On Monday, September 14, 2026, the Town of Superior took a local step in support of federal recognition for people affected by Rocky Flats. The Superior Town Council adopted Resolution R-73, Series 2026, supporting H.R. 10115 — the Radiation Exposure Compensation Reauthorization Act of 2026.
For Rocky Flats Downwinders, the resolution is significant because Superior is one of the communities immediately surrounding Rocky Flats—and one whose residents have lived with questions about the site's environmental and health legacy for decades.
What Superior's resolution supports
Resolution R-73 urges Congress to approve H.R. 10115. According to reporting on the adopted resolution, it supports provisions that would recognize Rocky Flats and Colorado's Cotter Uranium Mill as Manhattan Project waste sites and would designate Colorado as a downwind state for purposes related to fallout from atmospheric nuclear testing.
H.R. 10115 could establish a federal compensation pathway for some Coloradans who meet the legislation's requirements related to location, time period and covered illness. Living in an included ZIP code alone would not automatically make someone eligible. The proposed legislation also includes changes to compensation and medical-expense provisions and would extend the proposed claims deadline to 2042.
Why local support matters
A municipal resolution does not change federal law. Superior cannot add Rocky Flats Downwinders to RECA on its own. What the Town can do is formally put its position on the record. That is meaningful for a community located next to Rocky Flats. For years, Rocky Flats Downwinders has worked to make sure that the experiences of people who lived, worked and attended school in surrounding communities remain part of the conversation about Rocky Flats. Superior's resolution adds the voice of a neighboring local government to the discussion now taking place in Congress.
H.R. 10115 still has a long way to go
It is important to be clear about where the legislation stands. H.R. 10115 has not become law.
The bill was introduced in Congress on August 17, 2026. As of September 15, reporting based on Congress.gov showed it had been referred to the House Judiciary Committee and House Energy and Commerce Committee, with no committee approval or vote by either chamber yet reported. That means Superior's action should be understood as support for proposed federal legislation, not a change in eligibility today. Rocky Flats Downwinders will continue following H.R. 10115 as it moves through Congress and will share significant developments with our community.
Recognition begins close to home
For Rocky Flats Downwinders, Resolution R-73 represents more than another item on a municipal agenda. It is an acknowledgment by a community neighboring Rocky Flats that the questions surrounding radiation exposure, health and recognition deserve attention beyond the boundaries of the former plant. We hope other communities surrounding Rocky Flats will examine H.R. 10115, consider what it could mean for their residents and families, and determine for themselves whether to take a position. Superior has now put its position on the record.
Comments