Call for Congressional Investigation into Nuclear Plants Compensation Program

Thursday, December 24, 2015 | 0

A Missouri Democrat who once worked in a nuclear weapons plant is seeking a congressional investigation into the federal compensation program for employees who became sick after working at facilities across the country.

U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver

Separately, Senate Democrats and Republicans have joined forces to expand the program to include people contaminated by radiation during nuclear weapons tests in the 1950s and 1960s.

U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, of Kansas City, is asking for the investigation following a report by the McClatchy news service, which found that fewer than half of those who applied for compensation have received money.

Workers complained to the news service that they are often left in bureaucratic limbo and overwhelmed by paperwork.

Rep. Joe Wilson, a South Carolina Republican whose district includes the Savannah River Site nuclear weapons plant, said in an email to McClatchy that employees “worked tirelessly to protect our nation and American families during a critical time in our history."

“We owe it to them to ensure that the (compensation) program is working correctly and in a timely manner," Rep. Wilson said.

In a separate but related move, a bipartisan group of senators has introduced legislation to expand the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act's coverage to include residents of western states exposed to nuclear weapons testing.

The bill was introduced by Crapo and Sen. Jim Risch, a Republican of Idaho, along with Democrats Tom Udall of New Mexico, Michael Bennet of Colorado and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico.