*[Enwl-eng] Take action for the Downwinders

[ENWL]

Nuclear Information and Resource Service



            This week we commemorate two tragic anniversaries: The dropping 
of the first atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima on August 6, 
1945, and the release of the second bomb on Nagasaki three days later.

                  These come on the heels of yet another tragic anniversary: 
The first atomic bomb test, called ‘Trinity’, was conducted in south central 
New Mexico on July 16, 1945. The communities affected by this test are still 
living with the consequences of Trinity and over 200 similar nuclear weapons 
tests—and they haven’t been fully recognized or compensated yet for their 
decades of pain and suffering.

                  In 1990, Congress passed a law meant to compensate victims 
of atomic bomb testing, but it doesn’t go nearly far enough and will expire 
in 2022. A bill in the House of Representatives—H.R.3783, the Radiation 
Exposure Compensation Act Amendments of 2019—would expand compensation more 
fully to those affected by the tests. But Rep. Jerrold Nadler, chair of the 
House Judiciary Committee, hasn’t even scheduled a hearing for the bill yet.

                  Your member of Congress can have a lot of influence over 
whether this bill gets a hearing in the House. Tell your member of Congress 
to ask Jerrold Nadler and Rep. Jim Jordan (the committee’s Republican 
ranking member) to schedule a hearing for this bill.

                  The current law compensates residents in parts of Nevada, 
Utah, Colorado and Arizona who were Downwinders from the Nevada Test Site, 
but it expires in two years. The new law would extend this compensation to 
Downwinders in New Mexico, parts of Idaho, Guam, and the Northern Mariana 
Islands, and to uranium workers who joined the industry after 1971. It would 
also extend the compensation fund to 2045.

                  Compensating the Downwinders is especially important now 
that we’re in the middle of a pandemic. Because of their exposure to 
radiation from nuclear tests, Downwinders suffer from more preexisting 
conditions and are more immunocompromised than average Americans. This makes 
them more vulnerable to the effects of Covid-19 than other populations.

                  The Downwinders are the first victims of America’s embrace 
of nuclear power. They should be compensated fairly for their pain and 
suffering. Tell your member of Congress to ask Rep. Nadler and Rep. Jordan 
to schedule a hearing for this bill.  You can also ask your member of 
Congress to become co-sponsors to the bills that have bipartisan support.

                  This week we mourn the victims of Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and 
the Trinity test. But we can do more than just mourn. We can start setting 
things right. Compensating the Downwinders is the first step in the right 
direction.

                  Thanks for all you do,

                  The NIRS Team

                  Diane D'Arrigo
                  Luis Hestres
                  Denise Jakobsberg
                  Tim Judson





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From: Nuclear Information and Resource Service
Sent: Sunday, August 09, 2020 5:03 PM
Subject: Take action for the Downwinders
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